| FACTS &
FIGURES
Population : 433,465
Languages : Hindi, English, and local dialects
Best Time to Visit : October to March
STD Codes : 0734
LOCATION
Situated at a distance of 56 km from
Indore, the ancient town of Ujjain is one of the holiest
cities for Hindus. It is situated on the bank of the
sacred river Shipra in the central Indian state of Madhya
Pradesh.
CLIMATE
Due to its location, the climate of
the city is tropical in nature—very hot in summers
and cold in winters. Monsoon brings humidity into the
atmosphere during the month of July and August. Visitors
are advised to take along light cotton clothes during
summer and a comfortable number of woolens for their
winter trip to Ujjain.
PAST
Part of an ancient trade route, Ujjain
was an important city under King Askoka’s father
but was known as Avantika at that time. Later, Chandragupta
II ruled from here instead of his actual capital Pataliputra.
It was at his court that the famous poet Kalidasa, one
of the Hinduism’s most revered poets, wrote the
Meghdoot with its famous lyrical description of the
city and its people.
“The town fallen from heaven to bring heaven
on earth” wrote Kalidasa about Ujjain. He added,
“if heaven is a magnification of Ujjain, then
it must be a very interesting place indeed. This is
the home of Shiva as Mahakal, he who allocates the existential
time of all cosmic manifestation”. According to
an ancient Hindu calendar, the first meridian of the
planet earth passes through Ujjain, making Ujjain time
the universal time coordinate. The river Shipra that
passes through Ujjain is held as sacred as the Ganges.
Ujjain is also one of the sites of the Kumbh Mela, the
greatest religious congregation of the Hindus.
In its long history, Ujjain has changed hands many
times and has been introduced to many other religions
and cultures. In recent times, the Marathas, Muslims
and Christians too have tried to make their presence
felt but it has retained its Hindu essence and the influence
of the other religions has been minimal.
It finds mention in the Hindu mythological tale of
churning of the cosmic ocean by the gods and the demons,
with Vasuki, the serpent as the rope. It is believed
that the ocean bed first yielded fourteen gems, then
Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and finally the coveted
vessel of Nectar. In the wild scramble for immortality,
with the demons chasing the Gods across the skies, a
few drops of the Nectar spilt from the vessel and fell
at Haridwar, Nasik, Prayag, and Ujjaini or the present
Ujjain.
The indomitable spirit of Ujjain is best exemplified
by the legend of a tree associated with it. On the outskirts
of Ujjain is an ancient banyan tree named Siddhwat.
The tree is believed to possess extraordinary spiritual
vibrations and holy men meditate under it while lay
devotees worship it as they do the other gods. According
to the legend, a ruler once sought to destroy the tree
as an expression of his authority, in spite of his subjects
begging him to spare it. The ruler mocked their sentiments
and said that if the tree were actually spiritually
evolved, it would grow back in spite of his assault.
So, he had the tree cut down and covered the mutilated
stump with seven iron plates. By the next morning, the
tree had burst through the iron plates and come back
to its original size. The tree is still alive and the
object of redoubled veneration.
SITES TO VISIT
One of the holiest of Hindu cities,
Ujjain has a plethora of temples that are spread all
over the town. The most notable are the Bhaironath (the
liquor drinking deity) temple; Mangalnath temple, situated
at the place where the first meridian is said to pass
the earth; Chintaman Ganesh, the temple said to have
been established by Lord Ram himself; Har Siddhi Mata,
the family goddess of King Vikramaditya; and deep in
the bazaar, Gopal Mandir, a Krishna temple. A popular
local saying has it that even if one came with two cart
loads of grain and offered only one handful at each
temple one would still run short of offering.
While Mahakal is undoubtedly the presiding deity of
Ujjain, the other gods of the Hindu pantheon are also
well represented in the hundreds of other temples all
over the town. One of the major attractions of the town
is the Bhasma Aarti held every dawn at the Mahakal temple.
In this ritual, the master of cosmic time is propitiated
with ash from a cremation ground, the ash being symbolic
of the end of a particular manifestation of existential
time.
Apart from the temples, the other buildings of Ujjain
merit far more than a casual look. “Its houses
are like palaces and its palaces are like mountains,”
wrote Kalidasa, and even today that observation is not
very far off the mark. Ujjain is quite simply a traveler’s
dream destination, one that should not be seen in hurry
but savored slowly.
SITES NEARBY
Many of sites in Ujjain are a long way
away from the center of town. Therefore, it would be
advisable to opt for the easily available auto rickshaws
or the more romantic but slower tongas.
Mandu is 152 km from the town. Here, one can visit
Taj-ul-Masjid, Shaukat Mahal, Rupmati’s Pavilion,
and Hindola Mahal, which tell the tales of the kings
and queens of the region.
Dewas, 36 km from the town, has a famous Devi Chamunda
temple situated on a hilltop. Agar is an archeological
site situated 66 km away from Ujjain that must not be
missed.
At a distance of 21 km from Ujjain is Ratlam, a town
famous for its cactus garden. The garden has over 1,205
species of cacti, one of the largest collections of
the plant in Asia.
FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
Almost all the major Hindu festivals
are celebrated here. Having one of the 12 Jyotirlingas,
Maha Shivratri is a big event here. Thousand of pilgrims
flock to the fair grounds near the Mahakal temple to
worship Lord Shiva.
The Simhastha Kumbh Mela is a mammoth fair held once
in twelve years. The magnificence of the bathing ritual
is seen at its best during this fair at Ujjain.
WHERE TO STAY
There are several hotels and lodges
available to accommodate the tourists visiting the town.
Besides, in Ujjain, there are also government run hotels
like the Shipra and the Yatri Niwas that are conveniently
priced and comfortable.
HOW TO REACH
By Air
The nearest airport is at Indore, 55 km away,
is connected by air to Bhopal, Bombay, Delhi and Gwalior.
By Rail
Ujjain is an important railway station on the
Western Railway network and connected with most of the
major cities in India.
By Road
Good motorable roads connect Ujjain with Ahmedabad
(402 km), Bhopal (183 km), Bombay (655 km), Delhi (774
km), Gwalior (451 km), Indore (53 km), Khajuraho (570
km), Mandu (158 km)
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