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About Ujjain

Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh is one of the seven sacred places in India. It is an ancient city and also mentioned in the epic, the Mahabharata. Other names of Ujjain are Ujain, Ujjayini, Avanti, Avantikapuri. Earlier, Ujjayini was the capital of Avanti Kingdom. It was the residence of the mughal emperor, Ashoka.

It is the venue of world famous mela held ones in twelve years commonly known as kumbh mela. Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga in Ujjain is the one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva. It is also believed that Lord Krishana took his education from Maharshi Sandipani here with Sudama and Balarama. The city was major center of astronomical and mathematical research in the 6th and 7th centuries as renowned mathematicians have worked here. Few of them are Brahma Gupta, Varahamihira and Bhaskaracharya.

There are many famous temples in Ujjain which includes-
• The Mahakal Temple is one of the Jyotirlingas. Shivling in this temple is one and only which faces towards south, that is why it is also known as Dakshinmukhi or the south-facing ling.
• The temple of Lord Ganesha is the biggest temple of Chintaman Ganesha in the city.
• The temple of goddess Wagheshwari is known for the tallest idol of Maa Wagheshwari and ‘Sinh-Dwar’ (lion gate).
• The harsidhi temple situated at 52 places also lies here.
• Many devotees come to visit ISKON temple of Lord Krishana and the temple is also famous for its restaurant run by ISKON Society only.
• Various Jain temples here are Jai Singh Pura Atishay Kshetra, Tapobhoomi, Hanumant baag, Avanti Parshwanath.
• The other temples are Gadh Kalika, Kaal Bhairav, Sandipani Ashram, Triveni or Nav Graha Shani Mandir, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness temple, Mangalnaath, Siddhhanath and ShivShakti.

There are many more worth visiting places in Ujjain which are connected with spiritual interests as well as knowledge about ayurveda. The siddha Ashram which is located some where between Narshin ghat and ram ghat is known for Ayurvedic medicines’ research. The vedha shala, an Observatory was built by Raja Jai Singh II, a Rajput king show case ancient devices. The Kaliyadeh Palace is an example of ancient Indian architecture. The throne of Maharaja Vikramaditya is located near the Rudra Sagar Lake which is commonly known as the “seat of judgement”. Sai Baba’s Ashram is located in the religious place Prashanti Dham. Museum named Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan located near Chamunda tower is nice to be visited as it has many ancient objects.

The pancheshani yatra is the grand tour of Ujjain and numerous devotees join it every year. The chatdwar yatra is associated with Pancheshani Yatra, it the ceremonial visit to the four gates. These four gates were made to protect the city from all four sides, four directions. Four guardian deities, Dardureshwar (North), Kayavarohaneshwar (South), Pingaleshwar (East) and Bilveshwar (West) were appointed with Mahakalesh.

Kalidasa academy in the city was established by Madhya Pradesh Government. The academy was set up in the memory of the great poet kalidasa. It is built for research and study in Sanskrit classical and traditional performing arts. The complex consists of an exhibition hall, theatre museum, library, seminar rooms, lecture halls and a theatre.