Ujjain
(
Hindi:उज्जैन) (also known as
Ujain,
Ujjayini,
Avanti) is an
ancient city of central
India, in the
Malwa region of
Madhya Pradesh, on the eastern bank of the
Kshipra River. In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini, and is referred to as
Ozene by
Ptolemy. It is the
administrative center of
Ujjain District and
Ujjain Division. It is one of the seven sacred cities of the
Hindus, and the
Kumbh Mela religious
festival is held there every twelve years. It has been the
first meridian of longitude for
Hindu geographers since 4th century BCE. It is also home to
Mahakal, one of the twelve
Jyotirlinga
shrines to the god
Shiva.
Nearest airport:
IndoreThe earliest references to the city, as
Ujjaini, are from the time of the
Buddha, when it was the
capital of the
kingdom of
Avanti.
Ujjain was the traditional capital of King
Chandragupta II, also known as
Vikramaditya, at whose court the nine poets known as the
navaratna (nine jewels) of
Sanskrit literature are said to have flourished.
In the 6th and 7th centuries, Ujjain was a major center of mathematical and astronomical research. The famous mathematicians who worked there included:
Brahmagupta, whose book
Brahmasphutasiddhanta was responsible for spreading the use of zero, negative numbers and the positional number system to
Arabia and
Cambodia;
Varahamihira, who was the first to discover many
trigonometric identities; and
Bhaskaracharya, or
Bhaskara II, whose book
Lilavati broke new ground in many areas of mathematics.
The city marks the first meridian of longitude in Hindu geography. It is also reputed to have been the residence of
Asoka (who subsequently became the emperor), when he was the viceroy of the western provinces of the
Maurya empire. It was invaded by the
Delhi Sultanate lead by
Iltutmish in
1235 causing widespread destruction and systematic desecration of temples.
Under
Mughal emperor
Akbar it became the capital of
Malwa, and during the last half of the
18th century it was the headquarters of the
Maratha leader
Sindhia. The Sindhias later established themselves at
Gwalior, and Ujjain remained part of Gwalior state until Indian Independence in
1947.
Gwalior state bacame a
princely state of the
British Raj after the Maratha defeat in the
Third Anglo-Maratha War, and Gwalior, Ujjain, and the neighboring princely states were made a part of the
Central India Agency. After Indian independence, the Sindhia ruler of Gwalior acceded to India, and Ujjain became part of the
Madhya Bharat state. In
1956 Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh state.
Ujjain city has two legislative assembly zones, knows as Ujjain and Freeganj.For Parliamentary seat it is treated as one seat.
Shopping areas of Ujjain include Freeganj, Gopal Mandir, and Satigate.Apart from this every colony has its own shopping complex.
#Dewas Gate#NanaKheda#Koyla Phatak
There are three known railways station in ujjain,#Ujjain city Junction#Vikram Nagar#Chintaman (meter gauge)
Indore Road ,Dewas Road, Agar Road, Budnagar Road etc.
Ujjain experiences typical climate conditions of the interior Indian subcontinent. The
summer months (April " June) are harsh with temperatures reaching up to 45 °C. In addition, hot winds (called loo) may blow in the afternoons, worsening the heat. The winter months (Nov " Feb) are pleasant and cool with daytime temperatures typically 20°C, though it may drop to 3°C in the night. The
monsoon typically arrives in late June and the months of June till September receive moderate to heavy rainfall. There are periods of rainfall followed by long periods of bright sunshine and high humidity. The month of October generally is very warm and with high humidity.
Ujjain is situated on the
Malwa Plateau in
Central India. The
soil is black and stony. The vegetation is the typical of
arid regions with thorny trees like babul and
acacia dominating the landscape.
Soybean,
wheat,
jowar and
bajra are the main
crops grown.
Ujjain is well-connected by rail and road. It is on the Western Railway and is connected by direct train to most major Indian cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, etc). The nearest airport is Indore, which has daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Bhopal. The road network is developed with other parts of Madhya Pradesh. Private buses ply on these roads, though it is best to take your own vehicle for short distances.
An extensive network of old but inexpensive three-wheelers called tempoes serves the majority of the population. Three-wheeler auto-rickshaws are also quite popular. Recent years have seen an explosion of privately-owned vehicles, especially two-wheelers unsuited for the traffic, that congest the narrow thoroughfares.
See also: Ancient monuments in UjjainUjjain is a holy city for Hindus and has many places to visit for the religiously inclined.
The Mahakal Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlings, is the most famous and venerated Shiva temple. The Shivling in this temple is supposed to be the only Jyotirling which faces south and hence it is known as Dakshinmukhi or the south facing ling. Other temples include MahaKaleswareswari temple-one among the Astadasa MahaSakti Peethams, Harsidhhi (Durga Temple), Chintaman Ganesh, Gadh Kalika, Kaal Bhairav, Sandipani Ashram and Mangalnaath. Ujjain, being an ancient city, is home to many monuments that have survived from the ancient period. The most stunning example is the Kalideh Palace on the outskirts of the city, which is a fine piece of ancient Indian architecture, though in poor upkeep. The Bharthari Gufa is an ancient cave which has some interesting legends associated with it. The Observatory ( Veda Shala ) built by a Rajput king Raja
Jai Singh II is one of the four such observatories in India and features ancient astronomical devices.St. Mary's Catholic Church is visited by many during the Christmas period.
The
economy of Ujjain is mainly dependent on the agricultural activities of the nearby
villages. Two main crops are grown each year:
soybean as the major Rabi crop,
wheat as the major Kharif crop. Ujjain agriculture is sensitive to changes in
rainfall and failure of
monsoon cycles can play a devastating toll on agriculture and the local economy.
Ujjain was previously a centre of the textile industry with a number of textile mills in and around the city. These mills have since closed, unemploying hundreds. Religious tourism is also a contributor to the economy, especially during the Simhasta Mela.
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Welcome to Holy City Ujjain
