Ujjain District, Madhya Pradesh :

Ujjain is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Ujjain division.It is a famous Hindu pilgrimage centre with the Kumbh Mela held here every 12 years.

An ancient city situated on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River, Ujjain was the most prominent city on the Malwa plateau of central India for much of its history. It emerged as the political centre of central India around 600 BCE. It was the capital of the ancient Avanti kingdom, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas. It remained an important political, commercial and cultural centre of central India until the early 19th century, when the British administrators decided to develop Indore as an alternative to it. Ujjain continues to be an important place of pilgrimage for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and followers of Shakta.

Ujjain has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under PM Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.

History :

Prehistoric era : Excavations at Kayatha (around 26 km from Ujjain) have revealed chalcolithic agricultural settlements dating to around 2000 BCE. Chalcolithic sites have also been discovered at other areas around Ujjain, including Nagda, but excavations at Ujjain itself have not revealed any chalcolithic settlements. Archaeologist H. D. Sankalia theorized that the chalcolithic settlements at Ujjain were probably destroyed by the Iron Age settlers.

Ancient period : In the 4th century BCE, the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta annexed Avanti to his empire. The edicts of his grandson Ashoka mention four provinces of the Mauryan empire, of which Ujjain was the capital of the Western province. During the reign of his father Bindusara, Ashoka served as the viceroy of Ujjain, which highlights the importance of the town. 

From the Mauryan period, Northern Black Polished Ware, copper coins, terracotta ring wells and ivory seals with Brahmi text have been excavated at Ujjain. Ujjain emerged as an important commercial centre, partially because it lay on the trade route connecting north India to the Deccan, starting from Mathura. It also emerged as an important center for intellectual learning among Jain, early Buddhist and Hindu traditions. After the Mauryans, Ujjain was controlled by a number of empires and dynasties, including local dynasties, the Shungas, the Western Satraps, the Satavahanas, and the Guptas.

Medieval period : The Paramaras (9th-14th century CE) shifted the region's capital from Ujjain to Dhar. In 1235 CE, Iltutmish of Delhi Sultanate plundered the city, and destroyed its temples. With the decline of the Paramara kingdom, Ujjain ultimately came under the Islamic rule, like other parts of north-central India. The city continued to be an important city of central India. As late as during the times of the Mughal vassal Jai Singh II (1688-1743), who constructed a Jantar Mantar in the city, Ujjain was the largest city and capital of the Malwa Subah.

Modern period : During the 18th century, the city briefly became the capital of Scindia state of the Maratha confederacy, when Ranoji Scindia established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. But his successors moved to Gwalior, where they ruled the Gwalior State in the latter half of the 18th century. The struggle of supremacy between the Holkars of Indore and Scindias (who ruled Ujjain) led to rivalry between the merchants of the two cities.

Geography :

Ujjain is located in the west-central part of India, and is north of the upper limit of the Vindhya mountain ranges. Located on the Malwa plateau, it is higher than the north Indian plains and the land rises towards the Vindhya Range to the south. Ujjain's co-ordinates are 23°10′N 75°46′E with an average elevation of 494 m (1620 ft). The region is an extension of the Deccan Traps, formed between 60 and 68 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period. The city is on the bank of the river Shipra which flows into the nearby Chambal. The tropic of cancer also passes through a temple named Karkoteshwar, located near Harsiddhi Mandir in Ujjain. Climate of the city features an typical version of the humid subtropical climate by the middle of March which lasts up until late June. During which temperatures normally reaches up to 45 °C, with average maximum peaking in May with 41 °C. Monsoon starts in late June and ends in late September. 

Demographics :

According to the 2011 census, Ujjain had a population of 515,215, comprising 265,291 males and 249,924 females, giving a sex ratio of 921 per 1000. The overall literacy rate was 85.55%, with male literacy at 91.16% and female literacy at 79.62%.

Places to visit :

Chintaman Ganesh Temple : Chintaman Ganesh is the biggest temple of Lord Ganesha in Ujjain. This temple is built across the Kshipra river on the Fatehabad railway line, and is located about 7 km far south-westerly to the Ujjain town.The temple is located now in the middle of the town's market.

The temple dates back to 11th and 12th centuries when the Paramaras ruled over Malwa. The Ganesha idol enshrined in this temple is supposed to be swayamabhu (self manifested). Locally, Ganesha is also referred to as Chintaman. His consorts, Ridhhi and Siddhi, flank Chintaman, the assuager of all worries. The finely-carved stone pillars in the assembly hall and the white shrine define the age-old sanctity of the temple.

Gopal Mandir : Gopal Mandir, also known as Radhakanta Mandir, is a Hindu temple of the Puthia Temple Complex in Puthia Upazila, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. The temple is believed to belong to the 20th century.

The temple is in Puthia town which is 32 km away by road from Rajshahi city,  the city is also a rail head and is on the Dhaka Rajashahi Highway.

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) temple in Ujjain:  Ujjain is the city of temples, with more than 2000 temples and is one of the seven most auspicious pilgrimage cities in India. It is believed that Lord Krishna studied in Ujjain with his brother Balaram. 

Kal Bhairav temple, Ujjain : The Kal Bhairav temple is a Hindu temple located in the Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to Kal Bhairav, the guardian deity of the city. Located on the banks of the Shipra River, it is one of the most active temples in the city, visited by hundreds of devotees daily. Liquor is one of the offerings made to the temple deity.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga : Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and one of the twelve Jyotirlingams, shrines which are said to be the most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva. It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated on the side of the holy river Shipra. The presiding deity, Lord Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu, deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

Ved Shala or Jantar Mantar : Vedh Shala or Jantar Mantar is located in the holy city of New Ujjain. It is an observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in 1725 which consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The observatory is one of the five observatories built by Maharaja Jai Singh II when he was governor of Ujjain.

Vedh Shala was constructed with the aim of measuring local time, altitude (of the place) and also to measure declination of the Sun, stars and planets and to determine eclipses. Motion, speed and properties of stars and planets were also recorded using several special instruments.

Sandipani : The Sandipani Muni asrama is located 2 km outside Ujjain, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is popularly believed to have been the place used by Bhagavan Sri Krishna for washing his writing tablets. A locally sourced narrative relates that the numerals 1 to 100 found inscribed on a stone were originally engraved by Sandipni.

Near the asrama is the Gomti Kund, a stepped water tank. Legend has it that this is where Krishna summoned all the holy waters from various centres so that his elderly Guru, Sandipani Muni would not have to travel other holy places.

Kaliadeh Palace : Kaliadeh Palace is a place located on the banks of Shipra in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Palace is one of the most famous historical landmarks of Ujjain. Once recorded as beautiful temple of Sun on banks of River Shipra with two tanks with name of Surya Kunda and the Brahma Kunda. Palace was built by the Sultan of Mandu long back in the year 1458 A.D. in the time of Mahmud Khilji. Central dome of the palace is a beautiful example of Persian architecture, and the Persian inscriptions here record the visits of Emperor Akbar and Jehangir to this palace.

The palace was damaged by Pindaris during The Pindari war but was restored by Maharaja Sir Madho Rao Scindia of Gwalior in 1920.