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Ujjain
Population : 433,465
Languages : Hindi, English, and local dialects
Best Time to Visit : October to March
STD Codes : 0734
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.
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.
Places of Interest
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.
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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