Ujjain
Located in the Madhya Pradesh state of India, It is a city in this district. The administrative hub of Ujjain district and Ujjain division, it is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh in terms of population. One of Sapta Puri’s Hindu pilgrimage sites, it is well-known for hosting the Kumbh Mela every twelve years. In the heart of the city is the well-known Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. From the time of the Ancient Mahajanapadas until the British colonization of India, the city has been one of the most important commercial and political hubs of the Indian Subcontinent.
It was once the most important city on the Malwa plateau in central India for much of its history. It is an ancient city located on the eastern bank of the Shipra River. Around 600 BCE, it began to develop into the political hub of central India. One of the sixteen Mahajanapadas, it served as the seat of government for the ancient Avanti kingdom.
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When Ranoji Scindia established his capital at Ujjain in 1731, the city briefly served as the Scindia state’s capital within the Maratha Empire during the 18th century. Up until the early 19th century, when the British administrators chose to develop Indore as a replacement, it remained a significant political, commercial, and cultural hub of Central India. Shaivites, Vaishnavites, and devotees of Shakta continue to make Ujjain a significant pilgrimage destination.
History
Excavations at Kayatha, which is about 26 kilometers from Ujjain, have uncovered chalcolithic agricultural settlements that date to around 2000 BCE. However, excavations at Ujjain itself have not turned up any chalcolithic settlements. Chalcolithic sites have also been found in other regions near Ujjain, including Nagda. The archaeologist H. According to D. Sankalia’s hypothesis, the Iron Age settlers at Ujjain most likely destroyed the Chalcolithic settlements there.
Avanti, whose capital was Ujjain, “was one of the earliest outposts in central India,” and it displayed early signs of incipient urbanization around 700 BCE, according to Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund. Ujjain became the Malwa plateau’s political, commercial, and cultural hub around 600 BCE.
Ancient period
Excavations at Kayatha, which is about 26 kilometers from Ujjain, have uncovered chalcolithic agricultural settlements that date to around 2000 BCE. However, excavations at Ujjain itself have not turned up any chalcolithic settlements. Chalcolithic sites have also been found in other regions near Ujjain, including Nagda. The archaeologist H. According to D. Sankalia’s hypothesis, the Iron Age settlers at Ujjain most likely destroyed the Chalcolithic settlements there.
Avanti, whose capital was Ujjain, “was one of the earliest outposts in central India,” and it displayed early signs of incipient urbanization around 700 BCE, according to Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund. Ujjain became the Malwa plateau’s political, commercial, and cultural hub around 600 BCE.
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga
According to legend, Bharthari wrote his famous epics in the place then known as Ujjayini, including Virat Katha, Neeti Sataka, and the love story of Pradyot Princess Vasavadatta and Udayan. Bhasa probably resided in the city of Ujjain because his writings are set there. Ujjain is another place that Kalidasa frequently mentions, indicating that he may have lived there for a while. The Shudraka novel Mrichchhakatika is also set in it.
In several tales, it also serves as the setting for Vikramaditya, the fabled emperor parmar. The city was founded by Vishwakarma, according to Somadeva’s Kathasaritsagara (11th century), which also mentions that it is invincible, prosperous, and filled with breathtaking sights. In the eighth century CE, Ujjain was repeatedly attacked by Arabs from the Umayyad Caliphate. The city was known to the Arabs as Uzayn.
The Jantar Mantar
The capital of the area was moved by the Paramaras (9th–14th century CE) from Ujjain to Dhar. In the course of his Indian invasion, Mahmud of Ghazni sacked the city and made it pay tribute. Iltutmish of the Delhi Sultanate ransacked the city in 1235 CE. Ujjain, along with other regions of north-central India, eventually came under the control of Islam with the fall of the Paramara kingdom.
The city remained a significant metropolis in central India. The biggest city and capital of the Malwa Subah was Ujjain until the reign of the Mughal vassal Jai Singh II (1688–1743), who built a Jantar Mantar there. Under Muslim rule, the city kept growing, especially under the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, when it served as a significant military hub.
FAQs: Ujjain
What is famous for Ujjain?
This city has a Jyotirling out of 12 Jyotirlings, one city out of seven salvation providing cities, Gadhkalika and Harsiddhi, the two Shakti Peeths, and sacred Kumbh that takes place in four cities of India. The cave of king Bhartari is found here and it is believed that Ujjain has foot prints of God Vishnu.
Why do we not stay at Ujjain at night?
The belief is that Mahakal or Lord Shiva is the king of Ujjain and another ruler (CM or members of royal family) can’t stay during the night in the city. If they do so, something bad will happen to them, goes the myth.
Can we touch lingam in it?
Generally temple not very crowded except during school vacations/shravan month/especial festive occasions. So first see the crowd before buying the paid darshan. The ling can be seen only during darshan but not touched.