Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in

Ujjain district Ujjain district is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The historic city of Ujjain is the district headquarters. The district has an area of 6,091 km², and a population of 19,86,864 (2011 census), a 16.12% increase from it ...

of the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the

administrative Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...

centre of Ujjain district and

Ujjain division Ujjain Division is an administrative geographical unit of Madhya Pradesh state of India. Ujjain is the administrative headquarters of the division. , the division consists of the districts of Dewas, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Shajapur, Agar an ...

. It is one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres of

Sapta Puri The Sapta Puri (Sanskrit: सप्त-पुरी ', a Sanskrit meaning "seven cities") are the seven holy pilgrimage centres in India. These are the seven holy pilgrimage sites in Hinduism, which bless the pilgrims with moksha (liberation from ...

famous for the '' Kumbh Mela'' held there every 12 years. The famous temple of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located in the center of the city. An ancient city situated on the eastern bank of the

Shipra River The Shipra, also known as the Kshipra, is a river in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The river rises in the North of Dhar district, and flows north across the Malwa Plateau to join the Chambal River at the MP-Rajasthan boundary in Mand ...

, Ujjain was the most prominent city on the

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...

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. During the 18th century, the city briefly became the capital of Scindia state of the

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Sh ...

, when

Ranoji Scindia Ranoji Shinde the founder of the Scindia dynasty from maratha caste that produced outstanding Maratha military commanders during the 18th century. Later the Scindia served as vassals of the British from the northern Princely state of Gwalior. ...

established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. It remained an important political, commercial and cultural centre of Central India until the early 19th century, when the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

administrators decided to develop

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...

as an alternative to it. Ujjain continues to be an important place of pilgrimage for

Shaivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

Vaishnavite Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

s and followers of

Shakta Shaktism ( sa, शाक्त, , ) is one of several major Hindu denominations, wherein the metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically a woman and Shakti ( Mahadevi) is regarded as the supreme godhead. It includes many goddesses, all ...

. Ujjain has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a

smart city A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gained from that data is used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in retur ...

under Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...

's flagship

Smart Cities Mission National Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop smart cities across the country, making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Devel ...

History

Prehistoric era

Excavations at Kayatha (around 26 km from Ujjain) have revealed

chalcolithic The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...

agricultural settlements dating to around 2000 BCE. Chalcolithic sites have also been discovered at other areas around Ujjain, including

Nagda Nagda is an industrial town in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It lies in the administrative headquarters of the city of Ujjain, in the Malwa region of western Madhya Pradesh. It is situated on the bank of the Chambal Riv ...

, 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 The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

settlers. According to

Hermann Kulke Hermann Kulke (born 1938 in Berlin) is a German historian and Indologist, who was professor of South and Southeast Asian history at the Department of History, Kiel University (1988–2003). After receiving his PhD in Indology from Freiburg Univer ...

and

Dietmar Rothermund Dietmar Otto Ernst Rothermund (20 January 1933 in Kassel - 9 March 2020 in Dossenheim) was a German historian and professor of the history of South Asia at the Ruprecht-Karls University in Heidelberg. He is considered an important representative ...

, Avanti, whose capital was Ujjain, "was one of the earliest outposts in central India" and showed signs of early incipient urbanisation around 700 BCE. Around 600 BCE, Ujjain emerged as the political, commercial and cultural centre of

plateau. The ancient walled city of Ujjain was located around the Garh Kalika hill on the bank of river Kshipra, in the present-day suburban areas of the Ujjain city. This city covered an irregular pentagonal area of 0.875 km². It was surrounded by a 12 m high mud

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

. The archaeological investigations have also indicated the presence of a 45 m wide and 6.6 m deep moat around the city. According to F. R. Allchin and George Erdosy, these city defences were constructed between 6th and 4th centuries BCE. Dieter Schlingloff believes that these were built before 600 BCE. This period is characterised by structures made of stone and burnt-brick, tools and weapons made of iron, and black and red burnished ware. According to the Puranic texts, a branch of the legendary Haihaya dynasty ruled over Ujjain.

Ancient period

In the 4th century BCE, the

Mauryan The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

emperor Chandragupta annexed Avanti to his empire. The edicts of his grandson

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

mention four provinces of the Mauryan empire, of which Ujjain was the capital of the Western province. During the reign of his father

Bindusara Bindusara (), also Amitraghāta or Amitrakhāda (Sanskrit: अमित्रघात, "slayer of enemies" or "devourer of enemies") or Amitrochates (Greek: Ἀμιτροχάτης) (Strabo calls him Allitrochades (Ἀλλιτροχάδης)) ...

, Ashoka served as the

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...

of Ujjain, which highlights the importance of the town. As the viceroy of Ujjain, Ashoka married Devi, the daughter of a merchant from Vedisagiri (

Vidisha Vidisha (विदिशा, formerly known as Bhelsa and known as Besnagar in ancient times) is a city in central Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located 62.5 km northeast of the state capital, Bhopal. The name "Vidisha" is derived from th ...

). According to the Sinhalese Buddhist tradition, their children Mahendra and

Sanghamitra Saṅghamittā (Saṅghamitrā in Sanskrit, nun's name Ayapali; 282 BC – 203 BC) was the eldest daughter of Emperor Ashoka (304 BC – 232 BC) and his first wife, Devi. Together with her brother Mahinda, she entered an order of Buddhist m ...

, who preached Buddhism in modern Sri Lanka, were born in Ujjain. From the Mauryan period,

Northern Black Polished Ware The Northern Black Polished Ware culture (abbreviated NBPW or NBP) is an urban Iron Age Indian culture of the Indian Subcontinent, lasting c. 700–200 BCE (proto NBPW between 1200 and 700 BCE), succeeding the Painted Grey Ware culture and Blac ...

, copper coins,

terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

ring wells and ivory seals with

Brahmi Brahmi (; ; ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such as 'lath' ...

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 Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

, Buddhist and Hindu traditions. After the Mauryans, Ujjain was controlled by a number of empires and dynasties, including local dynasties, the

Shungas The Shunga Empire (IAST: ') was an ancient Indian dynasty from Magadha that controlled areas of the most of the northern Indian subcontinent from around 185 to 73 BCE. The dynasty was established by Pushyamitra, after taking the throne of the M ...

, the

Western Satraps The Western Satraps, or Western Kshatrapas (Brahmi:, ''Mahakṣatrapa'', "Great Satraps") were Indo-Scythian (Saka) rulers of the western and central part of India ( Saurashtra and Malwa: modern Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh ...

, the

Satavahana The Satavahanas (''Sādavāhana'' or ''Sātavāhana'', IAST: ), also referred to as the Andhras in the Puranas, were an ancient Indian dynasty based in the Deccan region. Most modern scholars believe that the Satavahana rule began in the la ...

s, and the Guptas. Ujjain remained as an important city of the Guptas during the 4th and the 5th centuries. Kalidasa, the great Indian classical poet of the 5th century who lived in the times of the Gupta king

Vikramaditya Vikramaditya (IAST: ') was a legendary king who has been featured in hundreds of traditional stories including those in ''Baital Pachisi'' and '' Singhasan Battisi''. Many describe him as ruler with his capital at Ujjain (Pataliputra or Prati ...

wrote his epic work ''

Meghadūta } ''Meghadūta'' ( sa, मेघदूत literally ''Cloud Messenger'') is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa (c. 4th–5th century CE), considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets. It describes how a '' yakṣa'' (or nature spirit), wh ...

'' in which he describes the richness of Ujjain and its people. In the 6th century CE the Chinese pilgrim

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

visited India. He describes the ruler of Avanti as a king who was generous to the poor and presented them with gifts. Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Ujjain - panoramio (4)

Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Ujjain - panoramio (4)

Bharthari is said to have written his great epics, Virat Katha, Neeti Sataka, the love story of Pradyot Princess Vasavadatta and Udayan in Ujjayini, as the city was called during his times. The writings of Bhasa are set in Ujjain, and he probably lived in the city. Kalidasa also refers to Ujjain multiple times, and it appears that he spent at least a part of his life in Ujjain. '' Mrichchhakatika'' by

Shudraka Shudraka ( IAST: ) was an Indian playwright, to whom three Sanskrit plays are attributed: '' Mrichchhakatika'' (''The Little Clay Cart''), ''Vinavasavadatta'', and a ''bhana'' (short one-act monologue), ''Padmaprabhritaka''.Bhattacharji, Sukumari ...

is also set in Ujjain. Ujjain also appears in several stories as the capital of the legendary emperor parmar

. Somadeva's ''

Kathasaritsagara The ''Kathāsaritsāgara'' ("Ocean of the Streams of Stories") (Devanagari: कथासरित्सागर) is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold in Sanskrit by the Shaivite Somadeva. ...

'' (11th century) mentions that the city was created by

Vishwakarma Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman ( sa, विश्वकर्मा, Viśvakarmā, all maker) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the ...

, and describes it as invincible, prosperous and full of wonderful sights. Ujjain was sacked several times by the

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

of the

Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...

in the 8th century CE. The Arabs called the city ''Uzayn''.

Medieval period

The Paramaras (9th-14th century CE) shifted the region's capital from Ujjain to

Dhar Dhar is a city located in Dhar district of the Malwa region in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Dhar district. Before Indian independence from Great Britain, it was the capital of the Dh ...

. Mahmud of Ghazni sacked the city and forced it to pay tribute during his invasion in India. In 1235 CE,

Iltutmish Shams ud-Din Iltutmish ( fa, شمس الدین ایلتتمش; died 30 April 1236, ) was the third of the Mamluk dynasty (Delhi), Mamluk kings who ruled the former Ghurid Empire, Ghurid territories in northern India. He was the first Muslim sove ...

of Delhi Sultanate plundered the city. 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 Jai Singh II (3 November 1681 – 21 September 1743) popularly known as Sawai Jai Singh was the 29th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Jaipur State, Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He was born ...

(1688-1743), who constructed a

Jantar Mantar A Jantar Mantar ( Hindustani pronunciation: ͡ʒən̪t̪ər mən̪t̪ər is an assembly of stone-built astronomical instruments, designed to be used with the naked eye. There were five Jantar Mantars in India, all of them built at the com ...

in the city, Ujjain was the largest city and capital of the Malwa Subah. The city continued to be developed during Muslim rule especially under the Delhi Sultanate and the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

, it was used as an important military headquarters.

Modern period

During the 18th century, the city briefly became the capital of

Scindia The Scindia dynasty (anglicized from Shinde) is a Hindu Maratha dynasty of maratha origin that ruled the erstwhile State of Gwalior. It had the Patil-ship of Kumberkerrab in Wai. It was founded by Ranoji Scindia, who started as a personal serva ...

state of the

, when

established his capital at Ujjain in 1731.

Mahadji Scindia Mahadaji Shinde (b. 23 December 1730 – 12 February 1794), later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Sindhia, was a Maratha statesman and ruler of Ujjain in Central India. He was the fifth and the youngest son of Ranoji Rao Scindia, the f ...

constructed a grand palace with a hundred rooms around which the Maratha sardars constructed their own mansions. Ruined and destroyed temples were restored and newer ones were built. But his successors moved to

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

, where they ruled the

Gwalior State Gwalior state was a semi-autonomous Maratha state. It was centred in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, arising due to the rise of the Maratha Empire and fragmentation of the Mughal Empire. It was ruled by the Scindia, House of Scindia (anglicized fro ...

in the latter half of the 18th century. The struggle of supremacy between the

Holkar The Holkar (Pronunciation: �o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Mara ...

s of

and Scindias (who ruled Ujjain) led to rivalry between the merchants of the two cities. On 18 July 1801, the Holkars defeated the Scindias at the

Battle of Ujjain The Battle of Ujjain took place on 18 July 1801 near Ujjain between the rival factions of the Maratha empire. In July 1801, Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar attacked Sindhia's capital Ujjain, and after defeating Sindhia's army led by John Hessing, ...

. On 1 September,

Yashwantrao Holkar Yashwant Rao Holkar (c. 1776-1811) also known as Jaswantrao Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire was the Maharaja of the Maratha Empire. He was a gifted military leader and educated in accountancy as well as literate in ...

entered the city, and demanded a sum of 15 lakh rupees from the city. He received only 1/8th of this amount; the rest was pocketed by his officers. A force sent by

Daulatrao Scindia Shrimant Daulat Rao Shinde (also Sindhia; 1779 – 21 March 1827) was the Maharaja (ruler) of Gwalior state in central India from 1794 until his death in 1827. His reign coincided with struggles for supremacy within the Maratha Empire, and war ...

later regained control of Ujjain. After both Holkar and Scindias accepted the

suzerainty, the British colonial administrators decided to develop Indore as an alternative to Ujjain, because the merchants of Ujjain had supported certain anti-British people.

John Malcolm Major-General Sir John Malcolm GCB, KLS (2 May 1769 – 30 May 1833) was a Scottish soldier, diplomat, East India Company administrator, statesman, and historian. Early life Sir John Malcolm was born in 1769, one of seventeen children of Ge ...

, the British administrator of Central India, decided to reduce the importance of Ujjain "by transferring a great part of that consequence it now enjoys to the Towns of Indore and Rutlam cities, which are and will continue more under our control." After Indian independence, Ujjain was placed in

Madhya Bharat Madhya Bharat, also known as Malwa Union, was an Indian state in west-central India, created on 28 May 1948 from twenty-five princely states which until 1947 had been part of the Central India Agency, with Jiwajirao Scindia as its Rajpramukh. ...

state, which in turn was fused into

in 1956.

Geography

Ujjain is located in the west-central part of India, and is north of the upper limit of the

Vindhya The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India. Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...

mountain ranges. Located on the

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 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 The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago) ...

at the end of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

. The city is on the bank of the river

Shipra The Shipra, also known as the Kshipra, is a river in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The river rises in the North of Dhar district, and flows north across the Malwa Plateau to join the Chambal River at the MP-Rajasthan boundary in ...

which flows into the nearby Chambal. The tropic of cancer also passes through a temple named Karkoteshwar, located near

Harsiddhi Harsidhhi, one of the aspects of Durga is a regional Hindu goddess, popular in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, adjoining Maharashtra states of India. Names Harsiddhi, a contracted form or, at its very least, a form of "Harshad Amba" – The Happy Mo ...

Mandir in Ujjain. The Tropic of Cancer is thought to go through 4 parts of Ujjain—The Mangalnath temple, Jantar Mantar, Dome of Mahakal and the Karkrajeshwar temple. Ujjain is geographically situated at a spot where the zero meridian of longitude and the Tropic of Cancer intersect.

Climate

Climate of the city features an typical version of the humid subtropical climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Cwa''). Summers usually starts 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. These months see about 36 inches (914 mm) of precipitation, frequent thunderstorms and flooding. This season usually features wet phase of comfortable with average temperatures around 24 °C (76 °F) but this is accompanied with frequent downpours. This wet phase is followed by dry phase which results in humid weather with high temperatures. Temperatures rise again up to early November when winter starts, which lasts up to early March. Winters are cool, dry and sunny with occasional cold snaps during which temperature may drop to close to freezing (0° to 3°). Otherwise temperatures are very much comfortable, with average daily temperatures around 16 °C (61 °F).

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 942 per 1000. The overall literacy rate was 85.55%, with male literacy at 91.16% and female literacy at 79.62%. Hindi is the most-spoken language. Being the heartland of the Malwa region, Malvi is also widely spoken.

Government and jurisdiction

Most of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the

Ujjain Municipal Corporation Ujjain Municipal Corporation is the governing body of the city of Ujjain in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The municipal corporation consists of democratically elected members, is headed by a mayor and administers the city's infrastructure ...

(UMC). The city is administered by a Divisional Commissioner and a Collectorate Office as well as the Mayor. They are responsible for the town and Country Planning Department, Forest Department, Public Health Engineering, Public Works Department and MP Electricity Board. Ujjain has been a metropolitan municipality with a mayor-council form of government. The Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC) was established in 1956 under the Madhya Pradesh Nagar Palika Nigam Adhiniyam. The UMC was established in 1886 as Nagar Palika, but the Municipal Corporation of Ujjain was declared on a par with the Gwalior Municipal Corporation. The UMC is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, local planning and welfare services. The mayor and councillors are elected to five-year terms. The

Ujjain Development Authority Ujjain Development Authority also known as UDA is the urban planning agency serving Ujjain Division of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The headquarters of the Ujjain Development Authority is Bharatpuri, Ujjain. It was established in 1973 u ...

, also known as UDA, is the urban planning agency serving Ujjain. Its headquarters are located in the Bharatpuri area of Ujjain. It was established under the Madhya Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act, 1973. Ujjain Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 29

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

constituencies in

state in central India. This constituency came into existence in 1951 as one of the 9 Lok Sabha constituencies in the erstwhile

state. It is reserved for the candidates belonging to the

Scheduled Castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

since 1966. This constituency covers the entire

and part of Ratlam district. Previously, Dr. Chintamani Malviya of the

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...

was the member of parliament who won in the 2014 Indian general elections. The Current Member of Parliament from

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn 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 ...

is Anil Firojiya (

BJP The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mo ...

) in the recently concluded

Election 2019.

Education

University

Maharshi Panini Sanskrit University Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Evam Vedic Vishwavidyalaya (MPSVV), formerly Maharshi Panini Sanskrit University or Maharishi Panini Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya, is a state university situated in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. It was established in 2008 ...

*Vikram University *Avantika University

Medical Colleges

Ruxmaniben Deepchand Gardi Medical College Ruxmaniben Deepchand Gardi Medical College is the first private medical college in Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is situated in Ujjain city. In 2001, RDGMC came in existence after a long waiting period of nearly forty years. The college is ...

Engineering Colleges

* Ujjain Engineering College Govt. * MIT Group of Institutes, Ujjain *Shree Guru Sandipani Institute of Science and Technology *Prashanti Institute of Technology *School of Engineering Vikram University *Alpine Institute of Technology

Schools

* Christu Jyoti Convent School * Ujjain Public School * Lokmanya Tilak higher Secondary School, Ujjain * St. Mary's Convent School * Nirmala Convent School * Takshshila Junior College * Kalidas Montessori Sr. Sec. School *Carmel Convent Sr. Sec. School

Industry

Major industrial areas surrounding Ujjain are "Dewas Road Industrial Area", "Maxi Road Industrial Area" and "Tajpur Industrial Area". The

Government of Madhya Pradesh Government of Madhya Pradesh also known as the State Government of Madhya Pradesh, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and its 52 districts. It consists of an executive ...

has allotted 1,200 acres for the development of an industrial area on the Dewas-Ujjain Road near Narwar village. Originally named "Vikramaditya Knowledge City", the area was envisaged as an educational hub. Due to diminished investment prospects, it was renamed to " Vikram Udyog Nagari" ("Vikram Industrial City"). As of 2014, the government has conceptualized it as a half-industrial, half-educational area. The stakeholders in the project include the state government and the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Trust.

Transportation

Airport

Ujjain does not have any airport but has an

airstrip An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...

on Dewas road which is used for air transport purposes. In 2013, the

started a Ujjain-Bhopal air services as a joint venture with Ventura AirConnect. Due to very low booking, the ambitious project was scrapped. The main reason for the failure of the plan was due to improper timing of flights. The nearest airport is the

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport is an international airport that principally serves Indore and adjacent regions in Madhya Pradesh. It is the busiest airport in Central India and is located west of Indore. According to the statistics released b ...

(57 km).

Railway

Ujjain Junction Ujjain Junction railway station is the main railway station of Ujjain city in the western part of Madhya Pradesh. Its code is UJN. Ujjain Junction falls under the administrative control of Western Railway Zone of Indian Railways. Ujjain Junction ...

is the main railway station of Ujjain, and it is directly or indirectly well-connected to all the major railway stations in India. It lies on the

Ratlam Ratlam, known historically as Ratnapuri (lit. ''gem city''), is a city in the northwestern part of the Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh state of India. The city of Ratlam lies above sea level. It is the administrative headquarters of Ratlam di ...

–

Bhopal Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...

–

and Guna–

Khandwa Khandwa is a city and a nagar nigam in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Khandwa district, formerly known as East Nimar District. Khandwa is a major railway junction; the Malwa line conn ...

route. To the west it is connected to

Ratlam Junction Ratlam Junction railway station is a major rail junction on the New Delhi–Mumbai main line of Indian Railways. Ratlam is A – category railway station of Western Railway Zone of Indian Railways. Its code is RTM. It serves Ratlam city. The st ...

, to the north it is connected with

Junction, to the east it is connected with

Maksi Maksi is a city and a municipality in Shajapur district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is famous for Jain Temple of Maksi Parshwanathh Ji. Maksi has an ever buzzing market which is famous for sweet samosas. Geography Maksi is loca ...

Junction,

Bhopal Junction Bhopal Junction railway station (station code: BPL) is a major railway junction of India and main railway station of Bhopal, the capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This station also serves as a connecting point for various ...

, and to the south it is connected to

Indore Junction BG Indore Junction (station code: INDB) is one of the Railway junctions in Madhya Pradesh and serves Indore, the commercial capital of Central India. The railway station of Indore Junction BG (future Indore Central) falls under the administrative ...

Dewas Dewas is a city in the Malwa region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The municipality was formerly the seat of two 15-Gun Salute state princely states during the British Raj, Dewas Junior state and Dewas Senior state, ruled by the Pua ...

Junction Harda BG. C&W Training Centre/Ujjain/WR There are six railway stations in the Ujjain city and its suburbs:

Road

Dewas Gate Stand and

Nana Kheda Bus Stand Nana Kheda Bus Stand or Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Bus Stand is a bus terminus in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Nana Kheda is a bus terminus that provides bus service to destinations located in other states. Nana Kheda is the largest Bus stand in Madhy ...

are the two bus stands in the city that provide service to destinations located in the states. A large number of state run private buses are available for Ahmedabad,

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...

Ajmer Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "' ...

, Khajuraho,

Harda Harda is a town and a municipality in Harda district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Harda is the administrative headquarters of Harda. History Mughal period During the Mughal period, Harda was a mahal in the Handia sarkar. In 1742 ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, Kota, Mandu,

Jhalawar Jhalawar () is a city, municipal council and headquarter in Jhalawar district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located in the southeastern part of the state. It was the capital of the former princely state of Jhalawar, and is the admin ...

and various other locations. The city has a well connected road network including Indore Road,

Badnagar Badnagar is a town, and a municipality in Ujjain district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Badnagar Tehsil Headquarters is Badnagar town and it belongs to Ujjain Division. It is located 45 km towards west from District headquarters U ...

Road,

Road, Agar Road,

Road and

Road. There are three national highways; 47 connects to Ahmedabad, proposed 148NG connects to

Garoth Garoth is a town in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. It is one of the tehsil of Mandsaur District.It shares boundary with Jhalawar district of Rajasthan.The local Language or dialect spoken here is a mixture of Mewari, Harauti and Malwi La ...

and 552G connects to Indore. Other regional highways passing through the city are: *

– Ujjain Road via SH 27 part of NH 552G * Kota / Agar – Ujjain Road via NH 552G *

– Ujjain Road via SH 18 now NH 148NG *

/ Barnagar – Ujjain Road via SH 18 now NH *

Jaora Jaora is a city and a municipality in Ratlam district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Jaora is located in the Malwa region, between Ratlam and Mandsaur. It was the capital of the Jaora princely state of Jaora before Independence. During ...

Nimach Neemuch or Nimach is a town in the malwa region. Neemuch crowns the north western part of MP. It has been also referred to city of Nature and Peace. The town shares its northwestern border with the state of Rajasthan and is the administrati ...

– Ujjain Road via SH 17 *

– Ujjain Road (Connects to NH 3) *

- Ujjain Road (Connects to Via National Highway 59A NH 47) and

SH 18 Route 18, or Highway 18, may refer to: International * Asian Highway 18 * European route E18 * European route E018 Argentina * Australia * Waterfall Way Canada * Alberta Highway 18 * British Columbia Highway 18 * Manitoba Highway 18 * On ...

*Ujjain -

Proposed New Green Field Four Lane National Highway No NH 148NG

Local transport

Ujjain depends on an extensive network of auto rickshaws, city busses, private taxis and Tata Magic, that operate throughout the city, connecting one part with another. UMC has recently introduced city buses with a public private partnership project as the city was identified urban agglomerations with less than 1 million population under the

Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was a massive city-modernization scheme launched by the Government of India under the Ministry of Urban Development. It envisaged a total investment of over $20 billion over seven years. ...

Sports

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

is one of the most popular sports in the city. Ujjain is also home to the

Ujjain Divisional Cricket Association Ujjain Divisional Cricket Association is the governing body of the Cricket activities in the Ujjain Division of Madhya Pradesh in India and the Ujjain Divisional cricket team. It is affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association who is membe ...

which is affiliated to

BCCI The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the worl ...

. The city does not have any big stadium, but hosted Ranji Trophy matches at Pipe Factory Ground in 1977 and 1980. Kite flying is another popular activity in the city around Makar Sakranti.

Smart city

Ujjain city was shortlisted under the Government of India's flagship programme

. Under the mission, UMC

Ujjain Municipal Corporation) shall participate in the smart cities challenge by

Ministry of Urban Development The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is a ministry of the Government of India with executive authority over the formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to the housing and urban development in Ind ...

. As part of this, UMC is preparing a Smart City Proposal (SCP). SCP will include smart city solutions based on the consultations to be held with the key stakeholders of the city. UMC invited the suggestions from citizens of Ujjain to make ‘Ujjain as a smart city’. The citizens were able to post their views pertaining to basic services such as water supply, sewerage, urban transport, social infrastructure and e-governance.

Notable people

Notable people who were born or lived in Ujjian include: * Sage

Sandipani Sandipani (), sometimes rendered Sāndīpana, is the guru of Krishna and Balarama in Hinduism. He is regarded to have educated them regarding all the Vedas, the art of drawing, astronomy, gandharva veda, medicine, training elephants and horses, a ...

* Chashtana * Kālidāsa *

Devi (wife of Ashoka) Maharani Devi (full name: Vedisa-Mahadevi Sakyakumari) was, according to the Sri Lankan chronicles, the first wife and Queen of the third Mauryan Emperor Ashoka The Great. She was also the mother of Ashoka's first two children—his son, M ...

Shivmangal Singh Suman Shivmangal Singh "Suman" (5 August 1915 – 27 November 2002) was an Indian poet and academician who wrote in Hindi. Biography Shivmangal Singh 'Suman' was born on 5 August 1915 at Jhagarpur, Unnao district in the United Provinces of Agra an ...

Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar Shreeram Shankar Abhyankar (22 July 1930 – 2 November 2012) was an Indian American mathematician known for his contributions to algebraic geometry. He, at the time of his death, held the Marshall Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Chai ...

* Bharthari * Yashoda Devi *

Vivian Dsena Vivian Dsena (born 28 June 1988) is an Indian television actor known for his portrayal of Abhay Raichand in ''Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahani'', Rishabh Kundra in '' Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon'' and Harman Singh in ''Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki'' ...

Thawar Chand Gehlot Thawar Chand Gehlot (born 18 May 1948) is an Indian politician who is the current and 19th Governor of Karnataka, being the first person serving as the Governor of Karnataka from Madhya Pradesh. He assumed office of the Governor of Karnataka on ...

* Gundecha Brothers *

Satyanarayan Jatiya Dr Satyanarayan Jatiya (born 4 February 1946) is an Indian politician. He was elected to the Lok Sabha seven times from Ujjain as a member of Bharatiya Janata Party, and served one term (2014–2020) in Rajya Sabha. He was cabinet minister in ...

* Hukam Chand Kachwai * Sachida Nagdev *

Naman Ojha Naman Vinaykumar Ojha (born 20 July 1983) is an Indian former cricketer. He represented India in International cricket. He made his Test debut for India against Sri Lanka on 28 August 2015. He retired from all formats of cricket on 15 February ...

Paramartha Paramārtha (Sanskrit, Devanagari: परमार्थ; ) (499-569 CE) was an Indian monk from Ujjain, who is best known for his prolific Chinese translations of Buddhist texts during the Six Dynasties era.Toru Funayama. The work of Paramār ...

* Sartaj Singh *

Saumya Tandon Saumya Tandon (born 3 November 1984) is an Indian actress and television presenter, best known for her portrayal of Anita Mishra in the Hindi sitcom television series '' Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain!''. She has been a host on various TV shows like ''D ...

Juhi Parmar Juhi Parmar (born 14 December 1980) is an Indian anchor, actress, presenter, singer and dancer predominantly known for her work in Hindi television industry. She gained recognition for her portrayal as Kumkum in the long-running soap opera '' ...

Goverdhan Lal Oza Goverdhan Lal Jamnalal Oza (born 12 December 1924, date of death unknown), often shortened to G. L. Oza, was an Indian judge, independence activist and Justice of the Supreme Court of India. Early life Oza was born in December 1924 in Ujjain, Br ...

* Sharma Bandhu * V. S. Wakankar *

Sharad Joshi Sharad Joshi was an Indian poet, writer, satirist and a dialogue and scriptwriter in Hindi films and television. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1990. Biography Early life and education Sharad Joshi was born on 21 May 1931 in Ujjain, Madhya ...

References

Bibliography

* * * Hunter, Cotton, Burn, Meyer
"The Imperial Gazetteer of India"
2006. Oxford,

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. 1909. * * Ujjain Metropolitan areas Sodang, Surasa, Tajpur, Chandesra, Chintaman-Jawasia, Chandukhedi.

External links

Official website of Ujjain Municipal Corporation

Official website of Ujjain district

Official website of Ujjain Kumbh Mela

Tourist Destination in Ujjain - Madhya Pradesh Tourism

* {{Authority control Hindu holy cities Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Populated places along the Silk Road Cities in Malwa Former capital cities in India Ancient Indian cities Holy cities Cities in Madhya Pradesh Smart cities in India Tourism articles by importance Tourism Religious tourism Religious tourism in India