An ancient city situated on the eastern bank of theShipra River, then known asAvantika,,[6] it was the most prominent city on theMalwa plateau ofcentral India for much of its history. It emerged as the political centre of central India around 600 BCE. It was the capital of the ancientAvanti kingdom, one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas. During the 18th century, the city briefly became the capital of theScindia state of theMaratha Confederacy, whenRanoji Scindia established his capital at Ujjain in 1731. It remained an important political, commercial, and cultural centre ofCentral India until the early 19th century, when theBritish administrators decided to developIndore as an alternative to it. Ujjain continues to be an important place of pilgrimage forShaivites,Vaishnavites andShaktas.[7][8] Bathing in the holy Shipra river of Ujjain liberates one from sins. Therefore, Ujjain is also called the 'Mokshadayini city'. The name of this river is taken among the holy rivers likeKaveri,Narmada,Godavari andKrishna.
According to Puranic legend, Ujjain, along withHaridwar,Nashik, andPrayag, is one of four sites where drops ofamrita,[9] the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from akumbha (pitcher) while being carried by the celestial birdGaruda during theSamudra Manthana, or the churning of the ocean of milk.
Excavations atKayatha (around 26 km from Ujjain) have revealedChalcolithic agricultural settlements dating to around 2000 BCE.[11] Chalcolithic sites have also been discovered at other areas around Ujjain, includingNagda, but excavations at Ujjain itself have not revealed any Chalcolithic settlements. ArchaeologistH. D. Sankalia theorised that the Chalcolithic settlements at Ujjain were probably destroyed by theIron Age settlers.[12]
According toHermann Kulke andDietmar Rothermund,Avanti, whose capital was Ujjain, "was one of the earliest outposts in central India" and showed signs of early incipient urbanisation around 700 BCE.[13] Around 600 BCE, Ujjain emerged as the political, commercial, and cultural centre ofMalwa plateau.[14]
The ancient walled city of Ujjain was located around the Garh Kalika hill on the bank of the 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 mudrampart. The archaeological investigations have also indicated the presence of a 45 meter wide and 6.6 m deepmoat around the city.[15] According toF. R. Allchin and George Erdosy, these city defences were constructed between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE.[16] Dieter Schlingloff believes that these were built before 600 BCE.[15] This period is characterised by structures made of stone and burnt-brick, tools and weapons made of iron, and black and redburnished ware.[16]
In the 4th century BCE, theMauryan emperorChandragupta annexed Avanti to his empire.[18]Mauryan founded the City of Ujjain. The edicts of his grandsonAshoka mention four provinces of the Mauryan empire, of which Ujjain was the capital of the Western province.[19] During the reign of his fatherBindusara, Ashoka served as theviceroy of Ujjain,[20] which highlights the importance of the town.[14] As the viceroy of Ujjain, Ashoka married Devi, the daughter of a merchant from Vedisagiri (Vidisha).[21] According to the Sinhalese Buddhist tradition, their children,Mahendra andSanghamitra, who preached Buddhism in modern Sri Lanka, were born in Ujjain.[22]
From the Mauryan period,Northern Black Polished Ware, copper coins,terracotta ring wells, and ivory seals withBrahmi text have been excavated at Ujjain.[16] 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 amongJain, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions.[14]
In the Post-Mauryan period, theSungas and theSatavahanas ruled the city consecutively. The Satavahanas and theRorSakas, known asWestern Satraps, contested for control of the city for a period. Following the end of the Satavahana dynasty, the Rors retained Ujjain from the second to the twelfth century C.E.[23]After the Mauryans, Ujjain was controlled by a number of empires and dynasties, including local dynasties, theShungas, theWestern Satraps, theSatavahanas, and theGuptas.[14]
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 kingVikramaditya wrote his epic workMeghadūta in which he describes the richness of Ujjain and its people.[24] In the 6th century CE the Chinese pilgrimXuanzang visited India. He describes the ruler of Avanti as a king who was generous to the poor and presented them with gifts.[25]
Bhartṛhari 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 ofBhasa are set in Ujjain, and he probably lived in the city.[26]Kalidasa also refers to Ujjain multiple times, and it appears that he spent at least a part of his life in Ujjain.[27]Mrichchhakatika byShudraka is also set in Ujjain.[28] Ujjain also appears in several stories as the capital of the legendary emperorVikramaditya of theParmar dynasty. Somadeva'sKathasaritsagara (11th century) mentions that the city was created byVishwakarma, and describes it as invincible, prosperous and full of wonderful sights.[29] Ujjain was sacked several times by theArabs of theUmayyad Caliphate in the 8th century CE. The Arabs called the cityUzayn.[30]
TheParamaras (9th-14th century CE) built the City of Ujjain and shifted the region's capital from Ujjain toDhar.[14]Mahmud of Ghazni sacked the city and forced it to pay tribute during his invasion in India. In 1235 CE,Iltutmish of theDelhi Sultanate plundered the city.[14] With the decline of the Paramara kingdom, Ujjain ultimately came under Islamic rule, like other parts of north-central India. The city continued to be an important city of central India. As late as the time of theMughal vassalJai Singh II (1688-1743), who constructed aJantar Mantar in the city, Ujjain was the largest city and capital of theMalwa Subah. The city continued to be developed during Muslim rule, especially under theDelhi Sultanate and theMughal Empire. It was used as an important military headquarters.[31]
During the 18th century, the city briefly became the capital ofScindia state of theMaratha Empire, whenRanoji Scindia established his capital at Ujjain in 1731.Mahadji Scindia 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.[32] But his successors moved toGwalior, where they ruled theGwalior State in the latter half of the 18th century. The struggle of supremacy between theHolkars ofIndore and Scindias (who ruled Ujjain) led to rivalry between the merchants of the two cities.[33][34][35][36] On 18 July 1801, the Holkars defeated the Scindias at theBattle of Ujjain. On 1 September,Yashwantrao Holkar 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 byDaulatrao Scindia later regained control of Ujjain.[37] After both Holkar and Scindias accepted theBritish 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, the British administrator ofCentral India, decided to reduce the importance of Ujjain "by transferring a great part of that consequence it now enjoys to the Towns of Indore andRutlam cities, which are and will continue more under our control."[33]
Climate of the city features a typical version of thehumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa). 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.[45] 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,[46][47][48] 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 °C). Otherwise temperatures are very much comfortable, with average daily temperatures around 16 °C (61 °F).
Climate data for Ujjain (1991–2020, extremes 1954–2012)
Ujjain has been ranked the 26th best "National Clean Air City" under Category 2 3-10L population cities in India.[51]
Demographics
Harsiddhi Marg in Ujjain
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%.[1]
Hindi is the most-spoken language. Being the heartland of the Malwa region, Malvi is also widely spoken.[53]
Government and jurisdiction
Most of the regions surrounding the city are administered by theUjjain Municipal Corporation (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.[54][55]
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.[56][57]
TheUjjain Development Authority, 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.[58]
Major industrial areas surrounding Ujjain areDewas Road Industrial Area, Maxi Road Industrial Area Vikram Udhogpuri, and Tajpur Industrial Area.[63]
Indore andDewas are the cities where majority of the industries are present. Both Indore and Dewas are in close proximity to Ujjain, providing employment to people in Ujjain and nearby areas.
TheGovernment of Madhya Pradesh has allotted 1,200 acres for the development of an industrial area on the Dewas-Ujjain Road (MP State Highway 18) 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 conceptualised it as a half-industrial, half-educational area. The stakeholders in the project include the state government and theDelhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) Trust.[64]
Transportation
Airport
Ujjain does not have any airport but has anairstrip on Dewas road which is used for air transport purposes. In 2013, theGovernment of Madhya Pradesh started a Ujjain-Bhopal air services as a joint venture withVentura 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 theDevi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport atIndore (57 km).
Harda - Ujjain Road (Connects to Via National Highway 59A NH 47) andSH 18
Ujjain -Garoth 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 theJawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.[72][73]
Ujjain city was shortlisted under the Government of India's flagship programmeSmart Cities Mission. Under the mission, Ujjain Municipal Corporation (UMC)[76] shall participate in the smart cities challenge byMinistry of Urban Development. As part of this, UMC is preparing a Smart City Proposal (SCP). The 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.[77]
Notable people
Notable people who were born or lived in Ujjain include:
^"History of Ujjain".Ujjain District Court. 4 September 2024. Retrieved4 September 2024.
^Subramani, Dr.Vijaya (September 2018). "Ujjain, a brilliant sliver of heaven on earth".Tattvaloka.XLI (6).Sringeri: Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamigal Educational Trust:40–3.ISSN0970-8901.
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