Situated on banks of the Shipra river, Ujjain or city of victory in Madhya Pradesh is one of the most sacred and ancient cities of India. It is said illions of years ago the Gods and demons fought over a pot of nectar gleaned from the churning of the Ocean. As the Gods flew away with the nectar some drops fell at Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain, which became the venues for the Kumbh melas, which take place at each location every 12 years. A dip in the holy river during a Kumbh is said to cleanse one of sins and give immortality. This year the Simhastha (so called as Jupiter is in Leo or Simha) Kumbh mela will draw 30 million devotees to Ujjain from 5 April to 5 May. There are 5 main and very auspicious bathing dates; 5, 19, 22, 24 April and 5 May. Once ruled by the legendary Emperor Vikramaditya, Ujjain has many temples and archeological sites. The most famous is the Mahakaleshwar Temple. Shiva the presiding deity of time, reigns eternal in Ujjain. The Mahakaleshwar temple, with its main tower soaring into the skies in all its majesty evokes primordial awe and reverence. It dominates the life of the city and remains an unbreakable link with thousands of years of past tradition. The Ganesh Temple nearby has a huge sculpture of the elephant headed god Ganesh. The middle of the temple has a unique Panch Mukhi (5 faced) Hanuman (monkey god).
The Kaliadeh Palace on the banks of the Shipra River, with water flowing on either side, has a central dome which is a fine example of Persian architecture. Two Persian inscriptions in its corridors record the visit of Mughal Emperors Akbar and Jehangir.
Ujjain was a center of astronomy with Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur building one of his observatories here (the other two are, Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and one in Jaipur) in the 17th century.
The Tropic of Cancer is supposed to pass through Ujjain and it is also the first meridian of Longitude as per Hindu geographers. From the 4th Century BC Ujjain was India's Greenwich. At the Veda Shala (observatory) there is a planetarium and a telescope to observe the movement of the planets. The Vikram Kirti Mandir was built to commemorate the second millennium of the Vikram Samvat (Hindu Calendar) and to perpetuate the memory of Emperor Vikramaditya. Its museum houses rare manuscripts in Prakrit, Arabic, Persian etc. There is a rare copy of the Shrimad Bhagvata with paintings in pure gold and silver and a rich collection of paintings in the Rajput and Mughal style.
The sound of over a million people praying as they bathe in the Shipra River in Ujjain, the ringing of bells and the chorus of chants and hymns sung by thousands of Sadhus (mystics) is enough to move anyone. Surely this is where you want to be this summer. So visit ancient Ujjain, and be a part of the historic Simhastha Kumbh Mela and come away cleansed, just as generations have done since time immemorial.
Ujjain is 55 km/32 miles from Indore the nearest Airport. Indore is connected by air to Bhopal, Bombay Delhi and Gawalior.