Ujjain

This article is about the municipality in Madhya Pradesh, India. For its namesake district, see Ujjain District.

Ujjain
Ujjayinī / Avantikā
City
Ram Ghat
Mahakaleshwar Temple
Tower Chowk
Shipra River
Deepmalika
Nickname: 
The City of Temples
Ujjain is located in Madhya Pradesh
Ujjain
Ujjain
Location in India
Ujjain is located in India
Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain (India)
Coordinates: 23°10′N 75°47′E / 23.17°N 75.79°E / 23.17; 75.79
Country India
State Madhya Pradesh
RegionMalwa
DistrictUjjain
Government
 • TypeMunicipal corporation
 • BodyUjjain Municipal Corporation
 • MayorMukesh Tatwal (BJP)
 • MPAnil Firojiya, BJP
 • Municipal CommissionerShri Ashish Singh, IAS
Area
[2][3]
 • City151.83 km2 (58.62 sq mi)
 • Metro
745 km2 (288 sq mi)
 • Rank5th in M.P.
Elevation
494 m (1,621 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • City515,215[1]
 • Rank5th in M.P.
 • Metro
885,566
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
 • OtherMalvi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
456001, 456003, 456006, 456010, 456661, 456664.
Telephone code0734
Vehicle registrationMP-13
ClimateCwa (Köppen)
Precipitation900 millimetres (35 in)
Avg. annual temperature24.0 °C (75.2 °F)
Avg. summer temperature31 °C (88 °F)
Avg. winter temperature17 °C (63 °F)
Websiteujjain.nic.in

Ujjain (/uːˈdʒeɪn/ ⓘ, Hindi: [ʊd͡ːʒɛːn], old name Avantika, [4] Hindi: [əʋən̪t̪ɪkaː]) or Ujjayinī 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 division.[3] It is one of the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Sapta Puri famous for the Kumbh Mela (Simhastha) held there every 12 years.[5] The famous temple of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located in the center of the city. The city has been one of the most prominent trade and political centres of the Indian Subcontinent from the time of the ancient Mahājanapadas until the British colonisation of India.

An ancient city situated on the eastern bank of the Shipra River, Ujjain was the most prominent city on the Malwa 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 Mahājanapadas. During the 18th century, the city briefly became the capital of the Scindia state of the Maratha Empire, when Ranoji Scindia 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 administrators decided to develop Indore as an alternative to it. Ujjain continues to be an important place of pilgrimage for Shaivites, Vaishnavites and Shaktas.[6][7] 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 like Kaveri, Narmada, Godavari and Krishna.

According to Puranic legend, Ujjain, along with Haridwar, Nashik, and Prayag, is one of four sites where drops of amrita,[8] the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from a kumbha (pitcher) while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda during the Samudra Manthana, or the churning of the ocean of milk.

Ujjain has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship Smart Cities Mission.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2011 table 2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Ujjain City".
  3. ^ a b "District Census Handbook - Ujjain" (PDF). Census of India. p. 12,22. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  4. ^ "Culture & Heritage | District Ujjain, Government of Madhya Pradesh | India". Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Ujjain: As Kumbh draws to a close, devotees throng Kshipra for 'shahi snan'". Indian Express. 21 May 2016.
  6. ^ Jacobsen, Knut A. (2013). Pilgrimage in the Hindu Tradition: Salvific Space. Routledge. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-41559-038-9.
  7. ^ About Haridwar sahajaharidwar.
  8. ^ "इस पौराणिक कथा से जानिए क्यों लगता है कुंभ का मेला? – mobile". punjabkesari. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Only 98 cities instead of 100 announced: All questions answered about the smart cities project". 28 August 2015.