Ujjain

Ujjain (उज्जैन Ujjain) is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. It is home to the Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of India.

Name
The name "Ujjain" is derived from its Sanskrit name Ujjayinī. Historically, the city was also known as Avantika.

Legend and history
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. The city has been one of the most prominent trade and political centres of India from the time of the ancient Mahājanapadas till the British rule in India.

As per legends, Ujjain was the capital of the king Vikramaditya. His court consisted of nine extraordinary people, collectively known as navaratnas.

Ujjain enjoyed a position of considerable importance in the field of astronomy. Great works on astronomy such as the Surya Siddhanta and the Panch Siddhanta were written in Ujjain. According to Indian astronomers, the Tropic of Cancer is supposed to pass through Ujjain. It is also the prime meridian used by the Hindu geographers. From about the 4th century BC, Ujjain enjoyed the reputation of being India's Greenwich.

Get in
Ujjain is well connected with rest of India by road and rail, but there is no airport. The closest airport is in Indore, 52 km away.

By train
Ujjain has direct trains for all the major cities of India, though some are very inconvenient and it's better to break journey from Bhopal. From Mumbai (Bombay) "Awanitka express" (daily) and "Pune-Indore" express (thrice in week), from New Delhi "Hazarat Nizamuddin Intercity Express" and from Bangalore "Jaipur Mysore Express" are a few good leads.



By car
Ujjain is connected to nearby towns with very good roads compared to the rest of Madhya Pradesh. It is 52 km from Indore along the NH 3 toll road, and it takes less than an hour to cover the distance. Indore is in turn connected by Agra-Mumbai National Highway to rest of the India.

The drive is scenic and punctuated by small villages on either side of the road. Stop by on the way to enjoy fresh guavas and corn. It's a must. Most parts of the road are decent and drivable with broken road in patches on the entire stretch.

Buy
Variants of locally produced consumer goods -- for instance namkeen (snacks), toast, henna among others -- have grown to become closely linked with the cultural and geographic identity of Ujjain. These can be found in shops all over the city, across the price and quality spectrum (in some cases, common prices are agreed upon by trade associations). A few notable outlets, which have gained popularity beyond the borders of Ujjain, would be:

Eat
When you are in Ujjain never forget to visit Gopal Mandir and have a bite of famous Gajanan Kulfi. Apart from that one of the most happening places in Ujjain to eat and enjoy is Tower Chowk.

Go there and try your hands on all the street chats you have ever heard. The very first thing that will attract you will be stalls of Pani Puri. Following which you will see Hot Dogs stalls serving hot, spicy, juicy hotdogs and aaloo tikia with chhole over it garnished by onions, tomatoes, coriander, green chatani, imli chatani and if desired fresh curd. They call it chhole tikiya chat.

Then you will have Bhelpuri stalls, dahi puri and all related chatpate chats varieties including dahi vada.

For sweet lovers Ujjain is known for its falooda ice cream and barf ka laddoo. Rabadi is also a must when you visit Ujjain. Kids will love this place with so many eateries, playground rides and balloon sellers everywhere, and of course Buddhi Ke Baal (cotton candy).

Shree Sweets and Restaurant at "Tower Chowk" is also a nice place. You can enjoy the best kachories there.

Go next

 * Dewas
 * Omkareshwar
 * Nagda, a small town is also about 50 km from Ujjain. Nagda has the largest factory of Birla all over India.