Ujjain is one of the oldest cities of India. It is located in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state. In ancient times Ujjain was known by the names of Ujjayini and Avanti. It is situated on the eastern bank of River Shipra. Ujjain was referred to as Ozene by Ptolemy. Ujjain is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus.

Ujjain is one of the four sacred places where the Kumbh Mela is held. The Kumbh Mela festival is held at Ujjain after every twelve years. Ujjain is also home to one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines in India. Ujjain is considered a sacred city for the Hindus. The Mahakal Temple, housing one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, is the most famous and respected Shiva temple. Other important temples of Ujjain are Harsidhhi (Durga Temple), Chintaman Ganesh, Gadh Kalika, Kaal Bhairav and Magalnath. Since Ujjain is an ancient city, there are many monuments that have survived from the ancient period.

The most spectacular monument is the Kalideh Palace on the outskirts of the Ujjain city. It is a fine example of ancient Indian architecture. The Bhartuhari Gufa is an ancient cave which has some interesting legends associated with it. The observatory at Ujjain is another remarkable example. It was built Raja Jai Singh of Udaipur and put is one of the five such observatories in India and has many ancient astronomical devices.

History
The earliest references to the city, as Ujjaini, are from the time of the Buddha, when it was the capital of the Avanti Kingdom. Since the 4th century BCE the city has marked the first meridian of longitude in Hindu geography. It is also reputed to have been the residence of Asoka (who subsequently became the emperor), when he was the viceroy of the western provinces of the Maurya empire.In the 6th and 7th centuries, Ujjain was a major centre of mathematical and astronomical research.

The famous mathematicians who worked there included: Brahmagupta, whose book Brahmasphutasiddhanta was responsible for spreading the use of zero, negative numbers and the positional number system to Arabia and Cambodia; Varahamihira, who was the first to discover many trigonometric identities; and Bhaskaracharya, or Bhaskara II, whose book Lilavati broke new ground in many areas of mathematics.During the last half of the 18th century Ujjain was the headquarters of the Maratha leader Sindhia.

The Sindhias later established themselves at Gwalior, and Ujjain remained part of Gwalior state until Indian Independence in 1947. Gwalior state became a princely state of the British Raj after the Maratha defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, and Gwalior, Ujjain, and the neighboring princely states were made a part of the Central India Agency. After Indian independence, the Sindhia ruler of Gwalior acceded to India, and Ujjain became part of the Madhya Bharat state. In 1956 Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh state.

Must Visit
Mahakaleshwar Temple: The Mahakaleshwar temple at Ujjain is located near a lake; it has five levels, one of which is underground.The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls. The shikhara is adorned with sculptural finery.

Brass lamps light the way to the underground sanctum. It is believed that prasada offered here to the deity can be re-offered unlike all other shrines.Legend has it that a demon by name Dushana tormented the residents of Avanti and that Shiva appeared from the ground and vanquished the demon, and then upon the request of the inhabitants of Avanti, took up permanent abode here as Mahakaleshwara Jyotirlinga. Also in Ujjain is the temple to Parvati - Harasiddhi Devi temple.

Observatory :This is a 17th century observatory. It has a planetarium as well as a telescope. Study of outer space had fascinated the kings in the 17th century maybe this explains why a number of such observatories came up in India at that time.

Maha Kumbh Mela: The holy festival of Kumbh is the most sacred celebration for Hindus. The festival falls every 3 years and is celebrated in 4 different cities, viz., Allahabad, Hardwar, Ujjain and Nasik. The Kumbh Mela at Allahabad is said to be the Maha Kumbh Mela. The site for the mela in Allahabad is the famous Triveni Sangam, which is a confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and invisible Saraswati. It is said that if somene takes a bath in the confluence on the holy days of festival, the person gets free from the birth-cycle.

Vikram Kirti Mandir This mandir houses the Scindia Oriental Research Institute, an archaeological museum and an art gallery. This actually is a cultural centre, dedicated to the memory of King Vikramaditya whose sense of Justice & the stories woven around this theme are dear to all Indians.

Climate
Ujjain experiences typical climate conditions of the interior Indian subcontinent. The summer months (April–June) are harsh with temperatures reaching up to 45°C. In addition, hot winds (called loo) may blow in the afternoons, worsening the heat. The winter months (Nov.–Feb.) are pleasant and cool with daytime temperatures typically 20°C, though it may drop to 3°C in the night.

Transport: Ujjain is well-connected by rail and road. It is on the Western Railway and is connected by direct train to most major Indian cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore, Bhopal,etc).

The nearest airport is Indore, which has daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai ,Kolkata,Ahemdabad & Bhopal.The road network is developed with other parts of Madhya Pradesh. Private buses ply on these roads, though it is best to take your own vehicle for short distances.Railway Stations

There are three well-known railway stations:
1. Ujjain City Junction
2. Vikram Nagar
3. Chintaman (metre gauge)