By road
~53-55 km from Indore, ~183 km from Bhopal
Central India · Madhya Pradesh
Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
One of India's seven sacred cities · ~53-55 km from Indore, ~183 km from Bhopal
Getting there
By rail
Ujjain Junction (UJN), in the city
By air
Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport, Indore, ~53-55 km
Best time to visit
October to March; Bhasma Aarti requires pre-booking any season
Don't miss
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and corridor
Ram Ghat
Kal Bhairav
Vedh Shala
Things to do
Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaleshwar
Shipra ghat evenings
Sandipani Ashram
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Ashverse · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Modest wear, 3am alarm for Bhasma Aarti, small offerings
A quieter corner
Vedh Shala — the 1719 observatory still issuing almanacs
Before you go
One of the Sapta Puri and one of the four Kumbh Mela cities; the Bhasma Aarti needs advance registration. Omkareshwar (~140 km) is the natural companion Jyotirlinga.
About Ujjain
- Riverside
Where it is
Ujjain is an ancient city on the banks of the Shipra river in the Malwa region of western Madhya Pradesh, north of Indore.
History
Known in ancient times as Avanti and Ujjayini, Ujjain was the capital of the Avanti kingdom in the Buddha's time and later a great centre of learning and trade, linked in tradition with the poet Kalidasa and the legendary king Vikramaditya. The Scindias of the Maratha confederacy held it in the 18th century, and Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur built its observatory.
People
Ujjain's people speak Hindi and Malvi, the dialect of Malwa, and life in the old city revolves around its temples, ghats and pilgrimage calendar. Every twelve years the Simhastha Kumbh Mela brings millions of pilgrims to bathe in the Shipra.
Known for
- Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and its Bhasma Aarti
- The Simhastha Kumbh Mela
- Ram Ghat on the Shipra
- Kal Bhairav and Harsiddhi temples
- The Vedh Shala observatory
Did you know?
Classical Indian astronomers used the meridian passing through Ujjain as their zero of longitude, much as Greenwich is used today.
Shrines and sites
- Mahakaleshwar Temple
- Mahakal Lok corridor
- Kal Bhairav Temple
- Harsiddhi Temple
Traditions
- Hindu
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.