- Ancient monuments in Ujjain
Ujjain is an
ancient city of centralIndia , in theMalwa region of the Indian state ofMadhya Pradesh , on the eastern bank of theKshipra River . In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini. As per epicMahabharata Ujjayani was the capital ofAvanti Kingdom .Following is a list of ancient monuments in
Ujjain .The Temples
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga Temple
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a famous
Hindu temple dedicated toLord Shiva and is one of the twelveJyotirlingam s, the sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in the city ofUjjain in theMadhya Pradesh state ofIndia . It is a three-storey temple, on the side of the lake called Rudra Sagar.The main deity, shiva in the lingam form is believed to beswayambhu (born of itself), deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams which are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti. The idol of Mahakaleshwar is known to be dakshinamurti, facing the South. This is a unique feature, upheld by tantric tradition to be found only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 jyotirlingas. The idol of Omkareshwar Shiva is consecrated in the sanctum above the Mahakal shrine. The images ofGanesh ,Parvati andKarttikeya are installed in the west, north and east of the sanctum sanctorum. To the south is the image ofNandi . The idol ofNagchandreshwar on the third storey is open for darshan only on the day ofNag Panchami . The temple has five levels one of which is underground. The temple itself is located in a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls near a lake. The shikhara or the spire is adorned with sculptural finery. Brass lamps light the way to the underground sanctum.Bade Ganeshji ka Mandir
This temple, situated above the tank near the
Mahakaleshwar Temple , contains a huge artistic sculpture ofGanesha , the son ofShiva . An idol of this size and beauty is rarely to be found. The middle of the temple is adorned by an idol of the panch-mukhi (five-faced)Hanuman . There is a provision for learning ofSanskrit andAstrology in the temple.Chintaman Ganesh temple
Chintaman means "the assurer of freedom from worldly anxieties". This temple is built across the
Shipra(Kshipra) river on the Fatehabad railway line. The Ganesh idol in this temple is supposed to be "swayambhu " - born of itself.Riddhi andSiddhi , the consorts ofGanesha , are seated on either side ofGanesha . The temple is considered to be of considerable antiquity. The artistically carved pillars in the assembly hall date back to theParamara period. The temple is about 15 km from the main city. Every Wednesday people come for special darshana.Hara Siddhi Temple
This temple occupies a special place in the galaxy of ancient sacred spots of Ujjain. The temple is dedicated to
Annapurna , seated between the idols ofMahalakshami andMahasaraswati , theAnnapurna is painted with a dark vermillion colour. The Shri Yatra, the symbol of power or shakti, is also enshrined in this temple. According toShiva Purana , whenShiva carried away the burning body ofSati from the sacrificial fire, her elbow dropped at this place. There is an interesting legend in theSkanda Purana about the manner in which the GoddessChandi acquired the epthet ofHarassiddhi . Once whenShiva andParvati were alone on mountKailasha , two demons calledChanda andPrachanda tried to force their way in. PleasesShiva bestowed upon her the epithet ofHarasiddhi means 'one who vanquishes all'.The temple was reconstructed during the
Maratha period and has two pillars adorned with lamps, that are special features of Maratha art. There is an ancient well on the premises, and an artistic pillar adorns the top of it.Kal Bhairava temple
The worship of the eight
Bhairava s is a part ofSaivite tradition, and the chief among them isKala Bhairava . The Kal Bhairava temple is believed to have been built by KingBhadrasen , on the banks of theShipra . Mentioned in the Avanti Khanda of theSkanda Purana . Important for the TantricKapalika andAghora sects, of which Ujjain was a prominent centre. Beautiful paintings in theMalwa style once decorated the temple walls, only traces of which are visible. The village ofBhairogarh , famous for its printing, takes its name from the temple, and is located very near.Mangalnath temple
Shiva orMahadeva is the deity which is worshipped in Mangalnath temple. The Mangalnath temple is situated away from the bustle of the city and looks down upon a vast expanse of theKshipra River . It is regarded as the birth place ofMars ("mangala" in Hindi), according to theMatsya Purana . Famous for a clear view of the planet and hence suitable for astronomical studies.Gopal Mandir
Constructed by Bayajibai Shinde, the queen of Maharajah
Daulat Rao Shinde , in the 19th century. The door in the inner sanctum is believed to have been carried toGhazni from theSomnath temple and from thence byMahmud Shah Abdali toLahore , from where it was rescued by Mahadji Scindia.Other temples
*Navagraha Mandir (Triveni) - A temple dedicated to the nine planets.
*Ram Janardhan Temple.
*
Harihara Tirtha.*
Mallikarjuna Tirtha.Pir Matsyendranath
This is very attractive spot on the banks of
Shipra River , quite close to theBhartrihari Caves and the Gadkalika temple. The shrine is dedicated to a leader of the Natha sect ofShaivism -Matsyendranath . It is also venerated byMuslims . Excavations here have yielded artifacts dating to the 6th and 7th century BC.Siddhavat
Features an enormous
banyan tree on the banks of theShipra , considered sacred since the medieval ages. This banyan tree has got the same significance as that of akshayavata inPrayag andGaya , Vanshivata ofVrindavan and Panchavata ofNasik .Thousands of people take dip in theShipra River from the bathing ghats built here. According to one tradition,Parvati is believed have performed her penance here. It used to be a place of worship for the followers of theNatha sect. The little village ofBhairogarh near Siddhawat is famous for its tie-and-die printing for centuries. In ancient times, when the trade with other counties flourished, exquisitely printed cloth fromBhairogarh used to find its way toRome andChina .Bhartrihari Caves
Bhartrihari , the step brother ofVikramaditya , is believed to have lived and meditated here after renouncing worldly life. His famous works,Shringarshataka ,Vairagyashataka , andNitishataka , were possibly written here.Kaliadeh Palace
It is situated on the banks of
Shipra River and a beautiful ancient site. It is believed that there was once a majestic Sun temple at this site. The Avanti-mahatmya ofSkanda Purana has recorded a description of the Sun temple and two tanks, The Surya Kunda and the Brahma Kunda. Remains of old temple are scattered all around. A fragmented inscription of this place records building of the palace in 1458 AD, in the time ofMahmud Khilji . The central dome of the palace is a beautiful example ofPersian architecture. Two Persian inscriptions record the visits ofAkbar andJehangir to this palace. The palace was broken by thePindaris and was restored byMadhav Rao Scindia in 1920.andipani Ashram
Ujjain in ancient times, enjoyed the reputation of being a great seat of learning as early as the
Mahabharata period. According toPuranic traditions, in theAshrama of GuruSandipani ,Krishna andSudama received their education. The area near the ashrama is known as "ankapata", popularly believed to have been the place used by Lord krishna for washing his writing tablet. The numerals 1 to 100 found on a stone are believed to have been engraved by Guru Sandipani. the Gomti Kunda, referred to in the Puranas, was the source of water supply to the ashrama in the olden days. An image ofNandi , belonging to theShunga period, is to be found near the tank. The followers of theVallabha sect regard this place as the 73rd seat of the 84 seats ofVallabhacharya where he delivered his discourses throughout India.Durgadas Ki Chhatri
Durgadas fought for the independence ofJodhpur after the death of Maharaja Jaswant Singh and helped Ajit Singh to ascend the throne against the wishes ofAurangzeb . Durgadas died at Rampura in 1718 and his funeral rites were performed according to his wishes on the banks ofShipra River . The rulers of Jodhpur built theChatri as Memorial to Durgadas, whose funeral rites were performed at this place in 1718. This structure built in Rajpur style of architecture, housed a statue of Durgadas which crumbled down.Gadkalika
Gadkalika, situated about two miles from the present town, the deity in this temple is believed to have been worshiped by
Kalidasa . The legend goes that he was an idiot and it is by this devotion to the goddessKalika that he acquired great literary skill.Believed to have been frequented by Kalidasa, this temple was renovated byHarsha vardhan in the 7th century AD, and again during theParamara period. The temple has been rebuilt in the modern times by the erstwhile Gwalior State.Other places
* Vedhashala - An
observatory built by RajaJai Singh II (1686-1743). It is located at coord|23|10|16.5|N|75|46|0|E|. It is still in use, and is one of the five he built (the others include theYantra mandir (Jaipur) and theYantra Mandir (Delhi) .
*Ram Ghat.*Ganga Ghat.
*Bohron Ka Roja.
*Begum Ka Maqbara.
*Bina Neev Ki Masjid.
*Maulana
Rumi Ka Maqbara.External links
* [http://ujjain.nic.in/observatory/vedshala.htm] Description and photographs of the Veda Shala.
* [http://ujjain.nic.in/temple/temples.htm] Description of monuments, from the district administration.
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