The history of Ujjain goes back to more than 5000 years. Buddhist literature mentions Ujjain as being one of the four great powers along with Magadha, Kosala and Vatsa. Ujjain was also on the major trade route that developed between Deccan and North India. It is through Ujjain that articles such as pearls, silks, precious stones and perfumes were exported to Western Asia. Much later, Iltutmish invaded Ujjain in 1234 and desecrated and destroyed its temples including the Mahakaleshwar temple. Thereafter Ujjain was under the Scindias from 1750. It remained with them as their major town till 1810 when they moved to Gwalior.

Modern Ujjain has several temples although many have been made recently due to the original temples having been destroyed by invaders. Today Ujjain is an important destination for pilgrimage for both Vaishnavites and Shaivites. The city is among the cities being developed to be smart. The best way to reach Ujjain is by rail although there are other options.

There are good roads leading to Ujjain. One can take the NH 48 and NH 52 to travel from Delhi. It will take around 14 hours to cover the 782 km distance. Similarly, the distance of 1417 km from Mumbai to Ujjain will take around 25 hours via NH 48. Kolkata is 1572 km away from Ujjain and it may take around 32 hours to cover this distance via NH 19. There are buses between Ujjain and Mumbai, Delhi, Bhopal, Ahmedabad and Pune as well.

A total of 141 trains arrive at or depart from Ujjain. There are several trains travelling to Mumbai from Ujjain. The distance of 749 km is covered in about 12 to 14 hours. There are 27 weekly trains from Ujjain to Delhi and its stations. The fastest among these takes a mere 12 hours to reach Nizamuddin. Similarly there are 7 weekly trains to Kolkata and 5 to Chennai from Ujjain.

Ujjain does not have an airport. However, Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore is the nearest airport to Ujjain and the distance between the two is only 55 km. There are buses that ply regularly on this route. Currently there are flights between Ujjain and Mumbai, Surat, Rajkot, Bangalore, New Delhi and Kozhikode. The air route is the most convenient of all among various options to travel. However, in the absence of suitable flights, it may be prudent to catch a train to Ujjain.

Ujjain has a local bus service with a good network of transportation, which covers different parts of the city as well as the suburbs. One can also get auto rickshaws and taxis to tour the smaller areas of the town.