Tourist Places To Visit In Ujjain

Ujjain is a very old city, as old as 5000 years. During the ancient times Ujjain used to bustle with activities related to trading in diverse products that included silks, perfumes and precious stones. Mughal invaders brought destruction to its temples and the town itself. Rebuilding started later in the day, and today Ujjain is a fine destination for tourists, both those who are religious and those that love history. Here are the top tourist places to visit when you are in Ujjain.

This temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Hindus, especially Shaivites, consider this temple the holiest of the holy among the various abodes of Shiva. Situated next to the Rudra Sagar Lake, the reigning deity Shiva in the form of lingam is Swayambhu and not created by mankind. The temple is located in a large courtyard and is surrounded by huge walls. There is a large fair on Maha Shivaratri and Shiva’s worship carries on right through the night.

The Kal Bhairav temple is said to be linked to the tantric cult of Hinduism. Visitors will therefore find several holy men smeared with ash and having hair that is long and matted, in the vicinity of the temple all the time. Hundreds of devotees gather at this temple on the holy occasion of Mahashivratri when the temple comes alive. Nandi the vahan and a Shivalinga are the two significant features at the temple.

The Kaliadeh Palace is a historic palace that is located 8 km from Ujjain on an island in the middle of the Shipra River. Built in 1458 by the rulers of Mandu, the palace is built in the Persian style. Because of its age and lack of adequate maintenance, time has taken the toll of the palace, a large portion of which had collapsed. In 1920 the Maharaja of Scindia, Madhav Rao, mended the palace which is today a very serene spectacle in the midst of nature.

Ram Mandir Ghat is located right next to the Harsiddi Temple and is among the most sought after places by visitors to Ujjain. This ghat is also where the Kumbh Mela is held once in twelve years. Devotees take a dip in these waters for performing their rites. The ghat is also a very beautiful place for your walks whether at dawn or at dusk.

The popular Gopal Mandir is dedicated to Krishna. It is a good example of the architecture of the Marathas. The temple, built in 19^th Century by Bayajibai Shinde, is located right in the centre of a large market place. It is believed that the door to the sanctum had been stolen by Ghazni from the Golden Temple at Somnath and later recovered by Mahadji Scindia who installed it in the Gopal Mandir.

The Bhartrihari Caves situated on the banks of Shipra are popular among visitors. The popularity of these caves is on account of the location being where King Vikramaditya’s step brother had meditated subsequent to his renunciation of his relatives as well as all his possessions. The name of the caves is after the very learned saint Bhartrihari who was a great poet as well.

There is a story that Lord Krishna called to Gomti Kund various holy rivers from different places of pilgrimage in order that his Guru could carry out all rituals in peace. Situated near the Sandipani Ashram, the Gomti Kund is a steeped water tank. The Ashram is around 3000 years old and has references to the Puranas and Vedas. The kund provides adequate water supply throughout the year to the Sandipani Ashram while excavations carried out indicate close links with diverse articles that were found in Kausambi, Hastinapur, Mathura and Indraprastha.

Worshipped by King Vikramaditya, Maa Harsiddhi Devi was known by the name Mangalchandiki. The place is hallowed as the 13^th Shaktipeeth among the fifty one Shaktipeeths of Mata Sati. Because of this background, devotees throng the temple throughout the year but it is during the Navratri that the celebrations are truly an amazing spectacle.