Ujjain has many heritage attraction as it is one of the oldest cities in India.

Legend has it that Ujjain is one of the saptapuris, or the seven holy cities of India that grant moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Ujjain hosts the Simhasth, as the KumbhMela is known here, every 12 years, the latest of which was in 2016.

The legend of Simhastha

The SimhasthaKumbh is a celebration like no other in India. It is celebrated when Jupiter ascends into sun sign Leo’s quarter or the Simha constellation of the zodiac, which is why it is called Simhastha.

Legend goes that when there was the churning of the ocean, and Gods and demons competed for the divine nectar of immortality, drops of nectar fell on four places. One of them was Ujjain. Hence, the river Shipra became the enhancer of life and the KumbhMela is held to celebrate this event. Millions of devotees throng the ghats of Shipra for the holy dip.

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Ram Ghat

Flanking the eastern bank of the kshipra, Ram Ghat stretches for almost a kilometre from Pashupati Temple in the south to the road bridge across the river in the north. The wide promenade is dotted with temples, old and new and the air is full of the sound of temple bells and incantations.

The best time to explore the ghat is early morning and late evening. USCL has recently initiated Maha Maa Kshipra Arti at Ram Ghat

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Bhartrihari Caves

The caves are situated just above the banks of River kshipra. The Bhartrihari Caves have been named after the step brother of Raja Vikramaditya. These caves are one of the best examples of natural caves.

There are sculptures on the walls of the cave which defines many ancient things. A large number of visitors come here as it is near to the river Shipra .TheBhartrihari Caves is approx 5 km from Ujjain railway station (Madhya Pradesh).

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Kalidas Academy

Ujjain is a city of famous king Vikramaditya and his loyalist Kalidas. Kalidas is known for his poetry skills even today. The name of Kalidas and Ujjain are inextricably inseparable. The Kalidas academy was set up in Ujjain by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in the year 1978 to immortalize the memory of the great poet dramatist-Kalidas.

The academy facilitates research and studies in Sanskrit classical thoughts,tradition of fine arts and performing arts in the form of Sanskrit theatre.

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Kaliadeh Palace

This ancient palace is situated on the banks of river Kshipra in Ujjain. It is believed that there was once a majestic Sun temple at this site. The Avanti-mahatmya of SkandaPurana 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 of Mahmud Khilji. The central dome of the palace is a beautiful example of Persian architecture. Two Persian inscriptions record the visits of Akbar and Jehangir to this palace. The palace was broken by the Pindaris and was restored by Madhav Rao Scindia.

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Vedhshala

Ujjain was the hub of all activities of Hindu astronomers and astrologers from ancient times, which paved the way for establishment of an observatory in the 17th century. Vedh Shala was built by Maharaja Jai Singh between 1725 and 1730.

It is a masterpiece and an excellent work of art.The shala possesses instruments that are used to determine the locations of heavenly bodies for astrological purposes. The other things available here are a small planetarium and a telescope for the purpose of moon-gazing and observing the planets Mars and Jupiter and their satellites. The Vedhshala in Ujjain is a bit smaller than those in Jaipur and Delhi, but is quite interesting and very much in use.

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Sandipani Ashram

The Sandipani Ashram in Ujjain is known to be the place where Lord Krishna, Balram and Sudama received their education from Guru Sandipani. Lord Krishna learned sixty-four arts in sixty-four days.

There is a legendary story of Lord Krishna’s Gurudakshina to Guru Sandipani and Gurumata. After being offered Gurudakshina, Gurumata asked Lord Krishna to get her son back, who had died due to drowning. Not one to back off from an improbable feat, Lord Krishna vowed to fulfil her wish. He fought the sea monster Shankasur and ripped his belly apart to find the seashell, ‘Panchjanya’. He then went to Yamraj, to ask for Gurumata’s son. Lord Krishna managed to get him and took him back to Gurumata and Guru Sandipani, who were overwhelmed by this Gurudakshina.

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