Madhya Pradesh Day: The Rise, Fall, And Revival Of Ujjain

Madhya Pradesh celebrates its foundation day on 1 November every year. The state came to be recognised in its current political boundaries in 1956, almost a decade after India attained independence. But the regions that constitute the state today have had a glorious past, many serving as nerve centres of the Vedic civilisation.

The most prominent name in this list of historically significant geographies is Avantika, or, as we know it now, Ujjain. Today, the city is synonymous with the Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of the twelve jyotirlingas. But Ujjain sits atop layers and layers of history — quite literally.

It has been a centre of scripture learning for time immemorial. Shri Krishna is said to have been a student at the Sandipani Ashram. The stories of Shri Krishna at the ashram have been mentioned in Bhagavat Puran as well as in the Harivamsham.

Shri Ram is said to have visited this region during his exile. It is commonly believed that he performed the pind daan for his father, Raja Dashrath, on the banks of the Kshipra river, where the present-day Ram Ghat is located.

Ujjain has been recognised as a premier urban settlement from the time dating of history has been attempted. Chalcolithic settlements have been discovered around Ujjain that have been dated to 2000 BCE (before the common era). With the passage of time, Avantika finds more regular mentions as a powerful political and spiritual seat of the evolving civilisation.

Avantika was one of the 16 Mahajanpadas — the 16 large kingdoms — that existed around the fourth century BCE. This is the period when Bharat was regrouping, so as to say, as the Saraswati-Sindhu civilisation vanished, while the contours of the subcontinent as we know it today evolved. 

As the Mauryan dynasty rose, the Avantika region became the western outpost of the Mauryas. Ashoka, the third Mauryan king, is said to have served as the governor of this region during the reign of his father, King Bindusara. It was during this period that he married in the present-day city of Vidisha. 

In this era, Ujjain is said to have been an important commercial centre on the historical trade route of Dakshinpatha. This route is said to have connected important political and commercial centres like Varanasi, Nalanda, and Mathura to the city of Prathishthan, the modern-day Paithan in the state of Maharashtra.

Ujjain is also said to have had a connection with the ancient ports on the western coast of today’s Gujarat state, serving as a key transit hub.

Ujjain later came under the control of the Gupta dynasty, who drove out the Sakas, who had come to control the western parts of Bharat. At the peak of the Gupta dynasty’s influence, the city, by then referred to as Ujjayini, served as one of the capitals of the dynasty. 

Ujjayini’s literary swansong coincided with this period. Legendary ancient playwrights and poets like Bhartrahari, Bhasa, Kalidasa, and Shudraka based some of their most famous works in the city. Virat Katha and Neeti Sataka by Bhartrahari and Mrichchhakatika by Shudraka were set in the city. Kalidasa’s epic creation, Meghdoot, records the riches and the grandeur of Ujjayini. 

The Parmar dynasty was the last major Hindu dynasty to control the city. It was in their era that the foundations of the modern-day city were laid, though Parmar kings preferred to rule from present-day Dhar. 

However, starting in the eighth century, Ujjain came under attack from the invaders coming in from the west. The Ummayads, Mahmud of Ghazni, and Iltutmish attacked the city at regular intervals. The Mahakaleshwar temple complex, described in as early as Kalidasa’s Meghdoot, was destroyed by the Iltutmish in the early thirteenth century. Eventually, the city came to be ruled by Mughals but remained an important centre of commerce and learning. 

Bearing the brunt of invasions that started almost 1,000 years ago and resulting in almost 500 years of being ruled by these invaders, it was only in the early nineteenth century that the old glory of Ujjain started to be restored.

The Scindias made Ujjain their capital for a few years before eventually moving to Gwalior. Ranoji Scindia established Ujjain as the capital of the Scindia state. The state was part of the Maratha empire, which controlled most of the country territorially after the Mughals and before the British ascendancy. Mahadji Scindia, who consolidated the Maratha power in northern India, succeeded Ranoji and continued Ujjain’s development and restoration. 

It was during their rule that the Mahakaleshwar temple, including the Shivling itself, was restored to its current glory. Now, of course, the Mahakal Lok, a significant cultural and spiritual project designed as a megacorridor more than 900 metres long, adds to the grandeur of the temple. The Mahakal Lok was inaugurated in 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the modern era too, Ujjain has been politically significant. Two chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh — Prakash Chandra Sethi and the current chief minister, Mohan Yadav — have represented assembly constituencies from the city.

In the recent years, Ujjain has seen increasing spiritual tourism interest. With good quality road connectivity to Indore, especially to the Indore airport, which is just an hour away from the city, Ujjain has seen an ever-increasing number of Shiv bhakts visiting. An estimated 1.5 crore pilgrims have been visiting the Mahakaleshwar temple every year.

The state’s foundation day presents an opportunity for the state government and the intelligentsia to ponder over how to leverage such a rich tapestry of religiosity, spirituality, history, and culture for the benefit of not just Ujjain but also the state as a whole.