Culture

Ujjain with its connection to mighty emperor Vikramaditya and prominent poet Kalidasa is well-known for its grand cultural significance. Ujjain is one of the historic city of India and is referred by several names like Avantika, Bhagavati, Ujjayani, etc. Ujjain, the former capital of Malwa province is at present one of the most important cities of Madhya Pradesh. The spiritual city is famous for Mahakal temple where lies one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country.

The prime carnival the town hosts is the Maha Kumbh Mela, which is held every 12 years. According to myths, the event is organized when demigods, as directed by Lord Brahma and Shiva, worship Lord Vishnu to contradict sturdy and commanding demons. Even though the city is precipitous in olden times, people have embraced contemporary standard of living with grand easiness. The sparkling malls and restaurants noticeable across the city represent an appealing blend of traditional charisma and a contemporary approach of life.

The city is splendid with holy places and dharmshalas where pilgrims gather intermittently to worship and to take sacrament baths. Amongst the temple, the most respected is the Mahakeleshwara temple. This holy place of Lord Shiva with its lingam is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country. The magnificence of Mahakaleshwar temple has been vibrantly portrayed in diverse sacred books.

People of Ujjain

Over the years the city of Ujjain has greeted citizens from all parts of the country. The people are extremely societal and developed thus signifying the world how all cultures from north, south, east and west have blended in the culture of Ujjainians thus reflecting the right character of Unity in Diversity. The diverse culture can be consistently seen in the distinctive food habits including South Indian ‘Idli-Dosa’ to ‘Dal-Bafla’ classic Malwa cuisine.

Although the city majorly constitutes Hindu population, there are people from Muslims, Sikhs, Parsees and Jains who also coexist and contribute to unity in diversity. People from diverse economical and spiritual backdrop co-exist in the municipality whirling it into a multi-ethnic place. The rich heritage of learning has led to the progress of Knowledge City near the city of Ujjain which comprise infrastructure for Engineering, Management Studies, Medical, Bio-Sciences, Agriculture Studies and many more.

Religion of Ujjain

The beginning of the 17th century marked the invasion of Marathas who captured the city of Ujjain and Malwa region. The Maratha supremacy of Malwa gave thrust to an artistic resurgence in the region and contemporary Ujjain came into existence. Majority of the temples in the city were built in this period. It was at some stage that the city became the gathering floor for artists of the Poona and Kangra style painting. The illustrations of Maratha fashion are initiated in the temples of Ram Janardan, Kalpeshwar, Tilakeshwar and Kal Bhairava while the conventional Malwa style is best portrayed in the Sandipani Ashram. During this period the art of wood work also developed. Later the city passed on to the Scindhias thus paving way to the turn down in the commercial significance of Ujjain as a new capital was founded at Gwalior.

Lifestyle of Ujjain

A large population of the city speaks Hindi, however the village flock speaks Malwi, which is being spoken from times past. Besides these two languages, Urdu is also widespread especially in the midst of the Muslim community. In today’s era of globalization and modernization people in the city are also picking up English. The city is widely recognized for its paper made products, mud dolls and figurines which are made by craftsmen belong to the Nagvanshi community.
A hefty percentage of the inhabitants of Ujjain prosper on wholesale and retail business. The city dole out as a provincial wholesale bazaar for food grains and added commodities. It also serves as a marketplace for farm produce such as soybean, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, flowers, rice, maize, etc., which are farmed in the rural locality. The villages surrounding the city is very fertile soil that are chiefly appropriate for the farming of food grains, horticulture oil seeds and floriculture, thus strengthen the trade and commerce making it a foremost business centre in crop produce Religious Tourism, Agricultural markets and business chiefly contribute to the economy of Ujjain. The city of Ujjain is fashioned by geologically featured river Shipra and has urbanized into two divisions: old city housing Mahakaal temple and the recently urbanized area.

Festivals in Ujjain

The city predominantly housing Hindus celebrates all National Festivals like Holi, NagPanchmi, Rakhi, Ganesh Utsav, Navratri Utsav, Dussehara, Diwali, New Year’s Eve. Being home to one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, Maha Shivratri is a full-size occasion in the city. Thousands of devotees gather to near the Mahakal temple to seek blessings of Lord Shiva. The Simhastha Kumbh Mela is a gargantuan fair which is conducted once in twelve years. The splendor and the overwhelming manifestation of the bathing ritual at the Simhastha defy explanation. Commencing on the full moon day in Chaitra month, it go on till Vaishakha, until the subsequent full moon day.