Ujjain in the context of Bhaskara II

The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sources for the written records of the Mauryan times are partial records of the lost history of Megasthenes in Roman texts of several centuries later; and the Edicts of Ashoka. Archaeologically, the period of Mauryan rule in South Asia falls into the era of Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW).

Through military conquests and diplomatic treaties, Chandragupta Maurya defeated the Nanda dynasty and extended his suzerainty as far westward as Afghanistan below the Hindu Kush and as far south as the northern Deccan; however, beyond the core Magadha area, the prevailing levels of technology and infrastructure limited how deeply his rule could penetrate society. During the rule of Chandragupta's grandson, Ashoka (ca. 268–232 BCE), the empire briefly controlled the major urban hubs and arteries of the subcontinent excepting the deep south. The Mauryan capital (what is today Patna) was located in Magadha; the other core regions were Taxila in the northwest; Ujjain in the Malwa Plateau; Kalinga on the Bay of Bengal coast; and the precious metal-rich lower Deccan Plateau. Outside the core regions, the empire's geographical extent was dependent on the loyalty of military commanders who controlled the armed cities scattered within it.

Madhya Pradesh (/ˌmɑːdjə prəˈdɛʃ/; Hindi: [ˈmədʱjə pɾəˈðeːʃ] ; lit. 'Central Province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal. Other major cities includes Indore, Gwalior, Ujjain, Jabalpur and Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the second largest Indian state by area and the fifth largest state by population with over 72 million residents. It borders the states of Rajasthan to the northwest, Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west.

The area covered by the present-day Madhya Pradesh includes the area of the ancient Avanti Mahajanapada, whose capital Ujjain (also known as Avantika) arose as a major city during the second wave of Indian urbanisation in the sixth century BCE. Subsequently, the region was ruled by the major dynasties of India. The Maratha Empire dominated the majority of the 18th century. After the Third Anglo-Maratha War in the 19th century, the region was divided into several princely states under the British and incorporated into Central Provinces and Berar and the Central India Agency. After India's independence, the Central Provinces and Berar was renamed as Madhya Pradesh with Nagpur as its capital, this state included the southern parts of the present-day Madhya Pradesh and northeastern portion of today's Maharashtra while Central India Agency was renamed as Madhya Bharat which includes parts of present day north western Madhya Pradesh became a separate state with Gwalior as its capital and Jiwajirao Scindia as Rajpramukh (Governor). In 1956, these states were reorganised and its parts were combined with the states of Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal to form the new Madhya Pradesh state, the Marathi-speaking Vidarbha region was removed and merged with the Bombay State. This state was the largest in India by area until 2000, when its southeastern Chhattisgarh region was designated a separate state.

The Kālakācārya-kathā is a Jain story of the monk Kālakacārya (the acārya Kālaka). The story centers around Kālakā, a Jain monk and scholar who lived around the 1st century BCE. This legend appears mainly in the Śvetāmbara Jain tradition, as well as in several Jain texts, in various linguistic versions such as Prakrit, Sanskrit, and Old Gujarati.

In one of the main episodes, Kālakā's sister is abducted by Gardabhilla, the evil king who rules in Ujjayinī (modern-day Ujjain). Kālakā, being a powerless monk, seeks help to rescue her. He travels to the northwest (Scythian/Saka regions) and convinces the Saka king to assist him. The Saka king then manages to conquer Ujjayinī and rescue the sister. Later, the Saka king and Kālakācārya engage in various dialogues about ethics, dharma, and governance. Eventually, the story also portrays the conversion or moral transformation of the king and emphasizes non-violence, asceticism, and Jain values.

Kumbh Mela (Sanskrit: Kumbha Mēlā, pronounced [kʊˈmbʱᵊ melaː]; lit. 'festival of the Sacred Pitcher') is a Hindu pilgrimage, celebrated every four or twelve years, correlated with the partial or full revolution of Jupiter. These are held at four locations–Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain, with varying time intervals. As per the Puranas, these sites are considered to have received the drops of the divine nectar (amrita) during the Samudra Manthana (churning of the ocean of milk). The Kumbh Mela lasts between one and three months, with the Amavasya day attracting the largest crowds. The festival attracts millions of people, with the largest gathering recorded at Prayag. About 660 million attended the Kumbh Mela in 2025, and 200 million in 2019, making it one of the largest peaceful gatherings in the world. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Kumbh Mela is observed cycle at each site approximately once every 12 years based on the Hindu luni-solar calendar and the relative positions of the Jupiter, the Sun, and the Moon. As per Hindu astrology, specific alignments of the Jupiter, the Sun, and the Moon only occur at the four Kumbh locations in a 12-year cycle. The Prayag and Haridwar festivals are held with a six year gap in between, and feature a Maha (major) and Ardha (half) Kumbh Melas. The Kumbh Melas at Ujjain and Nashik are observed in the same year or one year apart, typically about three years after the Prayag Kumbh Mela. The festival is held at the confluence of major rivers, and people take a ritual dip in the waters, believed to be a means of prāyaścitta (atonement) for the past mistakes, and cleansing of their sins. Various fairs, educational events, religious discourses, mass gatherings of monks, and entertainment are also conducted during the festivities.

Pancha-siddhantika (IAST: Pañca-siddhāntikā) is a 6th-century CE Sanskrit-language text written by astrologer-astronomer Varāhamihira in present-day Ujjain, India. It summarizes the contents of the treatises of the five contemporary schools of astronomy (siddhantas) prevalent in India.

Ujjain district (Hindi pronunciation: [ʊd͡ːʒɛːn̪]) is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The historic city of Ujjain is the district headquarters. The district has an area of 6,091 km, and a population of 19,86,864 (2011 census), a 16.12% increase from its 2001 population of 17,10,982.

Ujjain Division is an administrative geographical unit of Madhya Pradesh state of India. Ujjain is the administrative headquarters of the division. As of 2005, the division consists of the districts of Dewas, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Shajapur, Agar Malwa and Ujjain.

Ujjain Simhastha is a Hindu religious mela held every 12 years in the Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, India. The name is also transliterated as Sinhastha or Singhastha. In Hindi, the fair is also called Simhasth or Sinhasth (due to schwa deletion). The name derives from the fact that it is held when the Jupiter is in Leo (Simha in Hindu astrology).

It is one of the four fairs traditionally recognized as Kumbha Melas, and is also known as Ujjain Kumbh Mela. According to Hindu mythology, Garuda dropped drops of amrita (the drink of immortality) at four places, while transporting it in a kumbha (pot). These four places, including Ujjain, are identified as the present-day sites of the Kumbh Mela."Kumbh" in its literal English translation means "Pot", which emerged from "Samudra Manthan"(Churning of the Ocean) between Gods and Demons. The term ‘Mela‘ signifies’Fair‘.

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga (IAST: mahākāleśvara) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, shrines which are said to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated on the side of the holy river Shipra. The presiding deity, Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu, deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

Madhya Pradesh has two Jyotirlingas, the second one, Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, is situated about 140 km south of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga.

Shipra (from Sanskrit Kshipra) is a river in Madhya Pradesh state of Central India. The river rises in the north of Dhar district and flows north across the Malwa Plateau to join the Chambal River at the MP-Rajasthan boundary in Mandsaur district.

It is one of the sacred rivers in Hinduism. The holy city of Ujjain is situated on its east bank. Every 12 years, the Ujjain Simhastha takes place on the city's elaborate riverside ghats, as do yearly celebrations of Kshipra, the river goddess in Hinduism. There are hundreds of Hindu shrines along the banks of the river Shipra. With this reference, the word Shipra is used as a symbol of "purity" (of soul, emotions, body, etc.) or "chastity" or "clarity". The Puranas, or ancient Hindu texts, also suggest that the Shipra originated from the heart of Varaha, Lord Vishnu's incarnation as a boar. Also on the banks of the Shipra is Sage Sandipani’s ashram or hermitage where according to Hindu beliefs the main Hinduism deity Lord Krishna, Lord Vishnu's eighth incarnation, had studied.

Avanti was an ancient Indian Mahajanapada (Great Janapada), roughly corresponding to the present-day Malwa region. According to the Buddhist texts, the Anguttara Nikaya, Avanti was one of the solasa mahajanapadas (sixteen great realms) of the 6th century BCE. The janapada was divided into two parts by the Vindhyas, the northern part had its capital at Ujjayini and the southern part had its centre at Mahishmati.

The Avantis, the ancient people belonging to this realm, were described as mahavala (very powerful) in the Udyoga Parva (19.24) of the Mahabharata. According to the Vishnu Purana (II.3), the Bhagavata Purana (XII.I.36) and the Brahma Purana (XIX.17), the Avantis were associated with the Malava, the Saurashtras, the Abhiras/Yadavas, the Suras, the Karushas and the Arbudas and were described as dwelling along the Pariyatra (or Paripatra) mountains (a western branch of the Vindhyas).

Indore (/ɪnˈdɔːr/ ; ISO: Indaura, Hindi: [ɪn̪d̪ɔːr]) is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The commercial capital of the state, it has been declared as the cleanest city in India 8 years in a row. It is also considered the largest education hub in central India and houses campuses of both the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management. Indore had a population of 5,560,000 (urban agglomeration) in 2025. The Indore Metropolitan Region now encompasses a total area of 9989.69 sq km covering Indore, Ujjain, Dewas, Pithampur, Nagda.Pithampur ranks among India’s top 5 industrial hubs and is a major center for automotive and pharmaceutical manufacturing. With 1,000+ factories and Asia’s longest test track, it drives central India’s industrial growth. Located on the southern edge of Malwa Plateau, at an average altitude of 553 metres (1,814 ft) above sea level, it has the highest elevation among major cities of Central India. The city is 220 km west of the Bhopal, 350 km east of the Ahmedabad, 480 Km from Hazira Port, Surat and 550 Km from JNPT Sea Port, Mumbai. It serves as the headquarters of both the Indore District and the Indore Division. The high court bench at Indore is a permanent bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court in Indore constituted in 1956.

Modern-day Indore traces its roots to its 16th-century founding as a trading hub between the Deccan Plateau and Delhi. It was founded on the banks of the Kanh and Saraswati rivers. The city came under the Maratha Empire, on 18 May 1724, after Peshwa Baji Rao I assumed the full control of Malwa. During the days of the British Raj, Indore State was a 19 Gun Salute (21 locally) princely state (a rare high rank) ruled by the Maratha Holkar dynasty, until they acceded to the Union of India.