The winter was taking leave and the summer had started issuing signals once again for an unbearable heat. The program was already much delayed and there were not much preoccupations in Delhi. We along with our camera team were all set to go and the destination was Madhya Pradesh this time with special emphasis on Ujjain and Mandu.
From the view of its Railway Station you may not imagine that it is the same place which once called Ujjayini and was the capital of great Vikramaditya, a King known for his justice and benevolence. The present time Ujjain is quite different from its past but still has not lost his historical glory which can be viewed in its many places of tourist interest. The city is situated on the banks of the river Shipra the river with a reputation of being sacred like Ganga ,Yamuna and Kaveri.
Ujjain is the Hindi version of Sanskrit name, Ujjayini. Legend has it that thousands of years ago, the God like king Shiva of Avanti commemorated his victory over the demon-ruler of Tripura or Tripuri on the banks of the Narmada by changing the name of his capital, Avantipura to Ujjayini, one who conquers with pride.You may call it the Hardwar of Madhya Pradesh as it too is famous for sacred bathing in Shipra.The splendid spectacle of the bathing ritual at Simhastha is no less than glorious. It starts on the full moon day in Chaitra, April and continues into Vaishakha May until the next full moon day.The religious city of Ujjain turns with its cultural variety of followers into a mini India.

Places to visit
The temple of Bade Ganeshji
Our first visit started with in a pure Hindu tradition, I mean by offering Namaskar at famous temple of Bade Ganeshji and that was a good sign for the success of our trip.One of our cameraman was a very religious soul and it was his idea to start with this temple which is located above the tank near the Mahakaleshwar temple, enshrines a huge artistic sculpture of Ganesh, the son of Shiva. There is a huge idol of Ganeshji, a rare beauty in itself and a feast for the eyes particulary devoted ones. The middle of the temple is adorned by an idol of the pancha-mukhi, five faced Hanuman. This temple enshrines a huge artistic sculpture of Ganesh, the son of Shiva. an idol of this size and beauty is rarely to be found.

Chintaman Ganesh Temple
The series of Shriganesh was still continued and our place next was another Ganesh temple “ Chintaman Ganesh Temple which is built across the Shipra on the Fathebad railway line. The Ganesh idol enshrined here is supposed to be swayambhu - born of itself. The temple itself is believed to be of considerable antiquity. Riddhi and Siddhi, the consorts of Ganesha, are seated on either side of Ganesha. The artistically carved pillars in the assembly hall date back to the Paramara period. Devoted Hindus pay their visit to this temple because the deity here is traditionally known as Chintaharan Ganesh meaning the god who takes away all your worries.

Pir Matsyendranath
There was another beautiful spot to view on the banks of the Shipra very close to the Bhartihari Caves and the Gadkalika Temple. It is dedicated to the memory of one of the great leaders of the Natha sect of Saivism-Matsyendranath. Since Muslims as well as the followers of the Natha sect call their saints ‘pir’, the ancient site of Pir Matsyendranath is venerated by the followers of both religions. The place has its archaic value too as the excavations at this site have yielded some antiquities which date back to the 6th and 7th century BC.

Bhartrihari Caves
Our team mates were hardly interested in the literary figures of Sanskrit but as I aroused their sense of thrill with the mention of caves they got ready to go to Bhartrihari Caves.
Bhartrihari is a known figure of the great past of our country and there are some caves in the name of this great figure.These caves are situated just above the bank of the Shipra near the temple of Gadkalika. Bhatrihari is famous in Indian history as a great scholar and poet. His famous works, Shringarshatak, Vairagyashatak, and Nitishatak are known for the exquisite use of the Sanskrit meter. These caves are situated just above the bank of the Shipra near the temple of Gadkalika. Situated on the banks of the Shipra, the island-like site immediately conjures up the natural beauty of ancient Ujjain. The glorious landscape of the flowing river on both sides of the palace and the man-made tanks and channels, with water gurgling through them, provide spectacular backdrop to the imposing building. The central dome of the palace is a beautiful example of Persian architecture.
Ujjain as I found out in my extensive tour of the city is chiefly a religious place and those with firm beliefs and devotion may like it too their heart’s content. Though I have never been of that sort still I was happy that all my team mates were not only enjoying the place but also feeling a kind of spiritual contentment there.As for me I was happily watching the great religious monuments of our glorious past and trying to relive it through some very famous temples of Ujjain whose brief description I would also like to give in case you may also decide for their pious darshan at some time.

Harsiddhi Temple
This temple occupies a special place in the galaxy of ancient sacred spots of Ujjain. Seated between the idols of Mahalaxmi and Mahasaraswati, the idol of Annapurna is painted in dark vermilion colour. The Sri Yantra, the symbol of power or shakti, is also enshrined in the temple. According to the Shiva Purana, when Shiva carried away the burning body of Sati from the sacrificial fire, her elbow dropped at this place.

Gopal Temple
This huge temple is situated in the middle of the big market square. It was constructed by Bayajibai Shinde, the queen of Maharajah Daulat Rao Shinde in the 19th century. It is a beautiful example of Maratha architecture. The sanctum sanctorum is inlaid with marble and doors are silver plated. The door in the inner sanctum is said to have been carried to Ghazni from the Somnath temple and from thence by Mahmud Shah Abdali to Lahore. Mahadji Scindia recovered it and now it has been installed in this temple.

Navagraha Mandir (Triveni)
Situated on the Triveni Ghat of the Shipra, the temple is located away from the old site of Ujjaini town. It is dedicated to the nine planets, attracts large crowds on new moon days falling on Saturdays. Its religious importance has increased in recent years though there is no known reference to it in the ancient texts.

Mahakaleshwar
The presiding deity of time, Shiva, in all his splendour reigns eternal in Ujjain. The temple of Mahakaleshwar, its shikhara soaring into the skies, evokes primordial awe and reverence with its majesty. The Mahakal dominates the life of the city and its people, even in the midst of the busy routine of modern preoccupation’s, and provides an unbreakable link with past traditions. The presiding deity of time, Shiva, in all his splendour reigns eternal in Ujjain. The temple of Mahakaleshwar, its shikhara soaring into the skies, evokes primordial awe and reverence with its majesty. The Mahakal dominates the life of the city and its people, even in the midst of the busy routine of modern preoccupation’s, and provides an unbreakable link with past traditions.

The Vedha Shala (Observatory)
Ujjain enjoyed a position of considerable importance in the field of astronomy. Great works on astronomy such as the Surya Siddhanta and the Panch Siddhanta were written in Ujjain. According to Indian astronomers, the Tropic of Cancer is supposed to pass through Ujjain. It is also the fist meridian of longitude of the Hindu geographers. From about the 4th century BC, Ujjain enjoyed the reputation of being India’s Greenwich. The observatory extant today was built by Raja Jai Singh (1686-1743), who was a great scholar. He translated the works of Ptolemy and Euclid into Sanskrit from Arabic. Of the many observatories built by him at Jaipur, Delhi, Varanasi, Mathura, and Ujjain, the one at Ujjain is still in use actively. Astronomical studies are conducted through the Department of Education and the ephemeris is published every year. There is a small planetarium and a telescope to observe the moon, Mars, Jupiter and their satellites. The observatory is also used for weather forecasts

Sandipani Ashram
The fact that ancient Ujjain apart from its political and religious importance, enjoyed the reputation of being a great seat of learning as early as the Mahabharata period is borne out by the fact that, Lord Krishna and Sudama received regular instruction in the ashram of Guru Sandipani. The area near the ashram is known as Ankapata, popularly believed to have been the place used by Lord Krishna for washing his writing tablet. The numerals 1 to 100 found on a stone are believed to have been engraved by Guru Sandipani.

Access
Air : Nearest airport is Indore (55 km) which is connected by flights with Delhi, Gwalior, Bhopal and Mumbai.
Rail : Ujjain is a railway station on the Bhopal-Nagada sector of the Western Railway.
Road : Regular bus services connect Ujjain with Indore, Bhopal, Ratlam, Gwalior, Mandu, Dhar and Omkareshwar.
Best Season : Throughout the year.

The place with a difference
The team outbound takes you around two of the gems of Madhya Pradesh tourism and gives you a live description of these beauties.

The next place in our M.P. itinerary was Mandu. Our team was refreshed with the pious experience of Ujjain and was ready for yet another extensive tour of yet another tourism beauty of Madhya Pradesh. Mandu is a celebration in stone, of life and joy, of the love of the poet-prince Baz Bahadur for his beautiful consort, Rani Roopmati.In the Malwa region of M.P. the songs of this love story are still sung and and high up on the crest of a hill, Roopmati’s Pavilion still gazes down at Baz Bahadur’s Palace, a magnificent expression of Afghan architecture. Mandu used to be royal resort for pleasure in Mughal days and its lakes and palaces were well maintained to take care of their rulers happy stay here. There were bright and colorful festivities in plenty in and around them.
Situated upon the Vindhya ranges at an altitude of 2,000 feet, Mandu was originally the fort capital of the Parmar rulers of Malwa because of its nature made defenses around. it came under the sway of the Sultans of Malwa by the last years of thirteenth century. It was initially named Shadiabad - ‘city of joy’. The prevailing spirit of Mandu in those days was of gaiety; and its rulers built splendid palaces like the Jahaz and Hindola Mahals, ornamental canals, baths and pavilions, as graceful and refined as those times of peace and plenty. Each of Mandu’s structures is an architectural gem; some are outstanding like the massive Jama Masjid and Hoshang Shah’s tomb, which provided inspiration to the master builders of the Taj Mahal centuries later.
Mandu provided the medieval appeal to our mates as against Ujjain’s ancient one. There were so many historical monuments and that too with picturesque locations and some situated in the lap of nature. There was no question of any kind of inconvenience as the officials from M.P. tourism were very helpful and every civic amenity was available there at Mandu. If you have not planned for anywhere in this spring season then take my word and plan for Mandu and must see the following places and fulfill your heart with some kind of historic happiness.

Hoshang Shah’Tomb is considered to be India’s first marble edifice which is one of the most exquisite examples of Afghan architecture. Its stupendous features are the brilliantly proportioned dome, marble lattice work of great delicacy and porticoed courts and towers to mark the four corners of the rectangle. Shah Jehan at the planning stages of Taj Mahal sent four of his great architects along with Ustad Hamid to study the design of and draw inspiration from the Tomb.

Mandu has a unique tourist feature and that is the set of famous Darwazas. A forty five meters parapet of walls that encircle Mandu are punctuated by 12 gateways. Most notable of these is Delhi Darwaza, the main entrance to the fortress city for which the approach is through a series of gateways well fortified with walled enclosures and strengthened by bastions such as the Alamgir and Bhangi Darwaza through which the present road passes. Rampal Darwaza, Jehangir Gate and Tarapur Gate are some of the other main gateways.

The Royal Enclave is a ship palace built between the two artificial lakes, Munj Talao and Kapur Talao. It is an exquisite work of architecture and is a two storied palace. It is said to be was built by Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Khilji for his large harem. It contains open pavilions, balconies overhanging the water and an open terrace, Jahaz Mahal an imaginative recreation of a royal pleasure craft. Viewed on moonlit nights from the adjoining Taveli Mahal, the structure of the building with the tiny domes and turrets of the pavilion gracefully perched on the terrace presents a panoramic view not easy to erase from your memory.

This grand mosque- Jama Masjid is a tourist’s delight as he or she is amazed by the huge proportions and the stark simplicity of its construction. This great mosque of Mandu is believed to be inspired by the great mosque of Damascus, the Jami Masjid. It was conceived on a grand scale with a high plinth and a huge domed porch projecting in the centre, the background dominated by similar imposing domes with the intervening space filled up by a great many dome. The great court of the mosque is enclosed on all sides by huge colonnades with a rich and pleasing variety in the arrangement of arches, pillars, number of bays, and in the rows of domes above.

It is an audience hall that belongs to the days of Gyasuddin which got its name of “swinging palace” from its sloping sidewalls. Some excellent and innovative techniques are also evident in its ornamental facade, delicate work in sand stone and moulded columns. There are many unidentified buildings to the West of Hindola Mahal which still bear traces of their past grandeur. With them there is an elaborately constructed well called Champa Baoli which is connected with underground vaulted rooms where arrangements for cold and hot water were made. Other places of interest in this enclave are Dilawar Khan’s Mosque, the Nahar Jharokha (tiger balcony), Taveli Mahal, the two large wells called the Ujali (bright) and Andheri (dark) Baolis and Gada Shah’s Shop and House all are worth paying a visit.

The pavilion was originally built as an army observation post. From its hilltop perch, this graceful structure with its two pavilions was a retreat of the lovely queen, from where she could see Baz Bahadur’s palace and the Narmada flowing through the Nimar plains far below

Rewa Kund
The locals of Mandu respect this spot very much. .Rewa Kund is a reservoir built by Baz Bahadur to provide Roopmati’s palace with water.Times have changed and this Kund these days is revered as a sacred place thanks much to the true emotions of the royal duo of Roopmati and Baz Bahadur.
Our cameramen were particularly happy as there was a great food for their cameras in Mandu and with the frequent sound of clicks we went to some other magnificent monuments to visit and photograph their glory. They are Hathi Mahal, Darya Khan’s Tomb, Dai ka Mahal, Dai ki Chhotti, Behan Ka Mahal, Malik Mughit’s Mosque and Jali Mahal. There is also the Echo Point, the ‘Delphic Oracle’ of Mandu. A shout from here reverberates far below and is heard clearly back. The Lohani Caves and Temple Ruins quite near to the royal enclave area also worth a visit because of their association with Mandu’s history and monuments. Another attraction is Sunset Point located in front of the caves. How panoramic a view of the surrounding countryside it provides, come and view for yourself.

Air: The nearest airport is at Indore, 99 km away,connected to Mumbai, Delhi, Gwalior and Bhopal.
Rail: Convenient railheads are Ratlam (124 km ) on the Mumbai-Delhi main line and Indore (99km).
Road : Regular bus services connect Mandu with Indore, Dhar,Mhow, Ratlam, Ujjain and Bhopal.
Best Season: June to March