This is a very impressive book on Ujjain with stunning photographs and a wealth of material on all aspects of Ujjain.
The author of this book M.K. Pal is an expert in analysing archaeological, historical and literary data and has participated in several Festivals of India in Europe and Japan. The book under review is on Ujjain.
Dr Pal writes about the rise and fall of the city under various Indian rulers and foreign invaders. A great deal of information is furnished on the history, mythology, rituals, and festivals of the important temples in Ujjain. It describes the importance of River Shipra to the people of Ujjain.
Ujjain: The City of Temples
M.K Pal
Publisher: Niyogi Books
Pages: 192; Price: Rs 495 |
The book records the salient features of the temple culture of Ujjain with special emphasis on their historical and socio-cultural perspectives. It is studded with rich anecdotes and hoary legends associated with the centres of worship. The appendices providing information on eighty four Mahadevas in Ujjain and twelve Jyotirlingas in India.
An important mythological tale is the churning of the oceans by Gods and Demons in search of the nectar of immortality. When the coveted vessel emerged there was a mad scramble for it, the Demons chasing the Gods to secure the nectar.
In this process four drops spilled and they fell at Haridwar, Nasik, Ujjain and Prayag in Allahabad. This resulted in Ujjain being one of the sites of the Kumbh Mela which occurs once every twelve years. Millions assemble to take bath in the Shipra river. Ujjain ranks equal as a great religious centre equal to Varanasi, Gaya and Kanchipuram.
Ujjain as all know is Kalidasa country. He described it as “The town fallen from Heaven to bring Heaven to Earth….its palaces like mountains and its houses like palaces .”
The city’s beauty and comforts enticed King Chandragupta to rule from here for long periods, even though the Gupta capital was Pataliputra. At his court lived and worked the “Nine Gems” of literature and arts like Kalidasa.
Ujjain was already a thriving city called Avanti, when Buddha was born. Asoka was Governor of Ujjain during the reign of his father. Ujjain’s literary, scientific and religious life continued for centuries. Politically, Ujjain was not stable passing through the hands of the Rajputs, the Muslims and eventually the Maratha Scindias of Gwalior.
One of the most important temples in the city is the Mahakaleshwar Temple which is the seat of one of the Jyotirlinga of the 12 Jyotirlingas. Lord Shiva is worshipped here in the form of Linga and is believed to be the Supreme power of Universe.
A story regarding this temple is worth recounting. There was a long dispute for primacy between Brahma and Vishnu during which the earth split apart to reveal an incandescent column of light. To find the source of this column Vishnu took the form of a boar and burrowed underground while Brahma flew into the sky as an eagle.
After a millennium of fruitless search, Shiva emerged from the lingam of light and both Brahma and Vishnu acknowledged that Shiva was the greatest of the Gods.
The temple which was destroyed by Altamish in 1235 was restored by the Scindias in the 19th century. It is a five storied structure — the building’s stories are ornamental with pierced balustrades and the balconies have Rajput-type roofs. Other famous temples are Harsiddhi Mandir, Gopal Mandir and Chintaman Ganesh Mandir.
Ujjain has been India’s Greenwich, with the first meridian of longitude passing through it. Maharaja Jai Singh built one of his observatories here.
No account of Ujjain is complete without recalling Kalidasa. He lived in Ujjain, the capital of Vikramakaditya. His love for this city and the Malwa country is particularly apparent in the classic poem Meghadutam. The Yaksha’s request to the cloud messenger to make a detour to visit Ujjain, the description of the dance of the devadasis in the Mahakaleswara Temple, and the incomparable descriptions of the city ( twelve verses are devoted for a lyrical description of the city)and of the river Sipra impress us tremendously.
A seven-day festival is organized every year in Ujjain in memory of Kalidasa during which at least one play of Kalidasa in Sanskrit is presented. Classical dance performances based on Kalidasa’s works, dramatic presentations, seminars and other cultural programmes are also organised.
This is a very impressive book on Ujjain with stunning photographs and a wealth of material on all aspects of Ujjain.
P.P. Ramachandran
