On the first meridian of the longitude
A. SRIVATHSAN
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Ujjain was part of the Delhi Sultanate for a few years before it came under the Mughals.
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QUIET FLOWS THE SHIPRA: A beautiful and important city in ancient and medieval India.
Intelligence, wit and bravery narrated as a riddle make the story of Vikram and Betal appealing. Vikram the protagonist in the entertaining Indian fable is the legendary king Vikramaditya who ruled Ujjain. Ujjain was a beautiful and important city in ancient and medieval times. Kalidasa extensively and lavishly praises the city and its civilized life in his poem "Megahduta".
Ujjain is located on the banks of the Shipra and is a site of the Kumbha mela. It flourished as a great learning and trading place. Above all, it was a referral point for many ancient Indian astronomers. Varhamihira, Bhaskara and Brhamagupta worked from Ujjain and wrote their astronomical treatises. It is believed that the first meridian of the longitude in Indian astronomy passes through Ujjain. In other words, Ujjain is India's Greenwich.
Earlier, the Mauryas ruled the city and Ashoka served as its governor before becoming the emperor. Ujjain was part of the Delhi Sultanate for a few years before it came under the Mughals. During Akbar's period the city wall was built in order to secure its defence. In the 17th century, the Marathas built many important temples and monuments and developed the city. When the Scindias moved the capital to Gwalior in the 19th century, Ujjain began to lose its importance. While the history of the city is old, the extant city is relatively new. Much of the ancient city has been lost. The twin square of Gopal Mandir is a 19th century addition to the city and shows the influence of European urban form in Indian cities. This twin square forms part of the busy traditional market. Monuments like the Kalideh Palace and temples like Mahakaleshwar of Ujjain are famous. But the ornate residential architecture of the old city as found in the Bohra Muslim quarter is less known. Free Ganj area built during the British period is the commercial core of the new Ujjain. Ujjain suffers the fate of neglect like other small historic towns in India. The earlier urban policies were conscious of such small heritage cities and recommended that they be taken care of. On the other hand, the current urban policies are more focused on big cities much to the despair of historic towns like Ujjain.
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Jantar Mantar
In the 18th century, the Rajput king Jai Sing II built five Jantar Mantars or observatories. He chose to built them at Jaipur, Delhi, Mathura, Ujjain and Varanasi. Jaipur is the largest of all. The Jantar Mantar at Ujjain is still used and ephemeris is published annually. The observatory has large masonry yantras or instruments, which appear like buildings. These instruments measure the solar time of the place and also the declination of the sun.
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