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UjjainUjjain or Ujain is an ancient city of central India, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, on the right bank of the Kshipra River. In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini. It is the administrative center of both the district and division of the same name. Ujjain, known as Avanti in the Buddhist period and as Ozene to the Greeks, is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, and the Kumbh Mela religious festival is held there every twelve years. It is also home to one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva. Ujjain was the traditional capital of King Vikramaditya, at whose court the navaratna (nine gems) of Sanskrit literature are said to have flourished. It marks the first meridian of longitude in Hindu geography. It is also reputed to have been the residence of Ashoka (who subsequently became the emperor), when he was the viceroy of the western provinces of the Maurya empire. It was invaded by the Delhi Sultanate lead by Iltutmish in 1235 causing widespread destruction and systematic desecration of temples. Under Mughal emperor Akbar it became the capital of Malwa, and during the last half of the 18th century it was the headquarters of the Maratha leader Sindhia. The Sindhias later established themselves at Gwalior, and Ujjain remained part of Gwalior state until Indian Independence in 1947. Gwalior state bacame a princely state of the British Raj after the Maratha defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, and Gwalior, Ujjain, and the neighboring princely states were made a part of the Central India Agency. After Indian independence, the Sindhia ruler of Gwalior acceded to India, and Ujjain became part of the Madhya Bharat state. In 1956, Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh state. Ujjain District Area 6,091 sq. km., population 1,709,885 (2001 census), a 24% increase from its 1991 population of 1,386,465. Ujjain district is bounded by the districts of Shajapur on the northeast and east, Dewas to the southeast, Indore to the south, Dhar to the southwest, and Ratlam to the west and northwest. Ujjain Division The Ujjain Division of Madhya Pradesh state includes the districts of Dewas, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Shajapur, and Ujjain.
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