The early history of Ujjain is lost in the midst of antiquity. As early as the time of the Aryan settlers, Ujjain seems to have acquired importance. By the 6th century B.C. Avanti with its capital at Ujjaini, is mentioned in Buddhist literature as one of the four great powers along with Vatsa, Kosala and Magadha. Ujjain lay on the main trade route between North India and Deccan going from Mathura via Ujjain to Mahismati (Maheshwar) on the Narmada, and on to Paithan on the Godavari, western Asia and the West. The Northern black polished ware – the NBP as it is often called which is technically the finest pottery of the time, with a brilliantly burnished dressing almost of the quality of a glaze in colour from jet black to a deep grey or metallic blue and iron, found their way to the northern Deccan from the Gangetic plains through Ujjain. The articles of export to the western Asia such as precious stones and pearls, scents and spices, perfumes, silks and muslin, reached the port of Brighukachcha from the remote north through Ujjain. All this finds a detailed and interesting description in the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, an account of an unknown Greek merchant who made a voyage to India in the second half of the first century AD. The Periplus talks of a city called Ozene to the east of Barygaza (Broach) which fed all commodities to trade like onyx, porcelain, fine muslin and quantities of ordinary cottons, spikenard , costus bodellium to this important port and to other parts of India.
List of Ujjain Visiting places
- Mahkaleshwar Temple
- Ankapata
- Bade Ganesh Ji Temple
- Chintaman Ganesh
- Harsiddhi Durga Temple
- Gompti Kund
- Patal Bhairav Temple
- Shri Ram Mandir
- Maharishi Sandipani Asharam
- Siddhvat
- ISKCON Temple
- Bhartrihari Caves
- Gadkalika Temple
- Gopal Mandir
- Kalbhairav Temple
- Mangalnath Temple
- Navagraha Mandir, Triveni
- Shri Ram Mandir Ghat
- Kalideh Palace
- Chaubis Kumbha Temple
- Maa Bhadrakali Temple
- The Observatory (Vedha Shala)
- Bhairogarh
- Pir Matsyendranath
- Rumi Ka Makbara
- Shipra(Kshipra) River
- Vikram Kirti Mandir
