City Profile

PLA - 316
Landscape Planning & Design

BACHELOR OF PLANNING

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

MAULANA AZAD NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BHOPAL
Introduction
Ujjain (also known as Ujjaini, Avanti) an ancient city of central India, in the Malwa region of Madhya
Pradesh well known for its temples. It is the fifth largest city in the state by population and a famous
Hindu pilgrimage centre with the Kumbh Mela held here every 12 years on the banks of Kshipra river.
The City is a major trading centre in agriculture produce and is the second largest city of "Indore Agro
Industrial Region". Tourism, agricultural markets and trade are the main resources of economy. The
city is shaped by geographical factors river Shipra, Mela ground etc. and has developed into two parts:
old city having Mahakaal temple and the newly developed area. The pressure on core area is high due
to several factors including high density of population and the violation of the bye-laws.
In Ujjain, nearly half
of the population
lives below Poverty
Line and a large slum
population translate
into miserable and
unhealthy living
conditions, which
affects the economic
productivity and
cumulatively that of
the city as a whole.
Ujjain Municipal
Corporation and the
supporting authorities
aims to develop
Ujjain as knowledge
and pilgrim centre -
maintaining its great
religious, ancient and
cultural image
Figure 1: District map of Ujjain providing a better
and sustainable
environment to all its citizens and visiting pilgrims. JNNURM programme is seen as an opportunity by
the Ujjain Municipal Corporation to develop Ujjain into a vibrant heritage city. The city receives about
3 million tourists annually. Since the city witness such huge flux of tourists, it requires to have an
efficient mobility plan, a Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) for the City was prepared by Ujjain
municipal Corporation. While CMP proposed detailed Traffic and Transportation plan, it fails to
connect personal health and safety of residents of Ujjain City with its mobility pattern.

History
The city was called Ujjayini in ancient times and is referred to as Ozene by Ptolemy. It is one of the
seven sacred cities of the Hindus, and the Kumbh Mela religious festival is held here every twelve years.
It is also home to one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva. Ujjain, the city of Mahakal has
been a seat of learning where all disciplines of knowledge have flourished since time immemorial. Great
poets like Vedavyasa and Kalidasa have eulogized the city. Vikramaditya, the legendary emperor, ruled
the city with his famous Navratnas (nine jewels) including Kalidasa.
Old texts mention that Mahavira, the great propounder of the Jain faith, performed some of his penances
in the country of Avanti. He also visited the capital of Avanti, Ujjayani, where he did penance in a
cemetery when Rudra and his wife tried in vain to interrupt him. The Jains always associate the city
with the split of their community between the Digambara and the Shvetambara sects. About 53 B.C.
Ujjayani came under the grip of a great famine that is believed to have lasted for 12 years. A Jain pontiff
of Bhadalpur or Vidisha emigrated from Ujjayani. That perhaps sparked off the division.
The ancient city of Ujjayani is said to have existed about 6 km. to the north of today’s Ujjain. Garhkalika
as it is known today was perhaps destroyed by earthquakes and the frequent floods in the Kshipra river.
The ancient mounds in this area still yield ancient artefacts and remains. The excavations have exposed
the mud fortifications of a citadel, datable from Circa 700 – 500 B.C. To save the city from destruction
by floods in the Kshipra the inhabitants of this period erected a massive wall of compact whitish clay
near the ramparts of the citadel In the pre independence era Ujjain witnessed the scenes of socio cultural
rejuvenation, industrial and commercial growth on modern pattern and the struggle for the freedom. In
1948 the Shinde regime came to an end as the Gwalior state merged into the newly formed Madhya
Bharat. Presently, Ujjain is a Commissionaire and district headquarters in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
During excavations carried out near the Bharthrihari Caves a kunda yielded coins dating to the pre-
Mauryan period. The Ujjain coin has a distinct place of its own among the ancient Indian copper coins.
Punch-marked and cast coins are found here dating from the 3rd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D.
The coins that were current in Ujjain have a special mark. On some of the rare coins the word Ujeniya
is incised in Brahmi characters of the 2nd century B.C. Generally on one side is found a man with a
symbol of the sun and on the other is seen the sign of Ujjain. On some coins a ball within a fence or the
Bodhi tree or the Sumeru hill or the figure of the Goddess of Fortune is seen on the other side. Some
coins of Ujjain are quadrangular while others are round. Square copper Mughal coins were struck in the
city up to the time of Shahjehan. In fact, right from the time of Akbar Ujjain was one of the four places
with a mint to strike silver coinage for the Mughal Empire. The class of round coins found at Ujjain
display a special symbol, the cross and balls known as the Ujjain symbol. In the excavations in and
around Ujjain clay medals and seals have also been found dating from the second century B.C. A stone
casket has also been discovered dating to cir. 2nd century B.C.

Governance & Jurisdiction

Most of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the Ujjain Municipal
Corporation (UMC). The city is administered by a Divisional Commissioner and a Collectorate Office
as well as the Mayor. They are responsible for the town and Country Planning Department, Forest
Department, Public Health Engineering, Public Works Department and MP Electricity Board. Ujjain
has been a metropolitan city with a mayor-council form of government. The Ujjain Municipal
Corporation (UMC) was established in 1956 under the Madhya Pradesh Nagar Palika Nigam
Adhiniyam. The UMC was established in 1886 as Nagar Palika, but the Municipal Corporation of
Ujjain was declared on a par with the Gwalior Municipal Corporation. The Ujjain Development
Authority, also known as UDA, is the urban planning agency serving Ujjain.

Location
The city of Ujjain is
located
23.18 latitude and
75.78 longitude and it
is situated
at elevation 494
meters above sea
level. Ujjain has a
population of 457,346
making it the 5th
biggest city in
Madhya Pradesh,
having an area of
157km2 and the
population density to
be 326persons/km2.
Ujjain is situated on a
unique geographical
Figure 2: Location map of Ujjain
location from where
tropic of cancer
passes. It is the 'Greenwich Mean Time' of India for Panchang. The tilting of earth at angle of 23½ ◦ on
its axis and geographical line of tropic of cancer has special cosmic influence making it fit for absolute
time location. Situated on the bank of river Kshipra, the only river that travels straight from South to
North.

Road Network
Along with Indore and Dewas, Ujjain is among the three most important centres in this
region. Bhopal Ratlam broad gauge railway line passes through it and the NH3 is only 35 km,
away. Besides these national
connections, there are many state
level highways linking it to
the major regional and state centres.
Ujjain Junction is the main railway
station of Ujjain, and it is directly or
indirectly well-connected to all the
major railway stations in India.[39] It
lies on the Ratlam–Bhopal, Indore–
Nagda and Guna–Khandwa route.
To the west it is connected
to Ratlam Junction, to the north it is
connected with Nagda Junction, to
the east it is connected
with Maksi Junction, Bhopal
Junction, and to the south it is
connected to Indore Junction Figure 3: Road Network
BG, Dewas Junction Harda BG.
Dewas Gate Stand and Nana Kheda Bus Stand are the two bus stands in the city that provide service to
destinations located in the states. The city has a well connected road network including Indore
Road, Badnagar Road, Dewas Road, Agar Road, Nagda Road and Maksi Road. There are three state
highways; 18 connects to Ahmedabad, 17 connects to jaora and 27 connects to Indore.

Climate & Geography

The region is an extension of
the Deccan Traps, formed
between 60 and 68 million
years ago at the end of
the Cretaceous period. The
city is on the bank of the
river Shipra which flows into
the nearby Chambal. The
tropic of cancer also passes
through a temple named
Karkoteshwar, located
near Harsiddhi Mandir in
Ujjain. Climate of the city
features an typical version of
the humid subtropical
climate (Köppen Cwa). Table 1: Geographical features
Summers usually starts by the
middle of March which lasts up until late June. During which temperatures normally reaches up to
45 °C, with average maximum peaking in May with 41 °C. Monsoon starts in late June and ends in
late September. These months see about 36 inches (914 mm) of precipitation, frequent thunderstorms
and flooding. This season usually features wet phase of comfortable with average temperatures
around 24 °C (76 °F) but this is accompanied with frequent downpours. This wet phase is followed by
dry phase which results in humid weather with high temperatures. Temperatures rise again up to late
October when winter starts, which lasts up to early March. Winters are cool, dry and sunny with
occasional cold snaps.

Topography & Soil

The city of Ujjain is divided into Pedeplain
(shallow, deep & moderate), Denudational
hill; Residual hill, Valley fills, Flood plain
etc, out of which geomorphic features like
pedeplain (deep) & valley fills have good
ground water potentials. Low drainage density
in the pedeplain deep and flood plains
indicates that these geomorphic features are
good recharge zones. On the other hand
pedeplain shallow, denudational hill and
residual hill indicates poor recharge
conditions due to hard and compact lithology.
Geologically the city is, by and large,
monotonous. Deccan traps, which lie over the
older formations, consist of massive, zeolitic
and vesicular basaltic flows of varying Figure 4: Soils of Madhya Pradesh
thickness. Generally, the hard massive trap is
underlain by zeolitic and vesicular trap.

Soils of the region are of mixed type and there is no distinct boundary between any two types
of soil. Tonal variation in the satellite data indicates the difference in soil texture, intensity of
weathering and mineral composition of soil. Deep black soil, lateritic soil and alluvial soil are
the three different types of soils identified in the study area. Deep black soil, which is fertile
in nature, occupies major part of the district. Black cotton soil is generally found with depth
of 1to 3mts.

Demographic Profile
The city of Ujjain has seen an average growth rate of 31.8% in the last four decades. The
growth rate decreased from 44.7% (1971-1981) to 18.69%(1991-2001).The major reason
behind this has been the economic stagnancy, closing down of industries and decreased birth
rate. According to the 2011 census, Ujjain has a population of 515,215; 264,871 of whom were male
and 250,344 female. The sex ratio is 945 per 1000 males, and the child sex ratio is 929 girls per 1000
boys. The city has 58,972 children under the age of six. There were 30,573 boys and 28,399 girls,
which formed 11.45% of the total population of the city.

The total literates in the city were 385,193, of whom 210,075 were males and 175,118 were females.
The average literacy rate of the city is 84.43 percent. Male and female literacy were 89.66 and 78.90
percent, respectively. Ujjain's population is 77% Hindu, 19% Muslim and 2.5% Jain. The total
number of wards is 54. The city
has experienced relatively
moderate growth rates in
population during the last two
decades- 1981-91 & 1991-2001
(28.50 and 18.69 per cent,
respectively).

Table 2: Demographic Profile

Work Force Profile
Ujjain which is a
regional and tourist
centre and has good
linkages by way of
road and
railway has grown to
become a trading and
tourist centre in the
region. Ujjain houses
the offices of the
headquarters of
several district and
regional level
Figure 5: Distribution of work force government offices. A
considerable
proportion of the city’s workforce is engaged in these establishments, whereas a large proportion of
population is involved in trade and commerce. The primary drivers of the economy of Ujjain are the
primary sector, service sector (mainly public sector establishments) and trade and commerce.
Manufacturing and processing industries, especially household and small-scale engineering industries,
also contribute to the city’s economy, though marginally.
A large proportion of the city’s population thrives on wholesale and retail trade and commerce. The
city serves as a regional wholesale market for food grains and other commodities. It also serves as a
market centre for agricultural produce such as soybean, wheat, flowers, rice, pulses, oilseeds, maize,
etc., which are cultivated in the rural hinterland. Ujjain’s hinterland has rich soils that are most suited
to the cultivation of food grains, oil seeds, horticulture and floriculture, strengths that could be
exploited to develop trade and commerce. Ujjain also functions as a distributing centre for agriculture
implements, fertilizers, drugs and medicines, iron and steel, cement and minerals, petroleum products
and forest produce such as timber, etc. and ready made garments and textiles.

Pilgrimage
Ujjain, is a popular tourist destination today. Although permanent population of Ujjain is low it
receives large number of tourists. During peak days, on an average 3000 tourists visit the place. Apart
from this, on the occasion of religious fairs held on Nagpanchmi and Mahashivratri nearly 3 to 5 lakhs
pilgrims come to Ujjain. The average number of such tourists is nearly 100 per annum. Various travel
destinations in Ujaain are Bade Ganeshji Ka Mandir, Chintaman Ganesh Temple, Pir Matsyendranath,
Harsiddhi Temple, Siddhavat, Kal Bhairava Temple, Sandipani Ashram, Gadkalika Temple,
Mangalnath Temple, Gopal Mandir, Navagraha Mandir, Mahakaleshwar Mandir, Chaubis Khamba,
Nagarkot Ki Rani, Rama-Janardana Mandir, Rumi ka Makbara etc.

Home to Learning & Art

Ujjayani has been a great center of learning and the arts right from the ancient times. The Avanti
Khanda of Skanda Purana states about nine Durgas, twentyfour Divine Mothers (Matrikas), twelve
Adityas, six Vinayakas, four Hanumans, eleven Rudras and six Bhairavs in ancient Ujjain. None of
these are extant in their original form today and the concerned images have often come to light only in
fragmentary conditions. Only the Chaurasi Mahadev concept has come to stay where four of these
viz., Pingleshwara, Kayavarohaneshwara, Vilveshwara and Dardureshwara are regarded as the deities
of Avantika Kshetra.
Ujjain accommodated many Shaivite sects like Pasupata, Kapalika, Kalamukha, Bhairava and Natha.
The famous Shaiva Vedantist Adi Shankaracharya and the propounder of the Natha sect
Gorakhanatha had also visited Ujjain. King Bhathrihari is known to have adopted the Natha cult as a
disciple of Gorakhanatha and he practiced ascetism staying away from worldly affairs. During the
medieval period famous yogis like Jadarupa hailed from Ujjain. Temples and Mathas of these sects
were constructed in large numbers, particularly during the Parmara period. Iltutmish demolished most
of these structures during the invasion in the 13th century. The only remains are the Chaubis Khamba
and the Bharthrihari Cave.
The earlier period of the first millennium AD was a golden period for the renaissance of the arts and
literature and Ujjain was very much at the center of this revival. The dramas of Kalidasa were
performed on the occasion of the Spring Festival before the Viceregal Court c. 400 A.D. Nine famous
persons known as the Nava-Ratna (nine gems) adorned the court of Vikramaditya, king of Ujjayani,
usually identified with Chandragupta II (circa 375 A.D.).
The second revival (the first could be considered to be the period of Chanragupta II who also assumed
the title of Vikramaditya) of the arts and literature took place during the rule of the Parmaras. Ujjain
as a settlement is an ancient city but its built-form does not reflect that antiquity. Undoubtedly the
remains of the stupa at Vaishya Tekri and the mud walls of Garhkalika do indicate the ancient
character of the city. The activity zones and movement lines of the riverine part (on Gandhavati and
the Kshipra) were formed during this period and stone being the principal material of construction
many of their structures have survived to date. Chaubis Khamba, stepwells, Chaurasi Mahadevs and
parts of temples like Chintamani Ganesh, Kal Bhairav, Mahakal, Harsiddhi, etc. stand as testimony to
the Parmara rule.
The Maratha rule could be reckoned as the third Hindu revival in the history of Ujjain. Nearly all the
temple complexes, Ghats and Chaurasi Mahadevs bear their stamp. Embellishments in the use of
timber in houses and streetscapes owe much to their patronage. Even today this is a characteristic
feature of the urban landscape of Ujjain.
Though blessed with the waters of Kshipra Ujjain nurtured the concept of tanks and wells for both
daily needs and sacred attributions. Seven natural reservoirs have been institutionalized. in the name
of Sapta Sagaras that find mention in the Avanti Khanda of the Skanda Purana. There are many
stepwells in temple complexes and elsewhere some of which are being used to date. Tanks
traditionally known as Munjasagara after the famous Parmara king Munja (970-1000 A.D.) exist at
Dhar, Mandu and Ujjain which were the most important cities under the Parmara rulers. The
Gandhawari copper plate of Munja dated to 974 A.D. also refers to a Shiva Tarag (tank) at Ujjain. The
kundas within the Mahakala Parisar and nearabout are similar to the kundas (wells) of the Parmara
period.
Timber buildings, representing the best of residential architecture is another such recurring element
that dot all over the old part. Areas like the Bohra Bakhals, Kartik Chowk, Khara Kuan, etc. have a
concentration of wooden houses contributing to the historic character of the city.

Astronomical & Astrological Importance of Ujjain

The Hindu astronomers reckoned their first meridian of longitude from Ujjayani. Ancient India as
described by Ptolemy also mentions this. The ancient concept of time and space is closely associated
with Ujjayani and, therefore, the Mahakal as the presiding deity of Ujjayani. According to the ancient
astronomical texts on 21st March the day lasts six months at the North Pole Star and after another
three months thereafter the sun is at its remotest point from the southern horizon. At that time the sun
is directly above Ujjain.
In ancient period Ujjain was the seat of astronomical studies. The city, being at the center of the
country, was the place where scientific astronomy first evolved. The students of astronomy then fixed
the meridian here in relation to other places for their astronomical calculations. Ptolemy’s
Geographica (150 A.D.) is a work of great importance for understanding the geography of ancient
India. He fixed the position of Ujjain at 77 23 from where the meridian starts. Under Asoka Ujjain
attained the highest state of prosperity. He is said to have funded a college here where astronomy and
astrology were taught as special subjects. One sees a reflection of the Hindu view of the cosmos in the
observatories established by Maharaja Jai Singh of Amber (1686-1743) in the 17th-18th century A.D.

Green Cover
The total geographical area of the district is 609100 hactres wherein only 3200hactre is the forest area.

Table 3: Details of Existing Micro & Small Enterprises And Artisan Units in the district