UJJAIN, Madhya Pradesh

Main Attraction: THE IDOL OF VISHNU CHATUSHTHIKA

The statue of Vishnu Chatusthikka, a rare specimen in the world, is installed near the famous Gadhkalika temple in the north west of the city of Ujjain. There is another statue of Vishnu expressing his four forms installed near the ancient ruins of Ujjaini close to the Gadh kalika. This archaeologically important statue is 15 cm wide and 95 cm high. The Panchveeras (5 brave men) of the Thrishnis are depicted in it such as Vasudeva, Sankarshan, Pradumna, Aniruddha and Samba. This statue is associated with the panchratra branch of the Bhagvata sect in which devotees worship the five great men belonging to the family of Krishna. An inscription belonging to the Mahakshatrapa XVI, recovered from Mathura, clearly mentions about the devagriha and the idols of the Vrishni family. The panchveeras are also mentioned in the Vrihatsamhita and Vishnu – Dharmottara Purana. At present the devotees of this branch are not found in India.

In the Vishnu Chatushtika, all the four idols of Vishnu are decorated with kirit mukut, srivatsa, karna, kundala, keyura, kataka valaya, yagynopavit. The front face is of Vasudeva who is holding varadmudra, akshamala, gada, chakra & conch in his hands. The idol is in the posture of padmasana. On the side face, lion faced Balrama is depicted who is mentioned in the Harivanshapurana. The idol is holding varadmudra, akshamela, musala, hala & conch in its hands. Pradumna, son of Krishna, is depicted on the backside who is holding varadmudra, akshamala, dhala, khadega & conch in its hands. This image is extremely important as well as rare from artistic point of view. This is an excellent artistic piece of the 9th – 10 century.

Brief History

According to the Avantyakhand of the Skanda Purana, Avanipura, the capital of the Avantis, was called Ujjayini. 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 BC Avanti with its capital at Ujjaini, is mentioned in Buddhist literature as one of the four great powers along with Vatsa, Kosala and Magadha. The Victory attained by Mahadeva, the presiding deity of Avanti, over Tripura, the demon of Tripuri. The city of Avanti had six earlier names, i.e, Swarnasringa, Kusasthali, Avantika, Amaravati, Chudamani and Padmavati, respectively in six different kalpas. 

The city was called the Ujjayini in Pali, the Ujjaini in inscriptional Prakrit and Akaravanti in Nasik cave inscription and Ozene in classical literature, e.g. The Periplus of Erythraean Sea. 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 1st century A.D. As a great religious centre, Ujjain ranks equal to Banaras, Gaya and Kanchi. Saivism, Vaishnavism and their various cults and sects, Jainism and Buddhism, have found a niche in this catholic city. The Avanti Khanda of the Skanda Purana mentions innumerable temples consecrated to Shakti and her various forms. The Siddha and the Natha cults which were offshoots of Tantricism, also flourished in Ujjain. The names of Kalidasa and Ujjaini are inextricably linked together in the Indian traditions.

According to the Markandeya Purana, Ujjaini was situated on the Shipra. Shipra was a tributary of the Charmanvati (Chambal) which rised from the Paripatra (Pariyatra) mountain. Shipra was also known as Uttaravahini, i.e flowing towards the north in the Avantyakhand of the Skanda Purana. It is at Ujjaini that Vindhyavasini settled at Ujjayini after the Narmada flooded the earth. Kasta another tributary flowed to meet the Shipra near Rudrasarovara, the confluence being known as Ksata Sangama near Ujjaini.

According to Tantras, it was the pithasthana at which the elbow of Sati fell, on the dismemberment of her body by Lord Siva. Ujjayini was mentioned in almost all the Buddhist and Brahmanical records after the Rig Veda. The place was associated with the romantic legend of the elopement and marriage of Vasavadatta, the daughter of king Chand Pajjot of Ujeni with king Udena of Kausambi. It was also associated with the Mauryan prince Ashok and Vikramajit, the king Arthur of India, in whose court the nine gems, including Kalidas, the brightest gem among poets.

Ujjain is one of the seven sacred cities of India from time immemorial and the seat of great king like Pajjot, Vikramajit and Sindhias. Under the Mughals, Ujjain was the chief town of the subah of Malwa. It was Sawai Raja Jaisingh, then Mughal Governor who renovated the town in 1720AD. After the seat of the Sindhias was shifted to Gwalior in 1810 A.D., Ujjain remained the headquarters of the Sar-Subah of the Malwa Prant of Gwalior state and the seat of Ujjain district with four tahsils, viz, Ujjain, Khachrod, Badnagar and Sonkutch.

One of the 12 Jyotirlingas in India, the lingam at the Mahakal is believed to be swayambhu (born of itself) deriving currents of power (shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams which are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti. Poorna Kumbh is held at Ujjain once in every 12 years at the bank of Shipra River and is seen as one of the most sacred places in India. On the occasion of Kumbh Mela the divinity and spiritual aroma of Ujjain meets its highest peak when millions of pilgrims take dips and worship sacred River Shipra.