Historic Perspective
History is interwoven with legend in the ancient town of Ujjain.
According to one legend, Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe, descended to Mrityulok, the land of mortals, to get rid of Ujjain’s demon king, Tripura. Moreover, the blue god Krishna came to Ujjain to study under the great sage, Sandipani Muni, who taught the former in the Sandipani Muni Ashram. Myths apart, excavations at a site about 6km north of the town have revealed pottery and iron objects dating back to the 8th century b.c.
¤ The Great Kingdoms
Historic Perspective
The period between the 6th and the 3rd centuries b.c. witnessed the rise of ambitious potentates.
They successfully established four great kingdoms, or the Mahajanapadas in North India that included the kingdoms of Avanti, Vatsa, Kausala and Magadha. King Chandra Pradyota Mahasena ruled the kingdom of Avanti, with his capital at Ujjain. In the 4th century b.c., the first Mauryan ruler, Chandragupta I, ruled over Avanti.
¤ The Great Ruler Ashoka Turned Into A Buddhist Follower
In mid-3rd century b.c., Ashoka became the Governor of Avanti (Ujjain) as well as Taxila (presently in Pakistan) at the young age of 18, during the reign of his father, Bindusara. Ashoka ruled his domain with an iron hand and used ruthless means to annex neighbouring areas.
His tyrannical ways earned him the dishonour of being labelled as Ashoka, the Terrible. However, he became an ardent follower of Buddhism in 257 b.c. and laid the foundations of a group of stupas (domed structures that house relics of the Buddha) in Sanchi. He also constructed stupas in Ujjain, which was the first territory he ruled. Ashoka is reported to have built anything between 1,000 to 84,000 stupas, of which only a few remain today. Stone and metal statues of the Buddha have also been discovered in the district, confirming Buddhist influence in and around these areas
