Ujjain is a small town in the heart of Madhya Pradesh state and is the administrative center of Ujjain district. In the ancient times the city was called Ujjaiyini which is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Buddhist literature, it is one of the most important city for the Hindus as it is one of the four places across the country where the sacred Kumbh mela is organized every third year. Ujjain is one of the holiest cities in India and cccording to Indian astrology, zero degrees begins in Ujjain.
Ujjain is regarded as one of the Sapta Puri or the seven sacred cities, it is the place where Lord Krishna and his brother Balram with Sudama received education form their teacher (guru) Maharshi Sadipani. The others are Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchipuram, and Dwarka. It is said that Lord Shiva killed the demon Tripura at Ujjain.
The indomitable spirit of Ujjain is best exemplified by the legend of an ancient banyan tree named Siddhwat. The tree is believed to possess extraordinary spiritual vibrations and holy men meditate under it while others worship it. According to the legend, a ruler once had the tree cut down and covered the mutilated stump with seven iron plates, so as to show his authority. By the next morning, the tree had burst through the iron plates and come back to its original size. The tree is still alive and the object of redoubled veneration.
Historically also Ujjain has been an important center as it was home to legendary rulers including the renowned king Chandragupta II, great scholars such as Brahmgupta and Bhaskaracharya and literary gems like Kalidas.
The Simhastha Kumbh Mela, would take place at Ujjain after a gap of 12 long years. It is believed that the holy dip washes away all the sins and the cycle of rebirth and death ends as the soul becomes divine.
The entire period of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela was spanned from April 05 to May 05, 2004.