The magnificence and the awesome spectacle ofthe bathing ritual at the Simhastha defy description. Beginning on the full moon day in Chaitra (April), it continues into Vaishakha (May), until the next full moon day. Ujjain turns, amidst a riot of colours, into an India in miniature.

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, and western Asia and the West. The northern black polished ware the NBP as it is oftencalled which is technically the finest pottery of the time, with a brilliantly burnished dressing almost of the quality of a glaze incolour from jet black to a deep grey or a 'metallic blue and iron, found their way to the northern Deccan from the Gangetic plainsthrough Ujjain. The articles of export to 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 thePeriplus 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 of trade like onyx, porcelain, fine muslins, meHow coloured muslins and quantities of ordinary cottons, spikenard, costus bodellium to this important port and to other parts of India.

HOW TO GET THERE :

• Road : Bhuj is connected with Indore, Bhopal, Ratlam, Gwalior, Mandu, Dhar and Omkareshwar.

• Air     : Nearest airport is Indore (55 km) which is; connected by flights with Delhi, Gwalior, Bhopal andBombay.

• Rail   : Ujjain is a railway station on the Bhopal -Nagada sector of the Western Railway.