DONGLA OBSERVATORY AND UJJAIN PLANETARIUM

Ujjain, a 1000+ year old city, has been considered very important since ancient times ~ both for religious purposes as well as for its astronomical significance. In religious, it has multiple ancient temples and hundreds of sacred pilgrimage sites many considered 'shaktipeeth' 'Jyotirlingas of Shiva' or temples that are 'vibrant and alive' with the diety residing in it. It is also the venue for one of the major Kumbh melas. On astronomical side, Surya Siddhanta and the Panch Siddhanta ( considered great works on astronomy ) were written in Ujjain. It was long considered that the Tropic of Cancer and Zero degree Meridian passed through it; hence, it has been a hotspot for astronomy enthusiasts too besides saints/sages since time immemorial with Raja Jaisingh of Jaipur hogging the spotlight. He had a penchant for mathematical and astronomical studies and built various observatories with interesting calculating and measuring instruments at places like Jaipur, Delhi, Mathura, Varanasi, and also, Ujjain - these being popularly known as 'Jantar-Mantar'. One needs to visit these 'jantar mantar' to understand how various studies related to astronomy/ weather etc were done during olden times. In modern times, with better and improved technologies we have observatories like the one in Dongla or Planetariums. Ujjain has both; and quite advanced ones too, helping in studies of astronomy, space science, observe the marvels of the milky way/ galaxies and research. The place is situated in such a location i.e in the tropic of cancer, that the place almost always has a peculiar vibe of 'timelessness'. Its also the main worship site of 'mahakal' where 'kal' denotes time.


road to dongla observatory, clear skies...


close up...


insides of the observatory...biggest telescope of mp...

zero shadow measuring instrument at dongla...

With the biggest optical telescope in Madhya Pradesh, Dongla Observatory is an important astronomical site in India. The place experiences Zero Shadow Day on the day of Summer Solstice and there is an instrument that measures it as well, besides others. Ujjain, where once the actual intersection of the zero degree meridian of the ancient world with the Tropic of Cancer was said to have located is no longer considered so; instead, it is at Dongla which is located about 39 kms from Ujjain, making it a very important site for astronomers and geographers alike.

Ujjain Planetarium

the insides...

science enthusiasts...
The Ujjain Planetarium is an ultra-modern ( with 3-D Imax movie theatre within ) planetarium with seating capacity of 124 persons.

Ujjain is an ancient city beside the Kshipra River in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. An important Hindu pilgrimage destination, it’s known for the centuries-old Mahakaleshwar Temple and many other ancient temples. It is also famous for its ancent astroniomical studies.
Address : Dongla, Madhya Pradesh 456443 | MPCST Planetarium, Antariksha Parisar, Sector C, Vasant Vihar, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh 456010
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