Ujjain, April 3 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, on Friday, announced ambitious plans to develop Ujjain as the global "Time Capital" and a modern Science City, while promoting nearby Dongla village as a key centre for astronomical time calculation.
Addressing the International Conference "Mahakal: The Master of Time", Chief Minister Yadav said that Ujjain is not just a city of spirituality and religion but also a historic centre of science.
He inaugurated a new science facility in Ujjain developed at a cost of Rs 15.5 crore with support from the Union government.
"Ujjain will be developed as the 'Time Capital' of the world. We are also setting up a Science City here with an investment of Rs 15 crore," Chief Minister Yadav said.
He highlighted the unique astronomical significance of the region.
"Scholars tell us that in ancient times, the point where the sun's shadow can be distinctly observed was in Ujjain. Today, that alignment has shifted about 32 km to Dongla village. This entire cycle spans nearly 27,500 years. The dynamics of this movement are truly extraordinary," he added.
The Chief Minister noted that he had earlier upgraded the planetarium in Dongla during his tenure as Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Corporation and is now working to transform the area into a modern hub for scientific inquiry.
Chief Minister Yadav has been consistently advocating for the revival of Ujjain's ancient astronomical glory and positioning it as the world's prime meridian -- the zero-degree longitude line used globally for time calculation.
In ancient Indian astronomy, as mentioned in texts like the 'Surya Siddhanta', Ujjain (then known as Avanti or Ujjayini) was considered the Prime Meridian (Madhya Rekha) and the reference point for calculating planetary positions and time.
For centuries, Indian astronomers used Ujjain as the central meridian before the modern Prime Meridian was fixed at Greenwich in 1884.
Chief Minister Yadav has repeatedly said that India once set the global standard for time and that Ujjain should reclaim that position.
He has pushed for scientific studies at Ujjain's historic observatory to support this claim and "correct the time of the world".
A major step in this direction was the installation of the "Vikramaditya Vedic Clock" -- the world's first Vedic clock -- in Ujjain.
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024, it displays time in traditional Indian units (muhurtas, kaalas, etc.) instead of conventional hours and minutes, blending ancient wisdom with modern technology.
The clock's calculations are based on astronomical formulas linked to the Dongla observatory.
Chief Minister Yadav has also installed a similar Vedic clock at the Chief Minister's residence gate in Bhopal and launched a dedicated mobile app that provides Panchang information in nearly 200 languages.
Due to the gradual shift in the Earth's axial tilt (obliquity), the Tropic of Cancer no longer passes exactly through Ujjain but through Dongla village, about 32 km away.
This makes Dongla an ideal spot for observing phenomena like "Zero Shadow Day" on June 21, when the sun is directly overhead and objects cast no shadow at noon.
By developing Dongla as a centre for time calculation and Ujjain as a Science City, the Madhya Pradesh government aims to blend India's rich astronomical heritage with modern scientific infrastructure.
These initiatives are also part of extensive preparations for the grand "Simhastha Mahakumbh 2028" in Ujjain, expected to attract 35–40 crore devotees.
--IANS
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