Planning a 2-day trip to Ujjain on a budget? Whether you're coming from Nashik or any other city, this guide will help you explore the best Ujjain tourist places while keeping expenses low. In this Ujjain travel guide, I’ll share my firsthand experience, including how I traveled from Nashik to Ujjain by bus, the must-visit Ujjain travel places, and practical tips to make the most of your short but memorable journey.
For my trip, I opted for a Nashik to Ujjain bus by Fastlane Travels, which was a budget-friendly and comfortable choice. The journey took around 7 hours, making it one of the most affordable ways to reach Ujjain. If you’re traveling from other cities, you can also consider trains or flights, but buses offer great savings for budget travelers. My personal bus experience was just average, as it was late for over an hour, and I also got motion sickness during the journey.
We reached Ujjain by 7am in the morning and as soon as we were dropped to Dewas gate we were surrounded by the rickshaw mob. It has become a usual practice to overcharge or deceive the visitors who are still trying to bargain. one of them finally agreed to take us to our stay. We booked our two-day stay at Hotel Gopal Krishna Heritage which was just within one km of the bus stand. As we were on our way to the stay I started looking out of the moving rickshaw with excitement and the exhaustion caused by the motion sickness. They let us check in early upon our arrival and we didn’t waste a minute to freshen up ourselves and start wandering already. We started our day with wholesome Paratha with spicy chutney. We initially planned to rent a two-wheeler and explore this spiritual city by ourselves but when we tried to contact the rental fellow he didn’t respond properly after trying a few bike rental contacts online and roaming in the streets of Ujjain, we gave up and booked a Tuk-tuk instead.
We visited Ram Ghat as it was shoulder season with perfect weather, I saw the glimmering shiny water at the ghat, cows all around. We spent some time there and enjoyed the beauty of it. Meanwhile, my partner also happened to spot a cute elephant - Shyam in the middle of the road of Ram Ghat. I got excited as soon as I saw the majestic goofball. I bought a papaya snack to feed him, and he blessed me back with his trunk over my head. The Tuk-tuk guy agreed upon taking us to 6 sightseeing spots. The auto driver, who was taking us around Ujjain, advised us to leave our footwear in the auto and meet him at the rickshaw stand once our darshan is complete. Thus we walked from the rickshaw stand to the temple.
Bharti Dhari Caves
We hopped in the rickshaw and directed ourselves to the first destination, Bharti Dhari Caves. I wondered if it was just the same regular temple but it did not disappoint. It was a cave where Neelkanth Maharaj performed penance and to my surprise deep inside the caves were small compartments with Hindu Idols and Neelkanth Shiv ling. These narrow cave compartments were claustrophobic so we made sure not to enter with the group of other tourists inside that might lead to a jam inside for the ones going in and coming out of the caves. Once we entered, we happened to see the really ancient and some new idols placed inside these compartments with just a few bulbs to make it visible and with little air passage. There were Pujaris inside these compartments serving the divine and helping people with their darshan. What puzzled me were the painted signs of –“Yaha Char Dham ka rasta hai” -the alleys of the caves are the way to char dham which were inaccessible to the public in a really delicate position. We wrapped up quickly before getting suffocated and exited the cave. There's another beautiful mandir dedicated to god Navnath with fine marble collage work. At last, we visited the domesticated cow shelter and gave the friendly cute cows with bells tied around their neck, a firm pat on the back.
Gadkali Mata Mandir
We hopped in the rickshaw and directed ourselves to the second destination of the day- Gadkali Mata Mandir. This mandir holds a significant value to the Hindus as it is dedicated to Ma Durga and is one of the Shakti Peethas, where Ma Parvati's upper lip fell. Adorned and smeared with red kumkum everywhere around the temple walls and corners I could feel the unseen positive energy inside the temple. Up next, we were taken to the iconic Kaal Bhairav Mandir.
Kaal Bhairav mandir
The temple’s beauty was immediately striking as soon as we arrived. What was particularly interesting was the alcohol offered by devotees to Lord Kaal Bhairav, as it is believed that people who are trying to overcome their addiction can offer the very thing they are addicted to. In this case, alcohol to Kal Bhairava and vow to quit mid-way. The sound from the queue gradually changed to everyone chanting “Om Parvati Pataye Har Har Mahadev.” We had waited in line for a little over half an hour and were finally able to set my eyes on Shri Kal Bhairav. Everything was so surreal and intense that the first look always hits you divinely. We made our own offering and had a little collected in a container, while the rest was given back to us. As we were heading out, we met a Naga Sadhu, a person who has given up worldly life, and we decided to give him our leftover alcohol.
Mangal Nath Mandir
We reached Mangal Nath mandir and another popular tourist destination visited by several devotees looking for a cure to their mangal dosha. As we entered the mandir, the ground floor is where the rituals are done by the gurus and on the first floor is where the main deity Shri Mangalnath Ji resides in the middle of two sheep’s. We joined the queue and looked around the temple curiously as it was still under construction and seeked blessings of Mangalnath ji covered in pink gulal offered by the devotees. We went back to the mandir and were mesmerized by the view of the glittery river Shipra under the influence of the sunset. Before taking our final exit, we spent a wholesome time there and later headed straight to our next destination.
Maharshi Sandipani Ashram
Maharishi Sandipani Ashram holds spiritual significance as it is believed to be the Lord Shri Krishna’s, his elder brother Balarama and his dearest childhood friend Sudhama’s school where they received education from their Guru Maharishi Sandipani. They were taught various subjects of the ancient Hindu traditional and spiritual learning such as pronunciation, grammar, music, grooming, problem solving, ayurveda medicine, sculpturing, drama composition, metal examination, carpentry, politics and much more. This ashram is located near the Gomti Kund, a water tank where Shri Krishna summoned all the holy waters from various centers so that his old Guru need not travel to far-off holy places, and it also features a dedicated gallery with vibrant wall murals and paintings. Make sure to carry cash to buy prasad offered there next to the book library in the ashram.
Mahakaleshwar Mandir
After visiting all the temples in Ujjain, it was time for us to seek blessings from Shri Mahakal ji. Mahakal ji is the only Jyotirlinga out of the twelve that faces south, and it is also said that even time bows down to him. Our auto-rickshaw driver dropped us outside the Mahakaal Mandir and simply directed us to follow the road towards the temple. Before entering the Mandir, we decided to take a tea break. We deposited our footwear in a free shoe collection stand before the corridor. However, eager to have our Darshan, we decided not to linger in the corridor just yet. We asked for directions to the queue, and the people were very helpful, guiding us to where we needed to go. They also advised us to deposit our belongings safely, like bags and mobile phones, in the lockers located beside the temple entrance before entering. Luckily, we arrived just in time to attend the Sandhya Aarti. This was the most beautiful part of the entire experience. We found a spot from where we could see Mahakal ji very clearly, and it felt like a profound connection, as if he was looking right through us. When the aarti commenced, the music, the chants, and everyone's complete immersion in the prayer created a truly beautiful atmosphere. Everyone was chanting "Om Namah Parvate Pataye Har Har Mahadev." The most moving part for me was feeling so overwhelmed with emotions during the aarti, as if I could have released all my pain in front of him.
One thing we observed was that people were using their phones to take photos during the aarti. I was quite surprised that they were so preoccupied with their phones and pictures that they seemed to miss the essence of experiencing the positivity of Mahakaal. After the beautiful Darshan, we were directed towards the exit, collected our belongings and prepared ourselves for the grand corridor. It took us around 2-3 hours to cover the entire corridor from the back towards the entrance.
Wrapping up
While exiting, we asked locals for a good place to have dinner and someone recommended a Satguru restaurant. Honestly, the food was average; the problem was that all the dishes seemed to be prepared with the same masala, making it quite ordinary. However, definitely try the sweets if you can handle a sugar rush, because we certainly had one! We tried malai ghevar and masala milk at the same restaurant, which offered a wide variety of sweet dishes. Post dinner, we started walking back to our accommodation. On the way, we noticed a small market that was about to close. We wanted to buy some socks because it was quite cold, almost freezing. We found really cute pairs of socks at a very reasonable price. After a day of exploration like Dora the Explorer, it was time to call it a night. We returned to our hotel and had a good night's sleep.