Sandipani Ashram

From Railway station, at the distance of 5 kms the famous sandipani ashram, the hermitage of Maharshi Sandipani, the tutor of Lord Krishna is situated. The sage educated Krishna and Balarama, his elder brother, at the time when Ujjain was known as Awantika.

According to ancient Indian tradition, students - irrespective of their wealth or poverty - spent the formative years of their lives until adolescence, in a gurukul ashram (hermitage). Apart from various subjects and ancient scriptures, they were taught battle techniques along with the means to attain spiritual enlightenment. At the end of the term, the guru was entiltled to a gurudakshina, the reward in return of his services. Near the ashram is the Gomti Kund,a stepped water tank where Krishna supposedly summoned all the holy waters from pilgrim centres so that his old guru, Sandipani Muni, would not have to travel to these places. Also nearby is the Ankapata,where Krishna washed Sandipani Muni's writing tablets. Sandipani Muni himself is believed to have engraved the numerals one to 100 on a stone.