MPPSC 2020 Prelims Q42: In which city of Madhya Pradesh, the Parikrama of 7 Sea, 9

Q: What is the answer to MPPSC 2020 Prelims Q42?

D. Correct — D, Ujjain. Ujjain, the ancient Avantika on the Shipra (Kshipra) river and home of the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, is laid out around an old sacred geography — the 7 Sagar (seven sacred tanks), the 9 (Nav) Narayan shrines and the 84 Mahadev (Shiva) temples. The traditional parikrama of these is performed and completed at Ujjain.

MPPSC 2020 Prelims Paper-I · Question 42 of 100

Verified against the official question paper. Answer as per the official MPPSC answer key.

In which city of Madhya Pradesh, the Parikrama of 7 Sea, 9 Narayanas and 84 Mahadevas is completed?

(a)Amarkantaka
(b)Chitrakoot
(c)Onkareshwar
(d)Ujjain

Answer

Why

Correct — D, Ujjain. Ujjain, the ancient Avantika on the Shipra (Kshipra) river and home of the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, is laid out around an old sacred geography — the 7 Sagar (seven sacred tanks), the 9 (Nav) Narayan shrines and the 84 Mahadev (Shiva) temples. The traditional parikrama of these is performed and completed at Ujjain.

Why the others are wrong

(a)Amarkantaka — Amarkantak is the source of the Narmada and Son rivers in the Maikal hills — a Narmada-pilgrimage centre, not the '7 Sagar / 9 Narayan / 84 Mahadev' circuit.
(b)Chitrakoot — Chitrakoot is a Ramayana pilgrimage on the Mandakini (the Kamadgiri parikrama) on the MP–UP border — a different circuit.
(c)Onkareshwar — Omkareshwar (the usual spelling) is a Jyotirlinga on a Narmada island with its own island parikrama; it is not associated with the 7-Sagar/9-Narayan/84-Mahadev circuit.

Concept

Ujjain is one of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) of Hinduism and one of the four Simhastha (Kumbh) sites. Beyond the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, the city is organised around a temple-town layout — seven Sagars (tanks), nine Narayan shrines and eighty-four Mahadev temples — which pilgrims circumambulate.

All four options are famous MP tirthas, which makes the trap real. The discriminator is the specific '84 Mahadev / 7 Sagar / 9 Narayan' formula, which belongs to Ujjain's Shaiva temple-town, not to Narmada centres like Amarkantak or Omkareshwar.

Key facts

Ujjain stands on the Shipra (Kshipra) river; its presiding deity is Mahakaleshwar, a Jyotirlinga.
It is one of the Sapta Puri and a Simhastha Kumbh Mela city.
Sacred layout circumambulated on pilgrimage: 7 Sagar, 9 Narayan, 84 Mahadev.
Historically Avanti/Avantika; long the reference (prime) meridian of classical Hindu astronomy.

Study next

The twelve Jyotirlingas (Mahakaleshwar and Omkareshwar are both in MP)Sapta Puri — the seven holy citiesSimhastha/Kumbh Mela sites (Ujjain, Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik)Rivers of Madhya Pradesh: Shipra, Narmada, Betwa, ChambalUjjain in astronomy — the Hindu prime meridian and the Jantar Mantar (Vedh Shala)

Common traps

Picking Omkareshwar just because it too is a Shiva Jyotirlinga
Confusing the Narmada-origin site Amarkantak with Ujjain

MP GK ties a temple-town to its signature pilgrimage circuit or river; UPSC tests Jyotirlingas and Kumbh sites — anchor Ujjain to Mahakaleshwar + Shipra + Simhastha.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
The Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is located in which city on the banks of the Shipra river?
- (a)Ujjain
- (b)Omkareshwar
- (c)Amarkantak
- (d)Maheshwar
Answer(a) Ujjain — Mahakaleshwar is Ujjain's presiding Jyotirlinga on the Shipra.
practice — not a real PYQ
Which city of Madhya Pradesh hosts the Simhastha Kumbh Mela?
- (a)Ujjain
- (b)Indore
- (c)Bhopal
- (d)Jabalpur
Answer(a) Ujjain — the Simhastha is Ujjain's Kumbh, held on the Shipra.