Where is the world's first 'Vedic Clock' installed?
- (a)Varanasi
- (b)Prayagraj
- (c)Ujjain
- (d)Bhopal
Correct — C, Ujjain. The world's first 'Vedic Clock' — a public installation displaying time in both the modern 24-hour format and traditional Vedic/Panchang units — was installed in 2024 at the historic Jantar Mantar (Vedh Shala) observatory in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain was the natural choice: it has served as India's traditional reference point for astronomical time calculations since antiquity and already hosts a working Jantar Mantar observatory, making it the fitting home for a clock that bridges Vedic and modern timekeeping.
- (a)Varanasi — A major Ganga pilgrimage city in Uttar Pradesh — not the site named for this 2024 installation.
- (b)Prayagraj — Site of the Triveni Sangam and the Kumbh Mela, in Uttar Pradesh — not the site named here.
- (d)Bhopal — Madhya Pradesh's capital city, but the Vedic Clock was installed at Ujjain, not Bhopal.
Ujjain has been India's traditional seat of astronomical timekeeping since antiquity — ancient Indian astronomers, including Varahamihira, used the Ujjain meridian as a reference point for calculations. The city also has its own Jantar Mantar (Vedh Shala), one of the masonry observatories built in the tradition associated with Maharaja Jai Singh II, alongside those at Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, and Mathura. This astronomical legacy is why Ujjain was chosen as the site for the 'Vedic Clock', a 2024 current-affairs installation.
This is a niche, single-fact current-affairs pickup — the safe anchor is Ujjain's long-standing identity as India's astronomical/timekeeping reference city (its Jantar Mantar, its historic role in Indian astronomy), not the technical workings of the clock itself.
- The 'Vedic Clock' was installed at the historic Jantar Mantar (Vedh Shala) observatory in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, in 2024
- Ujjain has its own Jantar Mantar observatory, in the same tradition as those at Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, and Mathura
- Ujjain has traditionally served as a reference point for Indian astronomical/time calculations
- Ujjain sits on the Shipra (Kshipra) river and is also home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga
Ujjain's own Jantar Mantar and its history as India's astronomical reference city made it the site for the 2024 'Vedic Clock'.
- Confusing Ujjain with the other Jantar Mantar cities (Delhi/Jaipur) as the site of this specific 2024 installation
- Defaulting to Bhopal because it is MP's capital, when the fact is city-specific
Current-affairs MCQs on MP name a specific city plus a 2024/2025 installation or inauguration — lock the fact to the exact city (Ujjain here), not just 'somewhere in MP'.
No directly related past UPSC PYQ was found — the store's Ujjain-related question tests the city's Shipra-river association, not this 2024 current-affairs 'Vedic Clock' installation.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Jantar Mantar observatories, associated with Maharaja Jai Singh II, exist at Delhi, Jaipur, Varanasi, Mathura, and which Madhya Pradesh city?
- (a)Ujjain
- (b)Bhopal
- (c)Indore
- (d)Gwalior
Answer(a) Ujjain — home to one of the five historic Jantar Mantar observatories.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Ujjain's traditional importance in Indian astronomy is chiefly linked to its role as a reference point for:
- (a)Trade-route mapping
- (b)Time and longitude calculations
- (c)Monsoon forecasting
- (d)Seismic monitoring
Answer(b) Time and longitude calculations — ancient Indian astronomers used the Ujjain meridian as a reference.