Millions arrive in Ujjain every year with folded hands, seeking blessings at its ancient temples. They walk through sacred corridors and immerse themselves in a city whose spiritual legacy stretches back centuries.

But few stop to wonder what Ujjain looked like before the temples.

Long before it became one of India's holiest pilgrimage centres, ancient texts described it as Mahakal Van — a vast forest where nature and spirituality existed side by side. Over centuries, however, urban growth gradually replaced that green cover, leaving behind a city where open natural spaces are now few and far between.

For Anurag Tiwari, an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer from the 2018 Madhya Pradesh cadre and the Divisional Forest Officer of Ujjain, that forgotten past offers a roadmap for the city's future.

"The first challenge was identifying land where greening could actually happen. Ujjain is an ancient city, and land availability is never easy," he says.

Historically, Mahakal Van is believed to have spread across much of present-day Ujjain, which today covers between 51.83 and 157 sq km.

Finding space, however, wasn't straightforward. Much of the city's open land falls under the Revenue Department rather than the Forest Department. So Tiwari and his team began searching for places where nature could return in a way that also resonated with people's faith.

That search led them back to scripture.

Recreating the sacred forest of Mahakal Van

The Skanda Purana describes Ujjaini as the City of Mahakal Van. Many of the city's famous temples are........

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