Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday urged that Ujjain – an ancient temple town in Madhya Pradesh – should be considered a global center for timekeeping, even replacing the current Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) with Mahakal Standard Time (MST).
The BJP leader said that Ujjain was historically a major center for astronomy and time calculation. He also claimed that modern AI tools recognize Ujjain as the original center of time calculation.
“Ujjain is where the Equator and Tropic of Cancer meet and ancient world time calculations were done here. Hence, the time has come to logically establish ‘Mahakal Standard Time’ (MST) instead of ‘Greenwich Mean Time’ (GMT). Even modern artificial intelligence tools recognize that the original center of time calculation is the area around Ujjain,” PTI quoted him as saying.
Speaking at an international conference on ‘Mahakala: Lord of Time’, which was also attended by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, he said that science is incomplete without spirituality and cited the example of Ujjain and its revered Mahakal temple.
Referring to the ritual at the Mahakal temple, the Pradhan said that the constant pouring of water from an earthen pot on Lord Shiva from the beginning of the month of Vaishakh is not only a religious practice but also has scientific significance as it helps to deal with summer heat and promotes environmental balance.
“This proves that our society has a scientific understanding of time calculation and has adapted its lifestyle to changes in nature for centuries. Environmental responsibility and a balanced flow of life have always been central to India’s knowledge tradition,” Pradhan said.
“More accurate than Greenwich Mean Time”
Mohan Yadav also supported the proposal, stating that Ujjain has historically been a global center for astronomy.
“In Ujjain, the measurement of time is not only religious but also thoroughly scientific as established by our forefathers ages ago through texts like Surya Siddhanta. Time and space are inextricably linked,” said Yadav.
The Chief Minister further noted that traditional Indian methods of timekeeping were based on East, West and planetary movements, which he claimed were “more accurate than Greenwich Mean Time”.
Yadav added that his government was working to develop Ujjain as a religious and scientific centre.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi rejected Pradhan’s MST proposal, calling it a reflection of what the BJP described as a lack of a concrete development agenda.
“BJP’s idea of development is changing the names of roads and cities built by others,” Alvi said.
“They want to change the time standard now because for them that is all Indian civilization has. But why stop there? Throw away your mobile phones, ban phones, light diyas instead of using electricity,” he said.
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
