In the heart of Bhopal, a young and dynamic artist, Mohammad Kashif, has breathed new life into an ancient Indian tradition timekeeping by creating the world’s first “Vikramaditya Vedic Clock”. Installed outside the official residence of the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, this masterpiece is not just a clock; it is a bold statement of cultural revival, blending art, science and heritage.
Kashif’s clock was born out of a larger vision: to honour India’s time-keeping traditions and to bring back the grandeur of a civilisation that once measured time by the sun, stars and ritual rather than simply by hours and minutes. The idea builds on the research of Aarohi Srivastava from Lucknow who began exploring Vedic time systems in 2013 and cracked an accurate formula in 2020. Kashif took this formula and translated it into a tangible artefact—working for three intensive months to craft a clock made of metal, wood and traditional artistic elements.
What stands before the CM’s residence in Bhopal is more than a timepiece it’s a cultural landmark that captures the 30-muhurta system (each muhurta lasting 48 minutes) that ancient Indian astronomers once used. The clock was unveiled formally by the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, on 1 September 2025, marking the culmination of Kashif’s vision. Its prominent placement in Bhopal turns it into a new tourist landmark, drawing attention to the city’s cultural and scientific heritage.
What makes the Vikramaditya Vedic Clock remarkable is its synthesis of ancient time-science and modern presentation. Unlike conventional clocks that divide the day into 24 hours, this system uses 30 parts (muhurta), and the clock also displays tithi (date), nakshatra (stellar position), yoga, karana, sunrise and sunset times and city-wise Vedic timings. Additionally, an accompanying mobile app available in 189 languages provides rich religious and historical information spanning over 7,000 years.
For Kashif, the experience has been deeply personal. “When the Chief Minister praises me, I feel my hard work has paid off, and it increases my morale exponentially,” he says. Hailing from Bhopal, Kashif combines the sensibilities of a craftsman and the vision of an innovator. His artistic range doesn’t stop with the clock. At the recent Global Investors Summit 2025, Kashif and his team created 120 sculptures in just 90 days figures of lions, elephants, peacocks and more capturing the imagination of visitors with their agility and artistry.
The clock stands as a symbol that India’s ancient practices are not relics but living knowledge. From the way it measures the day to the way it connects to cultural memory, it asserts that the East’s time-science still has relevance and prominence. As the Chief Minister commented during the unveiling: the world is entering a new era where Indian culture, knowledge and science will become precious assets.
Beyond the physical clock, Kashif’s work is inspiring a renewed interest in indigenous timekeeping, integrating art, heritage and modern technology. Through the mobile app and the monument itself, younger generations are being invited to explore India’s time-science, to discover that time can be more than ticking seconds—it can be a rhythm rooted in culture and cosmos.
Kashif’s journey is one of vision, skill and cultural pride: from sketching ideas in his studio to creating a landmark that bears his name, he has shown how tradition can be transformed into modern iconography. As visitors gather to view the clock in Bhopal, they are not just checking the time they are experiencing a revival of civilisation and a fresh chapter for Indian science and art.
In a world racing by the minute, Kashif’s Vikramaditya Vedic Clock invites us to pause, reflect and reconnect with time, tradition and our own place in the cosmos.