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Indore



 
 
Indore (Hindi
Hindi

Standard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a Standard language register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 official languages of India, and is used, along with English language, for administration of the central government....
: ?????/?????? ,(Marathi: ????? ) the largest city and the commercial capital of the central India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n state of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a States and territories of India in central India. Its capital is Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh was originally the largest state in India until November 1, 2000 when the state of Chhattisgarh was carved out....
. It is situated on the Malwa Plateau, just north of the Vindhya Range
Vindhya Range

The Vindhya Range is a range of older rounded mountains and hills in the west-central Indian subcontinent, which geography separates the Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India....
. Indore is the administrative headquarters of the Indore District
Indore District

*Indore District is a districts of Madhya Pradesh of Madhya Pradesh state in Central India India. The district derived its name from the city of Indore,which serves as its administrative headquarters....
 and the Indore Division
Indore Division

Indore Division is an administrative geographical unit of Madhya Pradesh States and territories of India of India. Indore is the administrative headquarters of the division....
, and formerly served as the capital of the former princely state
Princely state

For other uses, see Principality, Princely state#Other princely statesA Princely State was a nominally sovereign entity of British rule in India that was not directly administered by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy....
 of Indore and the summer capital of the erstwhile state of Central India.

name Indore originated from the Indreshwar temple constructed in 1741 by local landowners.






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Indore (Hindi
Hindi

Standard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a Standard language register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 official languages of India, and is used, along with English language, for administration of the central government....
: ?????/?????? ,(Marathi: ????? ) the largest city and the commercial capital of the central India
India

India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
n state of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a States and territories of India in central India. Its capital is Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh was originally the largest state in India until November 1, 2000 when the state of Chhattisgarh was carved out....
. It is situated on the Malwa Plateau, just north of the Vindhya Range
Vindhya Range

The Vindhya Range is a range of older rounded mountains and hills in the west-central Indian subcontinent, which geography separates the Indian subcontinent into northern India and Southern India....
. Indore is the administrative headquarters of the Indore District
Indore District

*Indore District is a districts of Madhya Pradesh of Madhya Pradesh state in Central India India. The district derived its name from the city of Indore,which serves as its administrative headquarters....
 and the Indore Division
Indore Division

Indore Division is an administrative geographical unit of Madhya Pradesh States and territories of India of India. Indore is the administrative headquarters of the division....
, and formerly served as the capital of the former princely state
Princely state

For other uses, see Principality, Princely state#Other princely statesA Princely State was a nominally sovereign entity of British rule in India that was not directly administered by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy....
 of Indore and the summer capital of the erstwhile state of Central India.

Origin of name

The name Indore originated from the Indreshwar temple constructed in 1741 by local landowners.

History

The ancestors of the founders of Indore were hereditary Zamindar
Zamindar

Zamindar , also kniown as Zemindar, Zamindari, Jomidar or the Zamindari System were employed by the Mughal empire to collect taxes from peasants....
s and indigenous landholders (Jehangirdars) of Malwa. In Mughal
Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire was a Muslim imperial power of the Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, ruled most of the Indian Subcontinent by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and ended in the mid-19th century....
 times, the founders of these families received titles such as Singh and Chaudhari, which established their claim to the land. In the 18th century, control of Malwa passed to the Peshwa clan, and the Chaudharis came to be known as "Mandloi"s (derived from Mandals) because of the language they used and eventually the Holkars conferred the family with the title of Rao Raja. (pp. 68-70) Major General Sir John Malcolm's Central India Part I). The family retained its possessions of royalty, which included having an elephant, Nishan, Danka and Gadi even after the advent of Holkars and also retained the right of performing the first puja of Dushera (Shami Pujan) before the Holkar rulers. Under Mughal rule, the family enjoyed great influence and was accorded confirmatory sanads by the Emperors Aurangzeb Alamgir and Farukhshayar, confirming their 'Jagir' rights. Rao Nandlal Chaudhary Zamindar, upon visiting the court of Delhi, received a special place in the emperor’s court along with two jewel studded swords (now at display in the Royal British Museum under the family's name) and confirmatory sanads. Raja Savai Jai singh of Jaipur a personal friend of his gifted him with a special "Gold Langar" which guaranteed a special place to him in all the Durbars of India. The family’s respectability and influence over Malwa was instrumental in the ascent of the Peshwas and Holkars to rulership of this region.

Rao Nandlal Chaudhary, the founder of Indore, was the Chief Zamindar (landlord), and had an army of 2000 soldiers. In 1713, Nizam was appointed as the controller of the Deccan plateau area, which renewed the struggle between the Marathas and the Mughals. From time to time the Maratha invaders kept harassing the people of Malwa and thus Nandlal singh arranged to pay 25000 rupees to them in return for guaranteeing the safety and security of his people, upon which the invaders returned back to the Deccan. (Memoirs of Malwa: Major General Sir John Malcolm
John Malcolm

For the American Revolution figure, see John Malcolm .Sir John F. Malcolm was a Scotland soldier, statesman, and historian, born at Burnfoot, Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfriesshire on the 2nd of May, 1769....
: year 1912)

While visiting the temple of Indreshwar near the banks of river Saraswati, Nandlalsingh found the location to be safe and strategically located, being surrounded by rivers on all sides. He started moving his people in, constructed the fort of Shree Sansthan Bada Rawala to protect them from harassment by Marathas and Mughals. The city was named Indrapur (after Lord Indreshwar), and eventually came to be known as Indore.

Baji Rao Peshwa finally received the Viceroyalty of Malwa in 1743 A.D. and was bound by a treaty forbidding him from ever infringing upon the rights of Zamindars. Malhar Rao Holkar
Malhar Rao Holkar

Malhar Rao Holkar was a noble of the Maratha Empire, in present day India....
 was one of the four signatories who guaranteed the proper fulfillment of the conditions. (Major General Sir John Malcolm’s, Memoirs of Central India Vol. I pp.94-95). Upon victory the Peshwas appointed Malhar Rao Holkar as a “Subhedar”, which marked the beginning of Holkars' reign in Malwa.

Thus, Indore came to be ruled by the Maratha
Maratha

The Marathas are Indo Aryans speaking castes of Hindu warriors and peasants hailing mostly from the present-day state of Maharashtra, who created the expansive Maratha Empire, covering a major part of Indian subcontinent, in the late 17th and 18th centuries....
 Maharaja
Maharaja

The word Maharaja is Sanskrit for "great king" or "high king" . Due to Sanskrit's major influence on the vocabulary of most languages in India, the term 'maharaja' is common to many modern languages, such as Oriya language, Punjabi language, Bengali language, Hindi, Gujrati, etc....
s of the Holkar
Holkar

The Holkar were a prominent Dhangar family, who ruled as Rajas and later Maharajas of Indaur in Central India as an independent member of the Maratha Confederacy until 1818, and afterwards as a princely state -under protectorate- of British India with a 19-guns salute until India's independence, when the state acceded to the Indian governm...
 dynasty. The dynasty's founder, Malhar Rao Holkar
Malhar Rao Holkar

Malhar Rao Holkar was a noble of the Maratha Empire, in present day India....
, (1694-1766), was granted control of Malwa Maratha armies in 1724, and in 1733, was installed as the Maratha governor of the region. By the end of his reign, the Holkar state was de facto independent. He was succeeded by his daughter Ahilyabai Holkar
Ahilyabai Holkar

Punyaslok Rajmata Ahilyadevi Holkar, called "Catherine II of Russia, Elizabeth, Margaret I of Denmark of India?, was a Holkar dynasty Queen of the Malwa kingdom, India, The 'Philosopher Queen'....
 who ruled from 1767 to 1795. She ruled from a palace-fort at Maheshwar
Maheshwar

Maheshwar is a town in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh state, in central India. It is located 13 km east of National Highway 3 and 91 km from Indore, the commercial capital of the state....
, south of Indore on the Narmada River
Narmada River

The Narmada [Devanagri: ?????? Gujarati: ?????? or Nerbudda ] is a river in central India and the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent....
. Ahilyabai Holkar was an architectural patron who donated money for the construction of Hindu temples across India. In 1818, the Holkars were defeated by the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name and the state form of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927....
 in the Third Anglo-Maratha War
Third Anglo-Maratha War

The Third Anglo-Maratha War was a final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India, which left the Company in control of most of India....
, and the Holkar kingdom became a part of the British Raj
British Raj

British Raj primarily refers to the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; it can also refer to the period of dominion, and even the region under the rule....
. As a result of this defeat in the Battle of Mahidpur
Battle of Mahidpur

The Battle of Mahidpur was fought during the Third Anglo-Maratha War between the Marathas and the United Kingdom led by Sir Thomas Hislop at Mahidpur, a town in the Malwa region, on 20 December 1817....
, the treaty of Mandsaur
Mandsaur

Mandsaur or Mandsour is a city in the Malwa region and district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Mandsaur District....
 was signed, through which the Cantonment
Cantonment

A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French language word :fr:canton meaning corner or district....
 town of Mhow
Mhow

Mhow is a small cantonment town in the Indore District of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It is located south of Indore city towards Mumbai on the Agra-Mumbai Road....
 was handed over to the British. The treaty also decreed that the capital of the Holkar state would shift from Maheshwar to Indore.

After India's independence in 1947, Indore, along with a number of neighboring princely states, became part of the Indian state
States and territories of India

India is a Federal_republic union of states comprising twenty-eight State s and seven Union Territory. The states and territories are further Subdivisions of India into districts and so on....
 of Madhya Bharat
Madhya Bharat

Madhya Bharat , also known as Malwa Union was a former states and territories of India in west-central India. Madhya Bharat was created in 1950 from 25 former princely states, which were formerly part of the British Raj's Central India Agency....
. Indore was designated the summer capital of this newly created state. On November 1, 1956, Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh and Bhopal
Bhopal

Bhopal Historically, Bhopal was also the capital of the Bhopal . The city attracted international attention as a consequence of the Bhopal disaster, when the Union Carbide plant leaked deadly methyl isocyanate gas during the night of December 3, 1984....
 chosen the capital. The city palace was the seat of administration of the rulers of the Malwa region – The Holkars (26 May 1728 to 20 April 1948 ). The Rajbada was burnt in the 1984 riots, and thus converted into a garden ,till 2006 when the present Maharani of Indore, H.H Ushadevi Holkar, decided to rebuild the wada to its past glory. H.H Ushadevi Holkar invited architects Himanshu Dudwadkar and Shreya Bhargava to design this challenging project and in 2007 the Rajwada found its place back in history. It became the only historic structure in India to have been rebuilt with exactly the same style, materials and method of construction as those of 250 years ago.

Geography

Indore is located in the western region of Madhya Pradesh, and is close to the centre of India. Indore has an average elevation of 553 metres. It is located on an elevated plain, with the Sahyadri mountain range to the south. The surrounding areas are part of the black cotton soil region of India.

Climate


Indore has a transitional climate between a tropical wet and dry and a humid sub-tropical climate. Three distinct seasons are observed, summer, monsoon and winter. Summer's start in mid-March and can be extremely hot. The average temperatures are around 32 °C (90 °F) but humidity is very low. Due to Indore's location on the southern edge of the Malwa Plateau, a cool breeze (also referred to as Shab-e-Malwa
Shab-e-Malwa

Shab-e-Malwa is dusk time in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, India. Due to its altitude of about 550 to 600 meters above mean sea level, the region has comparatively cool evenings against the hot days during the summer season....
) in the evenings making summer nights quite pleasant. The monsoon season starts in late June, with temperatures averaging around 26 °C (78 °F), with sustained, torrential rainfall and high humidity. Winter's start in mid-November and are dry, mild and sunny. Temperature's average about 18-20 °C (65-68 °F), but can fall close to freezing on some nights.

Indore gets moderate rainfall of 35 to 38 inches (890 to 965 mm) during July-September due to the southwest monsoon.

Transport

The city is well connected via rail, road and air transport services. Indore has for a long time been a rail and road transportation hub. To stay in Indore, there are a lot of hotels and dharamshalas near the railway station and main bus station (Sarwate bus terminal, Naulakha bus stand, Jinsi bus stand and Gangwal bus terminal). Indore has its own low floor, disabled people friendly city bus services Atal Indore City Transport Service Limited(AICTSL)and metro Texi service which is always under GPS navigation, for faster and comfortable journey one can have radio taxis.

Domestic Airport

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport (IATA Code IDR, Lat 22.723 Long 75.805) Indore is the busiest airport in the state Madhya Pradesh, it connects the state to maximum cities in the country other than any city in the state. It connects Indore directly to Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
, Delhi
Delhi

Delhi , sometimes referred to as Dilli , is the List of most populous cities in India metropolis in India and, with over 11 million residents, the List of metropolitan areas by population....
, Gwalior
Gwalior

Gwalior ,, is a city in Madhya Pradesh in India. It lies 76 miles south of Agra and has a population of over 12 lakh . The Gwalior metropolitan area is the 46th most populated area in the country....
, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat and one of the List of most populous metropolitan areas in India in India, with a population of approximately 52 lakhs ....
, Hyderabad, Kolkata
Kolkata

, Indian renaming controversy , is the Capital of the Indian States and territories of India of West Bengal. It is located in East India on the east bank of the River Hooghly....
, Jabalpur
Jabalpur

Jabalpur, also known as Sanskardhani, is a city in the States and territories of India of Madhya Pradesh in India. Jabalpur is one of the important cities of Central India....
, Raipur
Raipur

Raipur is the Capital city of the States and territories of India of Chhattisgarh, India. The population is 605131 . The city is the administrative headquarters of Raipur District....
, Jaipur
Jaipur

Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of Rajasthan States and territories of India, India. Historically rendered as Jeypore, Jaipur is the former capital of the princely state of Jaipur State....
, Nagpur
Nagpur

Nagpur is the largest city in central India and second capital of the States and territories of India of Maharashtra. It is headquarter of Nagpur district and Nagpur division and is third largest city by population of Maharashtra....
,Bangalore
Bangalore

Bangalore , officially Bengaluru , is the capital of the Indian States and territories of India of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's List of most populous cities in India and List of most populous metropolitan areas in India....
, Pune
Pune

Pune ,Pune is the administrative capital of Pune district and the 7th Metro city of India.Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD....
 and Bhopal
Bhopal

Bhopal Historically, Bhopal was also the capital of the Bhopal . The city attracted international attention as a consequence of the Bhopal disaster, when the Union Carbide plant leaked deadly methyl isocyanate gas during the night of December 3, 1984....
 in India.
Major airlines operating flights to Indore include
  • Indian
  • Jet Airways
    Jet Airways

    Jet Airways is an airline based in Mumbai, India. It is the country's largest international airline before Air India and the largest domestic airline, along with Jetlite....
  • Kingfisher Airlines
    Kingfisher Airlines

    Kingfisher Airlines is an airline based in Bangalore, India. It operates 218 flights a day and has a network of 38 destinations, with regional and long-haul international services....


Airport lies around 8 km towards west from city Centre and is easily accessible from every part of the city through public transport.

Indore still lacks direct connectivity to major Indian cities like Chennai, Goa, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Patna. Plans are underway to upgrade the airport to an international airport by the end of 2008.. The airport provides free wireless internet connectivity using Wi-Fi.

Railways

The Indore Junction INDB is part of the Ratlam Division of the Western Railways. The tracks leading into the city are not electrified, but in 2008 Railway ministry approved the project of electrification of Ujjain-Indore Section and the work has be started and is currently being carried out.

Indore is one of the several places in India with both meter gauge and broad gauge railways tracks operational. Regular train services connect Indore to most parts of the country. There are direct trains to Mumbai
Mumbai

Mumbai— formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city proper has approximately 14 million people and, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Navi Mumbai and Thane, Mumbai forms the World's largest urban agglomerations according to the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects report with around 19...
, Delhi
Delhi

Delhi , sometimes referred to as Dilli , is the List of most populous cities in India metropolis in India and, with over 11 million residents, the List of metropolitan areas by population....
, Calcutta (Howrah), Chennai
Chennai

Chennai , formerly Indian renaming controversy , is the fourth largest metropolitan area of India and the capital city of the Indian states and territories of India of Tamil Nadu....
, Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat and one of the List of most populous metropolitan areas in India in India, with a population of approximately 52 lakhs ....
,Pune
Pune

Pune ,Pune is the administrative capital of Pune district and the 7th Metro city of India.Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD....
, Trivandrum, Jammu
Jammu

Jammu is one of the three regions comprised by India northernmost States and territories of India of Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu borders Kashmir to the north, Ladakh to the east, and Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south....
, Amritsar
Amritsar

Amritsar is located in the northwestern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the States and territories of India of Punjab, India, India....
, Dehradun
Dehradun

, is the capital city of the States and territories of India of Uttarakhand in India, and the headquarters of Dehradun District.It is located in the Doon valley, 230 kilometers north of India's capital New Delhi and the Delhi metropolitan area....
, Jaipur
Jaipur

Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital of Rajasthan States and territories of India, India. Historically rendered as Jeypore, Jaipur is the former capital of the princely state of Jaipur State....
, Jodhpur
Jodhpur

Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, also known as Marwar....
, Udaipur, Kota
Kota

Kota or KOTA may refer to:*The Kota tribe whose members live in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu, South India*The Kota language, a Dravidian language spoken in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu...
, Lucknow
Lucknow

Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous States and territories of India of India. It has a population of 4,875,858. Lucknow is also the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, Kanpur
Kanpur

Kanpur is the seventh most populous city in India and the most populous within the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and in terms of area, Kanpur is the fifth largest city in India .It is also known as the Manchester of Asia....
, Allahabad
Allahabad

Allahabad also known as Prayag is a city in the north Indian States and territories of India of Uttar Pradesh, situated at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers....
, Agra
Agra

Agra is a city on the banks of the Yamuna in the northern States and territories of India of Uttar Pradesh, India. It finds mention in the epic Mahabharata when it was called Agrabana, or Paradise....
, Nagpur
Nagpur

Nagpur is the largest city in central India and second capital of the States and territories of India of Maharashtra. It is headquarter of Nagpur district and Nagpur division and is third largest city by population of Maharashtra....
, Patna
Patna

Pa?na is the capital city of the Indian States and territories of India of Bihar, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world....
, Surat
Surat

Surat is a seaport city in the Indian Indian state of Gujarat and administrative headquarters of the Surat District. As of 2007, Surat and its metropolitan area had a population about the same size as Singapore, approximately 4 million....
, Vadodara
Vadodara

Vadodara , formerly Baroda , is the third most-populated city in the States and territories of India of Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Surat. It is one of four cities in the state with a population of over 1 million, the other being Rajkot and the two cities listed above....
, Bhopal
Bhopal

Bhopal Historically, Bhopal was also the capital of the Bhopal . The city attracted international attention as a consequence of the Bhopal disaster, when the Union Carbide plant leaked deadly methyl isocyanate gas during the night of December 3, 1984....
, Gwalior
Gwalior

Gwalior ,, is a city in Madhya Pradesh in India. It lies 76 miles south of Agra and has a population of over 12 lakh . The Gwalior metropolitan area is the 46th most populated area in the country....
, Jabalpur
Jabalpur

Jabalpur, also known as Sanskardhani, is a city in the States and territories of India of Madhya Pradesh in India. Jabalpur is one of the important cities of Central India....
, Vijaywada, Ambala
Ambala

Ambala is a city and a municipal council in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India. The city is located on the border of the states of Haryana and Punjab in India....
 and other major towns. For other major towns, trains are available from Ujjain
Ujjain

Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa in central India on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini....
, Khandwa
Khandwa

Khandwa is a town in the Nimaad region of Madhya Pradesh, an Administrative State in central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Khandwa District, formerly known as East Nimar District....
, and Bhopal
Bhopal

Bhopal Historically, Bhopal was also the capital of the Bhopal . The city attracted international attention as a consequence of the Bhopal disaster, when the Union Carbide plant leaked deadly methyl isocyanate gas during the night of December 3, 1984....
 which can be reached by Train or road within 2-5 hrs. The Indore junction is the main station in the city.

There are seven train stations within city limit providing local transport and short distance services to the various parts of the city.

  • Indore Junction INDB
  • Lakshmibai Nagar
  • Rajendra Nagar
  • Saifee Nagar
  • Lokmanya Nagar
  • Rau
  • Mangaliagaon


Indore lies on the longest remaining functional meter gauge line in India between Ratlam
Ratlam

Ratlam , known historically as Ratnapuri, is a city in the Malwa region in Madhya Pradesh states and territories of India of central India....
 and Akola
Akola

Akola is a municipal corporation and important historical, cultural, political, religious, industrial and agricultural city in the state of Maharashtra located in the Vidarbha region in central India....
. This meter gauge section is scheduled for conversion to standard broad gauge under project unigauge system of Indian Railways.

Roads

Indore is well connected to other parts of Madhya Pradesh and India through national and state highways. There are some major highways which pass through Indore and connect it to some major cities.
The Major highways passing through the city are:
  • National Highway No. 3 (NH3 - Mumbai Agra)
  • National Highway No. 59 (NH 59 - Indore Ahmedabad)
  • National Highway No. 59A (Indore - Betul)
  • State Highway No. 17 (Connecting Bhopal)
  • State Highway No. 27 (Indore to Khandwa)

There are daily bus services operated by private operators as well as government transport agencies of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan. Indore is well connected by multiple daily bus services to
  • Mumbai (593 KM)
  • Pune (610 KM)
  • Ahmedabad (382 KM)
  • Nagpur (440 KM)
  • Vadodara (323 KM)
  • Surat (465 KM))
  • Jaipur (647 KM)
  • Udaipur (410 KM)
  • Bhopal (188 KM)
  • Jabalpur (494 KM)
  • Gwalior (486 KM)
  • Agra (604 KM)
  • Kanpur (695 KM))
  • Aurangabad (402 KM)
  • Jhabua(150KM)

Apart from the long distance services, there are many services to nearby places within the state. The bus services are operated from 3 Major bus stands in the city
  • Sarvate Bus Stand (Near Indore Railway Station)
  • Gangwal Bus Stand (Western part of the city catering to Bus services going towards Gujarat and Rajasthan
  • Navlakha Bus Stand - Mainly used by Private Operators (Luxury / AC / Volvo bus services to various cities operate from here.)

Local Transport

Indore has one of the finest public transport systems.In December 2005, the municipal corporation launched the Indore City Bus
Indore City Bus

Indore City Bus is a road transport system run by Indore City Transport Services Limited or ICTSL. This transport system runs through 277 kilometers of road network in the Indore city and surrounding areas....
 service, an extensive service with 24 routes servicing most areas in city. The service has received very favourable press, and has been called the first modern bus system in India. The company runs 102 low floor buses, equipped with GPS devices, electronic sign boards and computerized vending machines. The Indore City Bus corporation made a profit of 1 crore rupees within nine months of the inception of its operation and is seen as an excellent model by several other mid size Indian cities.

The other means of local public transport are the mini-buses (called Nagar sevas by the locals) and the Tempos, which are often overcrowded and uncomfortable. Auto rickshaws are a staple as in all other Indian cities, to get around when other transportation is not available. The tempos and auto-rickshaws are notorious for pollution, but the local government has plans to replace the tempos with vans that run on Liquified Petroleum Gas
Liquified petroleum gas

Liquefied petroleum gas is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases used as a fuel in heating appliances and vehicles, and increasingly replacing chlorofluorocarbons as an aerosol propellant and a refrigerant to reduce damage to the ozone layer....
 .

The Indore municipal corporation also launched in 2005 the Indore city van, a seven-seater Maruti Omni
Maruti Omni

The Maruti Omni is a microvan manufactured by Indian automaker Maruti Udyog. The first version of Maruti Omni had the same 796 cc engine as the Maruti 800 city car....
.

Even Maruti's latest brand SX4 has been launched as Public transport vehicle in Dec 2007. The system, known as the Metro taxi system is geared towards the affluent Indoreans and charges Rs. 15 per km till 11.00 PM in the night and Rs. 20 per km from 11.00 to 6.00 AM in the morning. The metro taxi under ACTL operates day tours for places such as Omkareshwar, Ujjain, Dewas, Mandu and Maheshwar.

During the early 60's to the late 90's the trucking industry really boomed up Indores economy and made the city popular for businesses. The trucking business from the 60's to the 90's era was run mostly by Sikhs who had settled in from Punjab
Punjab (India)

Punjab is a States and territories of India in northwest India. The Indian state borders the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, Himachal Pradesh to the northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast, Chandigarh to the southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest....
 to Indore. Indore, the largest metropolitan city of the state of Madhya Pradesh, is fast emerging as a centre of trade and commerce. In the context of rapid growth of the city, increasing mobility, high travel demand, increasing intensity of traffic, congestion, delays, accidents and other such problems, public mass transport system of the city stands out as the most critical issue. The intra-city public transport system is essentially road based with 500 private minibuses , 550 tempos and 10000 auto rickshaws. Since there was no specialized and effective regulatory agency to monitor the system a special purpose vehicle in the form of public limited company “ Indore City Transport Services Ltd.” was set up to operate and manage the public transport system in Indore with private sector participation to overcome financial constraints.

The aforesaid company has identified and took permission for 18 high travel demand routes from RTA and has already started operation of its 37 ultra-modern low floor buses. These city buses with 2 broad doors are allowing passengers to board and alight quickly and easily, save time and fuel, and give better run-times and improved economy to the bus operators. Real time vehicle tracking and fully computerized ticket vending system are some other highlights. O&M and other regulatory measures are being exercised by the company.

The main sources of revenue for the system are the fare box collection, advertising, passes revenue and bidding amount by private participants. The optimum fare structure has been decided to meet twin objective of Equity access to poor and incentive for upper middle class to prefer these buses over their own vehicles. The fares have been kept reasonable to give healthy competition to existing minibuses and tempos, low enough to secure fullest utilization and high enough to ensure viability of the system within the government norms. System of monthly, weekly, employee and student passes will ensure the fullest utilisation of the new system.

Financial evaluation of the project was carried out with the objective of determining its financial viability and assessing its potential for implementation on a commercial format. At this stage, projected financial analysis estimates the likely returns to the operators, company and people at large.

The great achievement is going to success, after opening the MR-10 Road and BRTS corridor. For public transport buses a special lane will be made for quick services also a special electronic device will be install in all buses, so that they can move smoothly on all red lights. When they activate this device a few distance before reaching the red light the signals will get clear to go for the public bus smoothly.

Demographics

Indore is the most populous city in Madhya Pradesh with population of about 1,597,445 according to the 2001 census. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Indore has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 65%. In Indore, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. The city is undergoing a fast rise in population owing to its growing stature as a commercial city. The average annual growth rate of population is around 3% as per the statistics of census 2001. Hindi
Hindi

Standard Hindi, also known as High Hindi, Nagari Hindi or Literary Hindi is a Standard language register of Hindi. It is one of the 22 official languages of India, and is used, along with English language, for administration of the central government....
 is the main language spoken here, however, being ruled by Marathas, there is a large Marathi speaking population; Punjabi
Punjabi language

'Punjabi' , , is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region and their diasporas. Speakers include adherents of the religions of Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism....
 & Sindhi
Sindhi

Sindhi may refer to more than one article:*the Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region in South Asia.*the Sindhi language, an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Sindhi people....
 are also spoken in Indore. Malvi is the local language spoken in Indore and its surrounding regions.

Trade and commerce

Indore is one of the fastest growing Tier II cities in India. It already is the commercial capital of central India. Its a favoured test market for industries owing to the diversity of its population. Plans are underway for a Software Park . Several shopping malls have been constructed since 2004 and have contributed to changing the staid feel of the city.

Corporate presence

Indore is biggest contributor of revenues to the Madhya Pradesh government. The boom in the Indian Software Services Industry has further helped in creating new jobs and improving the prosperity of the city. Companies like CSC
Csc

CSC or Csc, a three letter acronym, can refer to the following:...
 (NYSE CSC), Impetus Technologies
Impetus Technologies

Impetus Technologies is a Product engineering Services provider based in India that creates software products for software and technology companies....
, MphasiS
MphasiS

MphasiS is an information technology and business process outsourcing company based in Bangalore, India. The company was originally formed as MphasiS BFL Limited in June 2000 after the merger of the US-based IT consulting company MphasiS Corporation and the Indian IT services company BFL Software Limited....
, Teleperformance
Teleperformance

Teleperformance is an international corporation which was founded in Paris, France in 1978 by Daniel Julien. Teleperformance provides customer service, technical support, and sales call center outsourcing as well as worldwide outsourcing services....
, FirstSource,InfoBeans
InfoBeans

AboutInfoBeans Systems Pvt. Ltd. is an information technology Company with its corporate headquarters in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. It has a branch office in Pune and a development center in San Ramon, California, USA....
, Suvi Webdunia, Viscus Infotech (Vinfotech), InfoServe Consultants, Armour Software and many other smaller and mid-size companies have come up in the field of software. A Special Economic Zone
Special Economic Zone

A Special Economic Zone is a geographical region that has economic laws that are more liberal than a country's typical economic laws. The category 'SEZ' covers a broad range of more specific zone types, including Free Trade Zones , Export Processing Zones , Free Zones , Industrial Estates , Free Ports, Urban Enterprise Zones and others....
 is planned, to boost software exports. Some big Indian companies, like TCS, are expected to start their operations once the SEZ is in place. Indore has been a hub for the automobile, steel and alloy Industry. The nearby industrial hub Pithampur
Pithampur

Pithampur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Dhar district in the Indian States and territories of India of Madhya Pradesh. It is an industrial estate eight kilometres from Mhow, which falls in the adjoining Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, India....
 houses many leading industries such as Hindustan Motors
Hindustan Motors

Hindustan Motors is an automobile manufacturer from India. It is part of the Birla Technical Services industrial group. The company was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog....
(presently known as Avtec Ltd ), Eicher Motors
Eicher Motors

Eicher Group is a conglomerate of the firms Eicher Goodearth Ltd., Eicher Ltd., Eicher Motors Ltd., Eicher International Ltd., and ECS Ltd., based in New Delhi, India....
, Bajaj
Bajaj

NamesA common surname in western India* Jamnalal Bajaj, a prominent businessman from India* Rahul Bajaj, Indian billionaire and Rajya Sabha MP...
, Anant Steel, Metalman Group, Nicholas Piramal
Nicholas Piramal

Nicholas Piramal India Limited NPIL's brands in the pharma business are Phensedyl, Ismo, Supradyn, Gardenal, Stemetil, Haemaccel and Rejoint - these bring in 67% of the business, while its secondary brands which include Paraxin, Flagyl and Omnatax contribute around 24% of its revenues....
, Bridgestone
Bridgestone

is a multinational rubber Conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a literal translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese language....
, Larsen & Toubro
Larsen & Toubro

Larsen and Toubro is an India-based conglomerate , with diverse interests such as construction, hydraulic equipment, electrical and electronic power services, fertilizer projects, medical electronics, financial services and information technology....
, Crompton Greaves
Crompton Greaves

Crompton Greaves is an Indian multinational engaged in design, manufacturing, and marketing of products related to power generation, transmission, and distribution....
, Novino, Panjon and Kirloskar Group
Kirloskar Group

The Kirloskar Group is India's largest Engineering and Construction Conglomerate with sales exceeding $3.5 billion. The Kirloskar Group today exports to over 70 countries and has a brand name to reckon with, especially within India and over most of Africa, South East Asia and Eastern Europe....
,Chinese Construction Equipment Major Liugong.

The electronics complex ie city also houses offices of some of the top IT companies in the country. The development of a mini auto cluster in Pithampur is being promoted by the Government of India. The government has declared a budget of Rs. 5000 crores for building the Asia's largest testing track for ground breaking research and development.

Indore has also been a hub for agribusiness with several major companies involved in soybean
Soybean

The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia. The plant is classed as an oilseed rather than a Pulse . It is an annual plant that has been used in China for 5,000 years as a food and a component of drugs....
 processing having factories around the city. Raw Cotton export from Indore has recently started where facilities of Inland Container Deport at Pithampur is available. Cotton varieties like MECH-1 and H-4 are regularly exported by exporters like Arham Syntex P. Ltd., Manjeet Cotton, etc.

Traditional businesses

Indore is also a center for garment industry. Long back, Textile mills (Hukumchand Mill, Swadeshi Mill, et al) were for a long time the pride of the city. Although, these mills have been shut down - a few have even been dismantled - Indore still has a regional stronghold in wholesale garment business. Textile Exporters like Arham Syntex P. Ltd., Spentex, etc. have come up in recent which are exporting Yarns and Cotton and have global presence. Indore was always a major center for retailing industry. Indore also boasts of being the best shopping destination in central India. The construction of several new shopping mall
Shopping mall

File:Nordstrom wing , Pentagon City Mall.jpgA shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings which contain retail units, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit....
s like the , Mangal City, Orbit, M2K Mega Mall , Cine Mall, Indore Center, C21 Mall (10 Floor Mall)and more coming soon, have helped it manage this reputation. There are traditional markets near Jawahar marg, Rajwada, Siyaganj and Ranipura, where there are wholesalers of almost all sorts of goods. Jail road market has become the biggest wholesale and retail market in the region for mobile accessory and repairing.

Software Technology Park Indore

The M.P. State Electronics Development Corporation has set up Software Technology Parks in major cities of the state to encourage commercial development in the area. The Optel Software Technology Park at Indore is part of this project. The Park has been able to take advantage of its being located in the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh. Key advantages include its central location, and a socio-industrial infrastructure that is comparable to that available in other metros, but at a lower cost.

Indore has been touted as the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh. Formerly a major trading centre, the city, along with its satellite townships of Pithampur and Dewas, has established itself as a strong industrial base. The era of liberalisation has seen Indore at the forefront of a number of privatisation initiatives which include the country's first toll road and private telephone network. In the midst of such vibrant industrial activity, the city maintains its link with its glorious past. Indore has witnessed the reign of one of the greatest women in Indian history, Rani Ahilyabai Holkar. Malhar Rao Holkar, the father-in-law of Ahilyabai was bestowed Indrashwar or Indrapur (from which the name Indore was derived) by the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao. Widowed when she was barely out of her teens Rani Ahilyabai took the responsibility of Indore into her own hands and was instrumental in planning and building this city. 14 generations of the Holkar dynasty ruled Indore for 220 years. On 16 June 1948, the Holkar State was officially merged with the Indian republic.

Indore is well connected by road, rail and air with the Agra-Mumbai highway passing through the city. It is strategically located, being in close proximity to Mumbai (593 km) and Delhi (807 km) both of which are connected by daily flights operated by Kingfisher, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines.

Top IT companies located at Indore www.impetus.com www.csc.com www.hotwaxmedia.com www.vinfotech.com www.scientech.bz

Education

Indore is a major educational center of Madhya Pradesh and has many well-known institutions. Indore University, now Devi Ahilya Vishwa Vidyala (DAVV) and Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS, formerly also known as GSTI)is ranked amongst the top universities in Central India. Shri Vaishnav Polytechnic, Indore is the top ranked polytechnic school in M.P and also have a position in top 100 polytechnics in Asia.

The city boasts one of India's best business schools - Indian Institute of Management Indore
Indian Institute of Management Indore

Indian Institute of Management Indore is a Government of India funded management institute in Indore, Madhya Pradesh....
. IIM Indore is one of India's largest(in size) and fastest growing B Schools. Its annual B school festival is one of Indore's most happening events.

There are also a number of good engineering colleges like 1. Lakshmi Narain Group of Engg. Colleges (LNCT Group) 2. Truba college of Engg. & Technology (TCET). 3. Shri Vaishnav Institute of Technology and Science (SVITS) 4. IES-IPSA (Institute of Engg. & Science - IPS Academy) 5. Acropolis Institute of technology. 6. Medicaps institute of technology and management (MITM) 7. Indore Institute of Science & Technology (IIST). 8. Central india institute of Science & Technology (CIIT) (RKDF Group). 9. Patel College Of Science and Technology (PCST) (PATEL Group). which are imparting quality education to the students in the field of technology and engineering. The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College is well known, both nationally and abroad. Educational Multimedia Research Centr (EMRC), Devi Ahilya University is one of 17 media centre of UGC is carrying out media production for UGC and running two electronic media courses (MBA Media Management & M.Sc. Electronic Media). Institute of Management Studies (IMS) and International Institute Of Professional Studies (IIPS)are other esteemed colleges of Indore. These institutes offer courses that are provided only by very selected colleges in the country ie Courses like integrated MCA(6yrs), MTech (5 1/2 yrs). IMS and IIPS boast of an extensive network of alumni in various arenas and industries. In addition, the Holkar Science College has been regarded as one of the most prestigious colleges of science in the country for much of the last century. It is also one of the oldest science college, it was established in 10 June 1891. The city does not fall behind in primary and secondary education. Perhaps the best known school is the Daly College
Daly College

The Daly College, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India was founded by Lt. Sir Henry Daly of the Army of the colonial India's British Raj. It was established in 1882, and is one of the oldest co-educational boarding school in the world....
,,Some of the oldest schools in city includes Vaishnav Higher Secondary .The Bhavan's Prominent School, which is rated amongst the top schools of the country. Other good schools include , , , The Emerald Heights International school (affiliated to Cambridge University (UK)), Imperial Academy, Indore Public School, South Indian Cultural Association School (SICA school),Vaishnav Academy, Vaishnav Bal Mandir , Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar
Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar

Sri Sathya Sai Vidhya Vihar is a school in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. The school began functioning in the year 1984. It was opened by the then district collector Sri Ajey Kallam....
, St. Paul's Higher Secondary School
St. Paul Higher Secondary School, Indore

St. Paul Higher Secondary School is a school located in the city of Indore, India. Named after Paul of Tarsus, it is located on the Boundary Road and offers higher secondary school education from classes VI to XII ....
, St. Raphael's Girls School, Vidyasagar School. Raja Ramanna Centre for Advance Technology, formerly Center of Advance Technology, is one of India's foremost scientific research institutions. It is primarily devoted to atomic research. Indore has developed as a big hub for preparing students for higher education. There are a number of coaching centers that prepare students for entering into various Indian and international educational institutions. Indore is the only city in India to have both an IIM(Indian Institute of Management) and an IIT(Indian Institute of Technology)'. The foundation stone of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was laid on February 17, 2009 at Simrol, some 25 km from Indore.

Media

Local media in Indore is very strong and flourishing. Indore has been seat of journalism in the state for a long time. There are a number of newspapers, magazines and local TV stations. Although Naidunia is one of the oldest newspaper publication, with a history of 59 years,Dainik Bhaskar is most widely read newspaper of the city and region. Patrika entered the state in May 2008. With this launch on September 30, it will cover the commercial capital of the state as well. The other popular newspapers published from Indore are Raj Express,Dainik Deshbandhu, NewsToday, Nav Bharat, Indore Samachar, Swadesh, Chautha Sansar, Chronicle ,ALMA TIMES,AIITA NEWS and Free Press Journal. Also a weekly edition of Times of India, named as INDORE PLUS is circulated every Friday. Some of the newspapers published in evening are Agni Baan, Prabhat Kiran and Dainik Dopahar. There are about 19 Hindi dailies, two English daily, 25 weeklies and monthlies, 3 quarterlies and one annual paper published from the city. The city has local tv stations from various companies. Major local channels are either by Saurabh tv, Raj tv, Bhaskar tv or SR tv. Devi Ahilya University (Indore University) offers a graduation course in Journalism and Mass Communication. The Indore Press club is an affiliate of the National Press Club. The city has 5 radio stations, viz., Superhits 93.5 SFM (Owned by South Asia FM Ltd.), Radio Mirchi 98.3FM (the very first private radio station of India),My FM (by bhaskar group), Big FM (by Reliance ADA group}, Akashvani station (Government Owned).

An English magazine [MALL CULTURE] (M.P.'s first English magazine and India's First magazine on Subject Mall Culture, Fashion & Lifestyle) is being published from Indore.

Sports

Indore has two cricket stadiums, Nehru Stadium and Usha Raje Stadium. There are also some sports club for lawn tennis & table tennis. Indore has organized various international cricket matches. Usha Raje Stadium is the biggest cricket stadium of Madhya Pradesh that has a capacity of around 30,000 spectators and offers excellent international cricket facilities to facilitate day-night domestic and international cricket matches in Indore. Two matches have been played in the Usha Raje stadium both India vs England. India luckily won both the matches on the grounds of Usha raje.

Indore is also a traditional powerhouse for the game of basketball which has been growing in popularity over the last 3 to 4 decades. Indore is also the home of India's first National Basketball Academy and a world class indoor basketball stadium. Indore has successfully organised various National Basketball Championships.

India's legendary cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
 player, Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid

Rahul Sharad Dravid is an Indian cricketer, and a former captain of the Indian national cricket team, of which he has been a regular member since 1996....
 was born in Indore.

List of Grounds:

1}Central Gymkhana Ground, Indore

2}Daly College Ground, Indore

3}Emerald High School Ground, Indore

4}Industrial Training Institute Ground, Indore

5}Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground, Indore

6}Nehru Stadium, Indore

7}Yeshwant Club Ground, Indore

8}Khalasa Stadiun, Indore

9}Vaishnav Stadium, Indore

The list of noted cricketers include Col. C. K. Naidu,Jamshed Nusserwanji Bhaya,Captain Mushtaq Ali, Narender Hirwani, Amay Khurasia and Sanjay Jagdale. Other well-known sportspersons are late Dr. Sharma (Basketball) and Vaibhav Shah (football/soccer). Dhyanchand Shnakar Laxman & Saleem Sherwani Hocey Player also From Indore (Mhow tehsil) Another upcoming sport is football (soccer). Pioneered by floodlit 5-a-side tournaments in Yeshwant Club, it is gaining popularity all over the city. Yeshwant Club is Indore's number one club house & one of the premier clubs of India. It also has Mini Golf Course, Lawn Tennis Courts, Racquet Ball courts, Badminton, Swimming, Gymnasium, Billiards Room, Library, Jogging tracks and other sports. Members of the club get together on various occasions. It also has a restaurant & a bar. Yeshwant Club is situated at Yeshwant Colony i.e., M.G. Road & Race Course Road. Indore Tennis Club is on the backside of Yeshwant Club.

The famous Yeshwant Club Ground in Indore, the scene of many heroic deeds by the legendary Holkar team of the 1940s, has since been superseded by the Nehru Stadium, which sports a statue of CK Nayudu, Indore's favourite son of that era, outside its main entrance as a concession to tradition. India have won only one of their six ODI's at this venue, which includes one tie against Zimbabwe in the Hero Cup of 1993-94 and one 'No Result' against Sri Lanka four seasons later. The latter match was called off after just three overs, both captains concurring with the match referee that the pitch was too dangerous to be played on. An exhibition match was held instead to indulge a 25,000 crowd. Indore was briefly suspended from staging games, but it was again taken off the list of grounds after Australia played an ODI in 2000-01 even though extensive work has been undertaken to modernise the venue.

The first one-dayer was in 1983-84, but by far the most arresting performance at the Nehru Stadium was been Ian Botham's bludgeoning 48 ball hundred in 1981-82 against a respectable Central Zone attack comprising Gopal Sharma, Rajinder Singh Hans and Parthasarathy Sharma. Botham survived two chances before his luck finally ran out on 122, collected from 55 balls and decorated with 16 fours and seven sixes. Mike Gatting at the other end made just 10 in the same time.

Healthcare


Indore is prominent in India for its universal health care facilities with leading hospitals and pharmaceutical companies.


The prominent hospitals of Indore include

  • Maharaja Yashwantrao Medical College and Hospital
  • Choithram Hospital and Research Centre
  • CHL Apollo Hospital
  • Bombay Hospital
  • Dr. R Hardia's Eye Hospital
  • Vishesh Hospital
  • Shri Aurobindo Hospital
  • Gokuldas Hospital and Research Centre
  • Dental College & Hospital
  • Bhandari Hospital and Research Centre
  • National Pathology Lab
Apart from these, there are many other mid size and small nursing homes and care centres catering to various ailments.

Indore is a major regional hub for medical care and there are adequate facilities available for Cadiothoracic and Bypass surgeries, Sleep Studies, Allergy Test, Immunotherapy, Total knee and hip replacement. The Facilities are rated 8th in Rank in India by One of prominent Magazine.

Culture


Over the years the city of Indore has welcomed people from all castes, creed and color. People from all corners of the country have migrated & settled in the heart of Madhya Pradesh for their livelihood, education or just for its peaceful culture. Indore today can boast of being a true cosmopolitan city with people of various ethnic and linguistic groups living in perfect harmony. Indore also has a INTACH (Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage) chapter, which is currently engaged in preserving, documenting and conserving the rich heritage of Indore. The convener of Indore chapter is Mrs Gita Sanghi and Co-Convener is Ar Himanshu Dudwadkar. Indore has a varied mix of architecture which ranges from Maratha, Mughal,to Colonial and Art deco. The presence of organisations such as INTACH has surely paved the way for Indore to successfully restore its glorious past.

The people are highly social and progressive which is why all cultures from south, north, east & west have mingled in the life of Indorians reflecting the true spirit of unity in diversity
Unity in diversity

Unity in diversity is a motto celebrating co-operation between different groups of people in a single society and social-Ecology philosophy that describes a sense of oneness despite physical or Psychology barriers....
.

The mixed culture can be invariably seen in the typical food habits ranging from South Indian 'Idli-Dosa' , 'Vada-Sambar' to 'Dal-Bafla' typical Malwa Food.

Food

Indore is famous for its culinary range. People of Indore (and for that reason, the entire Malwa) are well known gastronomes. Sweets and Namkeen (tasty salted snacks - a typical Indian preparation) of Indore are famous all over India. Sarafa (Jewellery market, near Rajwada) and Chappan Dukan (56 shops) are the two well known gourmet hangouts of the city. A special dish of the Malwa region, including Indore, is the Dal Bafla.

Indore is known for its wide variety of "Namkeens", Gujarati and Indochinese
Indian Chinese cuisine

Indian Chinese cuisine is the adaptation of Chinese cuisine seasoning and cooking techniques to Indian tastes. It is said to have been developed by the tiny Chinese community that has lived in Kolkata for over a century....
restaurants, and Bengali & Rajasthani sweets.

The staple food (snacks) of the city is Poha-Jalebi
Jalebi

Jalebi is a fried candy made from maida flour, commonly prepared in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Jalebi originated in Iran, where it is called Zulbiya....
. People are also fond of Sabudane-ki-Khichdi. Life in Indore starts early with cups of 'Chai' (tea) with Poha
Poha

Poha may refer to:* Physalis peruviana , species of plant* Poha , food made from rice...
 & Jalebi
Jalebi

Jalebi is a fried candy made from maida flour, commonly prepared in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. Jalebi originated in Iran, where it is called Zulbiya....
 followed by lunch which invariably includes popular 'besan' (gram flour
Gram flour

Gram flour is a flour made from ground chana dal, a legume otherwise known as chickpeas. It is also known as nokhodchi , besan [pronounced 'bay-sum', kadala maavu , "Senaga Pindi" , kadale hittu , chickpea flour, nohut unu , garbanzo flour and harina de garbanzo ....
) preparations. Later in the day one can easily find snacks like 'Khaman', 'Kachori' - 'aloo kachori', 'dal kachori', 'Dahi Chat', 'Tokri Chat', 'samosa', 'petis', 'Baked Samosa', 'Bhel puri', 'Pani Puri', 'mathri' etc. Numerous shops of sweets have enjoyed nice business in Indore. Late nights another market comes alive at 11:00 PM in Sarafa (in the heart of city) where one finds lots of delicacies to enjoy after a nice dinner like - 'Gajak','Bhutte ka kis', 'Dahi Bada' 'Gulab Jamun', 'garadu', 'Rabri', 'aalo tikiya', 'Halwa (JMB Gajar, Moong)', icecreams, milkshakes, rabdi (milk custard), malpuye, etc. and finally tasty 'paan' to end your day.

Indore is also famous for it's nonvegitarian cuisine. Muglai dishes are very famous specially of saify hotel. Gastronomous Chicken Lollipops, Chicken-Tikka, 'Murg-Malai', 'Biryani', 'Nalli Gosht', 'Paye' and often nahari gosht is very famous. Bafle-Gosht is a delicacy of Indore and Malwa Region.

Sweets: Moong ka Halwa, Gajar ka Halwa, Rabri Gulab Jamun, Ras Malai, Ras Gulla, Mithe Tukade, Bengali Sweets and Nagori ki Shikanji, Sapna Sandwich point at Railway Station.

Savouries: Sev with all its varieties, Mixtures , Dhania-Chivda, Dal Moth, Papdi, Gathiya, Khaman, Kachori-Samosa, Petis, Garadu, Aalo Tikiya, Pani-Puri, Bhel-Puri, Saboodana Khichadi, Dahi Bada, Pakoda, Bhutte ka Kis.

Drinks: Shikanji (Milk Preparation+Dry Fruits), Lassi, Cold Milk, Hot Boiled Milk with Malai & dry fruits+keshar, Jal-Jira, Nimboo Shikanji, Fruit Juice, Shakes, Ice cream Soda, Santrola.

On 24th Feb, 2008 6.30pm, a Guinness Book of World Record representative announced Indore to be the host of the biggest tea party with over 30,000 people sipping the Brook Bond Red Label tea, breaking the previous record of 14,718 people taking tea in Nishiao city of Japan in 2006.

The event, organised by Dainik Bhaskar, also raised funds to the tune of Rs.50 million for city development.

Main festivals

All national festivals, eid Ganeshotsav
Ganeshotsav

Ganeshotsav is an annual Hindu festival. It is generally celebrated from Ganesh Chaturthi to Anant Chaturdashi....
, Deepavali, Gudi Padwa
Gudi Padwa

Gudhi Padwa is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month, and is celebrated as New Year's Day by Maharashtra and Hindu Konkani peoples ....
, Bhaubeej
Bhaubeej

Bhav Bij Bhav Bij / Bhai Bij / Bhaubeej /Bhai PhotaThe festival of Bhai Dooj is popularly known as Bhai Bij, Bhaubeej or Bhav Bij amongst the Marathi speaking communities in the states of Maharashtra and Goa....
 and other others like Nagpanchmi, Ahilya Utsav, are celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

  • Indore celebrates Rang Panchami. This festival is celebrated five days after Dhulandi. This is also celebrated like Holi
    Holi

    Holi , also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hinduism spring festival observed in India, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, United Kingdom and Nepal....
    , but colors are mixed with water and then either sprinkled or poured on others. The local municipal corporation arranges a special event in which they sprikle color mixed water in the main streets of old Indore.


  • Ganeshotsav
    Ganeshotsav

    Ganeshotsav is an annual Hindu festival. It is generally celebrated from Ganesh Chaturthi to Anant Chaturdashi....
     is the main festival after Deepavali and is celebrated in a unique way in Indore city. In earlier times, when textile mills flourished in Indore, the workers of these mills contributed money and labour to arrange a carnival of floats (known as "Jhanki" in local Hindi language).


  • Makar Sankranti is a 'Kite Festival' when people fly kites and competitions are held to cut each other's kites in the sky on 14 January each year.


  • Gudi Padwa
    Gudi Padwa

    Gudhi Padwa is celebrated on the first day of the Chaitra month, and is celebrated as New Year's Day by Maharashtra and Hindu Konkani peoples ....
     is the new year for maharashtrians.as Indore has a large maharaahtrian population gudi padwa is celebrated widely.


  • (Eid ) Eid-ul-fitr concludes 30 days of fasting during the holy month of Ramazan for the Muslim community.


  • CHETI-CHAND IS CELEBRATED BY "SINDHIS "IN THE MONTH OF APRIL, AS THE BEGINNING OF NEW YEAR.


Government and politics


Politically, Indore is a traditional BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party) stronghold.

Total Number of Parliamentary Seats: 1

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
 - Sumitra Mahajan
Sumitra Mahajan

Sumitra Mahajan is a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India. She has been representing the Indore constituency of Madhya Pradesh since 1989 and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party political party....
 - BJP

Total Number of Constituencies for State Assembly : 9

  • Indore 1
  • Indore 2
  • Indore 3
  • Indore 4
  • Indore 5
  • Rau
  • MHOW
  • Sanver
  • Depalpur


City Mayor: Mrs. Uma Shashi Sharma

District Collector: Rakesh Shrivastava - IAS

Suprindent of Police: Mr.Sanjeev Shami- IPS

Indore Development Authority President: Madhu Verma

Places of interest

  • Shree Sansthan Bada Rawala - Historical home of the founder of Indore, Rao Nandlal Chaudhary. It contains the famous personal library of philanthropist Niranjan Zamindar and has over 28,000 books and other artifacts of historical importance.
  • Rajwada - A seven storied palace built during the Holkar era. The main wada (the kings' residence) was rebuilt recently to its original glory by Ar Himanshu Dudwadkar and Shreya Bhargava and funded by Maharani Ushadevi Holkar.
  • Lal Bagh Palace - A beautiful palace spread across of land. It is now a museum and one can see the artefacts of the Holkar era.
  • "Sitalamata Fall" - A beautiful place near Manpur and about 65 km from Indore. You need to go around 5 km from the AB road.
  • Kanch Mandir - Digambar Jain temple with exquisite glass work
  • Krishnapura Chhatri - By the banks of the much polluted Khan river, it is at a walking distance from Rajwada.
  • Devlalikar Kala Vithika - A well-known art gallery named after famous painter Vishnu Devlalikar
  • Khajrana Ganesh temple - Temple of Lord Ganesha.
  • Mhow (Military Headquarters of War) Cantonment - An old Cantonment town near Indore, founded in 1818. Has a very charming market and an old world charm. Foreigners cannot enter without permission.
  • Patal Pani - A beautiful waterfall near Mhow. Patal Pani has a small railway station - the first after Mhow as one travels on the metre gauge track towards Khandwa.
  • The temple of Janapao - On the Bombay-Agra National Highway-3 road. 16 km from Mhow. The temple is on top of a hill in the village of Kuti. According to legend, it is the place where Jamadagni, the father of Parshurama, had his ashram. It is famous for a mela (fair) held on Kartik Purnima - the first full moon after Diwali,
  • Kajligarh - Nearly 20 km towards Khandwa on Khandwa road, its a very small old ruined fort situated near to a beautiful valley & small waterfall. Its worth watching during & after the rainy season. An Ideal one day outing spot which is yet unknown to even most of the Indorites
  • Thincha Falls - Located close to Kajligarh, its a beautiful waterfall near Simrol. Breathtaking beauty is what describes it the best. A must see during and after monsoons.
  • Annapurna Temple
    Annapurna Temple

    Annapurna Temple is a Hindu temple located in the city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India, dedicated to the Annapoorna devi, Hindu Goddess of nourishment....
     - A nice Hindu Temple, primarily of goddess Annapurna, in the west region of the city.
  • Mhow - A small and beautiful town 22 km away from Indore having pride of being birth place of Creator of Indian Constitution "Baba Saheb Bheemrao Ambedker".


Trivia

  • The gates of Lalbagh Palace, Indore, are a replica of the gates of Buckingham Palace
    Buckingham Palace

    Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction....
     in London
    London

    London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
    . They were cast in England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
     and then shipped to Indore.
  • Indore has a huge cricket
    Cricket

    Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
     bat called "Vijay Balla" made out of concrete with names of the players of the Indian team who won the 1971 series against Gary Sobers' West Indies team.
high idol at Bada Ganapati is the largest idol of Lord Ganesh in the world.
  • (formerly CAT), Raja Rammanna Center for Advanced Technology is India's main Research center on Laser
    Laser

    A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
     and Accelerator
    Particle accelerator

    A particle accelerator is a device that uses electric fields to propel electric charge Elementary particles to high speeds and to contain them....
     Technology, under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.
  • The famous Radio Mirchi
    Radio Mirchi

    Radio Mirchi is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the ENIL , which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group....
     98.3(then 98.4) FM was started first in Indore, then spread to ten other cities of India including 4 metros.
  • Until the early 1990s, Bollywood movies were released on Thursdays in Indore, and released elsewhere on Fridays.
  • The first private landline telephone service in India was launched in Indore by Airtel by the name Touchtel.
  • Rajan Raheja group Launched its first store GLOBUS at Indore in January 1998.
  • Because of similarity between the lifestyles, fashion and taste Indore is nicknamed Mini Bombay.
  • The 250 year old Rajvada of Indore is the only structure in India which has been reconstructed as it existed using the similar materials and methods of construction in 2007 by architects Himanshu Dudwadkar and Shreya Bhargava.
  • Only city in India to have both IIM
    IIM

    IIM may refer to:*Intelligent Information Management*Independent Investigation Method*Indian Institutes of Management, a group of business schools in India...
     and IIT
    IIT

    IIT is an initialism which may refer to:*A number of institute of technology, including:** Indian Institutes of Technology, a group of 14 autonomous institutes in India...
    .


Hat-trick of GATE toppers from Indore: 2000:Lokesh Kumath, 2001:Arnold D'Souza, 2002:Sachin Nagar

External links