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Indore इंदौर / इंदूर The City of The Holkars Rajbada Palace - The Lightning Palace of Holkar Dynasty in the city of Indore
Indore इंदौर / इंदूर Location of Indore इंदौर / इंदूर in Madhya Pradesh
Coordinates	22°25′N 75°32′E / 22.42°N 75.54°E / 22.42; 75.54
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
District(s)	Indore
Member of Parliament	Mrs. Sumitra Mahajan (BJP)
Population • Density • Metro	1,916,918[1] (2009) • 9,718 /km2 (25,170 /sq mi) • 1911513[2] (2009)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	2,398 km2 (926 sq mi) • 553 m (1,814 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 4520xx, 4521xx, 453xxx • Telephone • +073 • Vehicle • MP-09
Website	www.indore.nic.in

Indore (Hindi: इंदौर/,Marathi:इंदूर pronunciation (help·info) urdu:اندر ) is the largest city and commercial capital^[3] of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh . Also known as The City of Holkars, Indore was the capital of the Holkar state.Indore derives its name from the temple 'Indreshwar' built in 1753 by a Chandra-vanshi peshwa hailing from Pune.Located in the southern edge of Malwa plateau overlooking the valley of Narmada along the Vindhyachal Range, Indore used to be an important halting point for Maratha Warriors in the early 18th century as it lay in midway from Deccan to Delhi. Later, city came to be known as 'Indrapur', then as 'Indur' until The British rechristened it to its present name. The city was ruled by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, a famous queen of India, for a long period before she shifted her capital to Maheshwar.Indore is also known as the Cultural Capital of M.P. due to the thriving cultural & religious activities round the year. The British rulers developed this city as a major trading centre of Central India. The city, along with its satellite townships of Pithampur, Mhow, Dewas and Dhar has established 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 private telephone network. In the midst of such industrial activity, the city still manages to maintain its link with its past. Indore is also called as 'Mini Mumbai', due to the similar lifestyles of people residing here.^[4]

Etymology

Theories explaining the origins and etymology behind Indore's name differ. Formerly, the city of Indore was known by many different names.The first expected name of the city was Indreshwar which was named after the Indreshwar Temple in the city. Before this name was used, it was known as Ahilyanagari (The city of Queen Ahilyabai Holkar).

Year 1607 to 1794 - Ahilyanagari, Year 1800 to 1950 - Indhur, Year 1958 till Present - Indore

The present name Indore originated from the Indreshwar temple constructed in 1741 by Ved Manuj.^[5]

History

The ancestors of the founders of Indore were the Zamindars of the region which spread from the banks of Narmada to the borders of Rajputana. In Mughal times, the founders of these families received the title of Chaudhari, which established their claim to the land. In the 18th century, the 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 title of Rao Raja upon the family.^[6] 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 on 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.

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, and constructed the fort of Shree Sansthan Bada Rawala to protect them from harassment by Mughals. The city was named Indrapur (after Lord Indreshwar), and eventually came to be known as Indore.

Baji Rao Peshwa finally took control of Malwa in 1733 A.D. Malhar Rao Holkar was one of the four signatories who guaranteed the proper fulfillment of the conditions.^[7] Upon victory the Peshwas appointed Malhar Rao Holkar as a “Subhedar”, which marked the beginning of Holkars' reign in Malwa.^{[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]}

Durbar Hall - Lal Bagh Palace

Thus, Indore came to be ruled by the Maratha Maharajas of the Holkar dynasty. The dynasty's founder, Malhar Rao Holkar, (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 who ruled from 1767 to 1795. She ruled from a palace-fort at Maheshwar, south of Indore on the Narmada River. 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 in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, and the Holkar kingdom became a part of the British Raj. As a result of this defeat in the Battle of Mahidpur, the treaty of Mandsaur was signed, through which the Cantonment town of Mhow was handed over to the British. The treaty also decreed that the capital of the Holkar state would shift from Maheshwar to Indore.

In early 20th century, Indore was the home of Seth Hukumchand Jain, who became the first Indian to establish a jute mill in India. He is regarded to a pioneer of Indian industry, and a founder of several institutions and industries in Indore and nearby area.

After India's independence in 1947, Indore, along with a number of neighbouring princely states, became part of the Indian state of Madhya Bharat. Indore was designated the summer capital of this newly created state. On November 1, 1956, Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh and Bhopal was chosen as 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 corner of India. Indore has an average elevation of 550 metre above sea level. It is located on an elevated plain, with the Yadri range to the south. Indore's maximum width is increasing to Dewas on one side to Mhow on other side which is makes total distance of 65 km.

Climate

Indore has a transitional climate between a tropical wet and dry climate and a humid subtropical climate. Three distinct seasons are observed, summer, monsoon and winter. Summers start in mid-March and can be extremely hot in April and May. The highest temperatures recorded was 48 °C in 1994. Average Summer Temperature may go as high as 42-44.c (100.4 °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) in the evenings makes summer nights quite pleasant. The monsoon season starts in late June, with temperatures averaging around 26 °C (79 °F), with sustained, torrential rainfall and high humidity. The average rain fall is 36 inches. Winters start in mid-November and are dry, mild and sunny. Temperatures average about 4–15 °C (39–59 °F), but can fall close to freezing on some nights. In summer temperature can be sometimes as high as 48–50 °C (118–122 °F) and in winters it can be as low as 2 °C (36 °F).

Indore gets moderate rainfall of 35 to 38 inches (890 to 970 mm) during July-September due to the southwest monsoon.^[17]

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.

The major bus terminals are Sarwate bus terminal, Gangwal bus terminal, Navlakha bus stand & Jinsi bus stand.

Railways

Indore Main Railway Station

The City Railway Division comes under Western Railways of Ratlam Division. The City of Indore has Indore Junction BG as the main and terminal station on the broad gauge line connecting it to the rest of the country. This was built earlier because of lack of rail connectivity to north Indore city. In the Railway budget of 2009 Indore main railway station was listed for transformation to a modern railway along with other 300 stations across India.

Indore is one of the several places in India with both meter gauge and broad gauge railways operational. Regular train services connect Indore to most parts of the country. Trains are also available from nearby Ratlam Junction, Ujjain Junction, Khandwa, and Bhopal Junction stations. These can be reached by train or road within 2-5 hrs.

Indore lies on the longest remaining functional meter gauge line in India, between Ratlam and Akola. This meter gauge section is scheduled for conversion to standard broad gauge under Indian Railways' projected Unigauge system.

Roadways

Indore is well connected to other parts of 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 - Agra Bombay)
• 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)
• State Highway No. 34 (Indore to Jhansi)

There are daily Bus Services operated by private operators as well as government transport agencies of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan connecting Indore to major cities across Central and Western India.

Local Transport

For local transport, the commuter has a number of options including buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis and vans.

More specifically, for local transport, there are options of City Bus, Magic, Van, Auto-Rikshaw, Nagar Seva Bus, Metro Taxi, Star Cab Service and Local City Ride Buses.

A newer bus service was started in 2004 by I.C.T.S.C.L, INDORE. The buses - designated as City Buses today ply on 30 Routes, with around 130 Bus Stop Stations. There are 125 General Low Floor, 120 New Semi-Low Floor and 50 AC Special City Buses being operated under this new service. These buses are color coded as per their route. Some of these buses are also equipped with advanced services like GPS and IVR (around 200) which are used to track the position of the bus in real time. This information is displayed on LED displays installed on the Bus Stop Stations.

Two taxi companies, Metro Taxi and Star Taxi are operational in the city.

India's first of its concept - GPS & IVR enabled city buses

Metro Taxi in Indore

Airport

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport

Indore is served by the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport. Indore airport is about 5 km from the city centre and currently is restricted to domestic services. An international terminal is under construction and the integrated control room tower and building is supposed to be completed by February 2010.

Demographics

Indore's total population in 2001 was reported to be 1, 516, 918.^[18] Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. As per 2001 census, the city of Indore has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy was 75%, and Female literacy was 64% which have been increased recently by year 2009 to 89% average literacy rate with Male literacy of 95% and Female literacy of 84%^[18] In Indore, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age. The average annual growth rate of population is around 2.85% as per the statistics of census 2001. Hindi is the main language spoken here. A considerable population of Indore can speak as well as understand Marathi due to the rule of Marathas (Holkars). Malwi is the local language spoken in Indore and its surrounding regions.

Economy

Indore is the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh with a bulk of its trade coming from Large, Mid and Small scale manufacturing industries. These industries range from Automobile to Pharmaceutical and from Petroleum Refineries to Textile. Indore's major sources of income are those from Textile, Education and metal works industries. Major industrial areas surrounding the city include the Pithampur Special Economic Zone and the Sanwer Industrial belt having about 2000 factories of various sizes.^{[citation needed]} . Pithampur is also known as the Detroit of India.^[19][20]

Education

Daly College, Indore

Home to a range of colleges and schools, Indore has a large student population and is an educational centre. Most primary and secondary schools in Indore are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE); however, a number of schools have affiliation with ICSE board, NIOS board and the state level M.P. Board.

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya(DAVV), is the major & oldest university of Indore, offering courses in more than 20 fields ranging from law to pharmacy to management at both graduate and postgraduate level.

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, one of the oldest medical college in country offers varied range of courses in medical sciences.

Having both Indian Institute of Management and Indian Institute of Technology in Indore making it the only city in the country to have both of these fine institutions.

Media

Local media in Indore is strong and flourished. Indore has been seat of journalism in the state for a long time. There are a number of Theatres, newspapers, magazines, and local radio and television stations.

Arts and theater

Ravindra Natya Grah is an important and well known center for theatre and performing arts in the city. Many artists from around the world perform here regularly. Abhivyakti Centre of Fine Arts & Performing Arts, Deolalikar Kala Vithika are also similar centers for arts and theatre.^[21]

Electronic media

The radio industry has expanded with a number of private and government owned FM channels being introduced. The FM radio channels that broadcast in the city include AIR Vividh Bharathi FM (102.8 MHz), Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz), Big FM (92.7 MHz), Red FM (93.5 MHz), My FM (94.3 MHz) and AIR Gyan Vani FM (107.6 MHz). State-owned Doordarshan transmits two terrestrial television channels. Apart from these few local broadcasting stations also exist.

Print media

There are about 19 Hindi dailies, two English dailies, 26 weeklies and monthlies, 3 quarterlies, 1 Bi-monthly Magazine and one annual paper published from the city.^[22] The major Hindi dailies include the Nai Dunia, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran, Patrika, Agnibaan, & PrabhatKiran. The major English dailies are The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Free Press, Business Standard & The Economic Times.

Communication services

Indore is covered by a large network of optical fibre cables. There are three fixed telephone line operators in the city: BSNL, Reliance and Airtel. There are Six mobile phone companies in which GSM players include BSNL, Reliance, Vodafone, Idea, Airtel, Tata DoCoMo, CDMA services offered by BSNL, Virgin Mobile, Tata Indicom and Reliance.

Sports

The Usha Raje Stadium of Indore

Indore has two stadiums, Nehru Stadium and Usha Raje Cricket Stadium. Nehru Stadium belongs to Municipal corporation and Usha Raje belongs to MPCC. There are many sports club for various sports. Lawn tennis - Indore Tennis Club, Indore Residency Club. Basket Ball - Basket Ball Club. Table Tennis - Abhay Prashal Kabaddi - Lucky Wanderers, Chess - SKM Chess Academy Indore is also a traditional powerhouse for the game of basketball which has been growing in popularity over the last 3 to 4 decades. It is the home of India's first National Basketball Academy and has a world class indoor basketball stadium. Indore has successfully organised various National Basketball Championships. The list of noted players include C. K. Naidu (ex. Capt. Indian Team), Jamshed Nusserwanji Bhaya, Mushtaq Ali(ex. Capt. Indian Team), Hiralal Gaekwad, Narendra Hirwani. Other well-known sportspersons are late Dr. Sharma (Basketball) and Manas Mishra (Powerlifting), Kishan Chand, Shankar Lakshman and Saleem Sherwani (hockey), Kripa Shankar Patel (Olympian wrestler).

Culture

Indore city has a variety of cultures. Over the years the city of Indore has welcomed people from all castes, creed and colour. 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. People here know to maintain harmony by intermixing and enjoying their life, irrespective of castes or region and by respecting every religion.

Gurudwara LIG Circle

Food

Indore is famous for its culinary rang and is known for its wide variety of Namkeens, Poha & Jalebi, Chaats (snacks), Kachoris and Samosas, cuisines of various types in different restaurants, and Bengali, Muslim, Rajasthani, continental and confectionery sweets, as well as exotic dishes such as Dal-Bafla, Nihari Gosht and Bafa-Gosht - a delicacy of Indore and Malwa Region.

Main festivals

All national festivals like Holi, Baisakhi, Raksha Bandhan, Navratri,Dussehra, Ganeshotsav, Deepavali, Ramzan, Gudi Padwa, Bhaubeej, Eid and other others like Nagpanchmi, Ahilya Utsav, are celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

Places of interest

• Annapurna Temple - A nice Hindu temple, primarily of goddess Annapurna, in the west region of the city.
• Bada Ganpati Temple
• Crystal Temple - Digambar Jain temple built by Seth Hukumchand a century ago, with exquisite glass work.
• ISKCON - Sri Sri Radha Govind Temple, Hare Krishna Movement in Nipaniya Village, MR 10, Devas Bypass Road.
• Kajligarh - Nearly 20 km (12 mi) towards Khandwa on Khandwa road, it is a very small old ruined fort situated near to a beautiful valley and small waterfall. It is worth watching during and after the rainy season. An ideal one-day outing spot which is yet unknown to even most of the Indorites. It has very steep slopes involving high risks, so trekkers need to be wary.^{[citation needed]}
• Khajrana Ganesh Temple - a Famous Temple of Lord Ganesha.
• Krishnapura Chhatri - By the banks of the much polluted Khan river, it is at a walking distance from Rajwada.
• Lal Bagh Palace - A beautiful palace spread across 200 acres (0.81 km²) of land. It is now a museum and one can see the artefacts of the Holkar era.
• 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 Indore.
• Rajwada - A seven-storey palace built during the Holkar era. The main wada (the kings' residence) was rebuilt recently to its original glory by architects Himanshu Dudwadkar and Shreya Bhargava and funded by Maharani Ushadevi Holkar.
• Ranjit Hanuman Temple
• Sitalamata Fall - A beautiful place near Manpur and about 65 km (40 mi) from Indore. You need to go around 5 km (3 mi) from the AB road.
• The Temple of Janapao - On the National Highway 3 (India) road. 16 km (10 mi) 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.
• Thincha Falls - Located close to Kajligarh, it is a beautiful waterfall near Simrol. Breathtaking beauty is what describes it best. A must-see during and after monsoons.
• Zoo - The zoo in Indore is famous for its unique collection of animals.
• Various malls, including Treasure Island Mall, Mangal City Mall, Central Mall, Century 21st Mall.

Trivia

• Indore holds the Guinness World Records for largest tea party with 32,681 participants organized by Dainik Bhaskar on 24 February 2008.^[23]
• The gates of Lalbagh Palace, Indore, are a replica of the gates of Buckingham Palace in London. They were cast in England and then shipped to Indore.
• Indore has a huge cricket 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.
• 40 feet (12 m) high idol at Bada Ganapati is the largest idol of Lord Ganesh in the world.
• Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (formerly CAT), is India's main Research center on Laser and Accelerator Technology, under the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.
• The famous Radio Mirchi 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.
• 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 and IIT
• Indore is also called "Mini Bombay"

Gallery

Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple, ISKCON Indore.	Bada Ganpati-The Biggest Idol of Lord Ganesha	Polluted Khan River. Krishnapura Chhatri in background.	The Rajwada Palace of Indore
A Chhatri dating to Holkar period	Krishnapura Chhatri.	Krishnapura Chhatri	Sculptures on Krishnapura Chhatri
Krishnapura Chhatri from inside	Carvings at Krishnapura Chhatri	Carved Pillars of Krishnapura Chhatri	Intricate Sculptures on Krishnapura Chhatri
Vijay Balla	Treasure Island Mall, First in Madhya Pradesh

See also

• Burhanpur
• Omkareshwar
• Mandu
• Maheshwar
• Mhow
• Dewas
• Ujjain
• Kshipra
• Rau
• Rangwasa
• Manpur, Indore
• Betma

References

External links

• City portal at Govt. of India info. website
• Indore Municipal Corporation website
• Indore travel guide from Wikitravel
• Indore Police Official Site
• Satellite map of Indore

From Wikitravel

Rajwada of Indore

Indore[1] (Hindi:इन्दौर ,Marathi:इंदूर), the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, is situated on Malwa plateau. Indore, growing at a fast pace, still manages to combine ancient and mordern lifestyle in a unique atomshpere. 'Indories' (residents of Indore) are well known for their warm and friendly attitude.

Understand

Indore is situated on the Malwa plateau at an altitude of 553 m above sea level, on the banks of two small rivulets - the Saraswati and the Khan. They unite at the centre of the city where a small 18th century temple of Sangamnath or Indreshwar exists. The name Indore is due to this deity. It is the largest city in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. It is among the million+ population cities of India and it is the commercial capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Indore city presents a happy blend of historical past and promises of rapid future modernization.

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 (Airtel). 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 16th 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 Airlines, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines.

Indore is the most developed city of Madhya Pradesh. Due to its location on the southern edge of the Malwa plateau, it makes an excellent tourist destination, during the day a cool breeze starts which makes the evenings quite pleasant. No wonder poets have deemed Shab-e-Malwa (the night of Malwa) exquisite beyond compare. The city also has many good tourist spots in its vicinity. Mandav is a city of palaces and lakes very close to Indore. This is a beautiful and a very good tourist destination.

Thanks to the rich black soil of the Malwa Plateau, Indore has prospered into being the fourth largest centre of cotton textile industry in India. It is also justly famous for its beautiful bangles.

Indore can be called the 'food city'. It has great variety and taste in food. It offers amazing chats (term used for spicy tangy food), punjabi food, Indian sweets (jalebis, malpuas, kaju katli, the list is endless). Once you have a taste of Indore's food, you will want to come back and have it again.

Get in

Indore is well connected by air, train and road.

By air

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport (IATA: IDR) (ICAO: VAID) is a prominent airport in the Madhya Pradesh state of India and is situated in Indore. The Airport is one of the best in India and offers good connectivity from major cities of India.

There are at least 5 airlines operating in Indore: Deccan, Indian, Jet Airways, Jet Lite and Kingfisher.

End of Oct 2009, GoAir started direct flight from Delhi to Indore with a flying time of an hour and six minutes

Indore airport provides free Wifi internet connectivity. The airport has service-desk of all major hotels of Indore wherein you can book a room. The airport is situated 8km away from the main city. To reach city center there are private paid taxis available. Dial (0731) 4288 888 to book a City Cab[2].

Major facelift has been planned for Indore airport which includes construction of a new international terminal building, six more bays, expansion of cargo facilities, ultra-modern new aprons, expansion of runway up to 9000 sq ft among others

By train

Indore is connected to major indian cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Howrah, Bhopal, Ujjain, Gwalior, Bhind, Jabalpur, Bilaspur, Khandwa, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna, Ambala Ct, Jammu, Dehradun and Trivandrum.

The railway station has two sections: Meter Gauge(MG) and Broad Gauge(BG). Khandwa and Ratlam are two major railway junctions that are connected through Meter Gauge. Indore Railway Station, located in city centre, is an average Indian railway station with computerized ticket booking office. Railway Reservation office is near railway station (on meter gauge side).Trolleys are not available on the station, but porters can be hired to help with luggage. Licensed porters wear a red shirt with a metallic arm-band bearing their serial number. Laxmibai Nagar (MG & BG), Rajendra Nagar(MG), Lokmanya Nagar(MG) are Indore city's sub-station.

By road

The national highway NH3(Bombay-Agra Road) and NH59 (Indore-Ahmedabad Road) passes through Indore and there are daily bus services from Indore to Mumbai, Jaipur, Gwalior, Bhopal etc. Some of the bus services are Royal Travels, Hans and City Link Travels. State owned transport service is not in good shape to cater current need and should be avoided.

By car (local)

You can easily visit Indore through Car. There are many Car Rental Companies available which Provide world Class Services.

• Enterprises Car Rental
• Savaari Car Rental,Savaari Car Rental Indore has a reputation for providing quality luxury car rentals Indore. For more information on online booking of Rental Car in Indore, Website: [3]
• Hertz Car Rental
• METRO Taxi is luxury Maruti SX4, Car will reach within 10 minuet wherever you want.

Get around

Indore has many good places to get around ranging from shopping malls, to historical and cultures spots. The city's rich heritage and culture is reflected through the beautifully built palaces and temples.

Treasure Island The best mall of Indore also awarded the Mall of the year award in 2007, is one of the favourite spots of the Indoreans. It is the best shopping destinations in Indore offering major brands like Nike, Adidas, Pantaloons, Pepe, Nike, ezone. It has the best food court in town with variety of restaurants and pubs like Sports Bar, Geoffery's, Little Italy, Rajdhani, Pizza Hut, McDonald's. It also boasts the best multiplex on India - PVR Cinemas. This is the only cinema in town offering luxury movie viewing through its Gold Class for indulging in true luxury and private cinema experience.

Rajawada Synonymous with the heart of Indore city, it stands today as a mute witness to the bygone splendour of the Holkar rulers. This 200 year old seven-storey historic palace of the Holkars is built in a mixture of Muslim, Maratha and French styles.

The lower three floors are made of stone and the upper floors are made of wood, which made it very vulnerable to destruction by fire. Rajwada was burnt three times in its history; the last fire in 1984 took the greatest toll. Today only the front facade remains. Recent renovations have recreated some of the old glory of this beautiful palace.

Lal Baag Palace Lal Baag Palace is one of the grandest monuments the Holkar dynasty left Indore. A reflection of their taste, grandeur and lifestyle, its construction began in 1886 under Tukoji Rao Holkar II, and was carried out in three phases. The final phase was completed in 1921 under Tukoji Rao Holkar III. Many royal receptions were held here. It has a total area of 28 hectares, and at one time it had the reputation of having one of the best rose gardens in the country.

Bada Ganpati Better known for its size than antiquity, this temple houses perhaps the largest Ganesh idol in the world measuring 25 feet from crown to foot. Created as a result of the dream of an Avantika (Ujjain) resident, Shri Dadhich, it was built in 1875.

Kanch Mandir This Jain temple is an architectural marvel in glass. The walls, ceilings, floors, pillars and door knobs are entirely inlaid with glass. Even paintings are done in glass. Atop is a special glass chamber which multiplies the three statues of Lord Mahavira installed there into an indefinite number (said to be visible upto 21 times, corresponding to the 21 tirthankaras).

Town Hall Made in 1904 and originally named King Edwards Hall, it was renamed Mahatma Gandhi Hall in 1948. Its architectural style is Indo-Gothic. Made in Seoni stone, its domes and staples are a landmark of Indore today. It has a four-faced clock tower in front, because of which it is locally known as Ghanta Ghar.

It is frequently the venue for the various book and painting exhibitions, fairs and festivals held throughout the year. The building also has a library, a children's park and a temple.

Central Museum The Indore Museum houses the finest collection of Parmar sculptures from Hinglajgarh. The Parmar style originated here, and is characterized by proportioned figures, carefully and ornately depicted in stone. The museum is also known for its collection of coins, arms and armour.

Chhatris Chhatris are the tombs or cenotaphs erected in memory of dead Holkar rulers and their family members. The Chhatris picturesquely poised on the Khan river banks near Rajawada are incomparable in terms of Maratha architecture and sculpture of their period. At Chhatri Baag is the main collection of tombs housed in two compounds. Close by is the beautiful Bolia Sarkar's Chhatri constructed in 1858 AD in memory of Sardar Chimnaji Appa Sahib Bolia.

Khajrana Ganesh Temple The citizens of Indore have great faith in this Ganesh temple, built during the reign of Ahilyabai Holkar. It is believed that all wishes are fulfilled by praying here. Nearby is the dargah of Nahar Sayed. This is an important pilgrimage place for Maita Muslims.

Gomatgiri Situated on the hill about 10-12 km away from the heart of the city, the Jain Samaj has constructed a 21 feet statue of Lord Gomateshwar, a replica of the Bahubali statue of Shravanbelagola. Also built here are 24 marble temples with shilars for each tirthankar. This place offers a breathtaking view of Indore city by night.

Sarafa If you are a food lover this is the place to be. No visit to Indore is complete without Sarafa visit in the evening. The place bustles in the night with plethora of food stalls offering the best chats of India. You will indulge in food like you have never done before. It has Indore specialities like sabudana khichri (best in the country), aloo tikiya, and others like pav bhaji, dosas, samosas. Savuory sweets like jalebi, malpua, rabdi, gulab jamun like you have never tasted before.

• Rajwada

Lalbaugh Footi Kothi Kaanch Mandir (Glass Temple)

• Treasure Island

M.G. Road The Biggest Shopping Mall in the city

Buy

A big cloth market industry has flourished at Indore. Indore is also known for its leather toys and Maheshwari & Chanderi are some very interesting ornate sarees and brocades to offer. There is a lot of zari work coming out of Madhya Pradesh, and the Maheshwari sarees have particularly gained in popularity of late. Besides the fabrics, there is a variety of local carving crafts to choose from. Most of markets in Indore remain closed on Sunday.

Some places to pick Maheshwari sarees and handicrafts:

- MT Cloth Market: for Clothings specially in wholesale - Sitlamata Bazar: for retail clothings and sarees - Mrignayni Showroom: Behind Gujarati Girl's college, it is a MP government's exclusive handicraft store.

• Treasure Island Treasure Island is a large mall, first of its kind in MP, at MG Road. The highlights of Treasure Island are PVR, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut--all first in MP. Treasure Island is comparable to the malls found in Noida and Gurgaon. Equipped with state of the art escalators and housed by showrooms of all leading brands, it's the best hangout in Indore (and most probably in the whole MP). It also has two Baristas (coffee shop) and a Rajdhani (a thali (buffet) restaurant).For the people of indore the treaure island is like a tourist spot... and you will normally find people around till 3 in the night.

Cloth Market: there is a n old cloth market- a place for whole sale cotton clothes ,saris and dresses which is much cheaper then the city retails if you can do visit the cloth market and a place called malwa mill area for good bargains.

Eat

Now, everyone who belongs to anywhere would swear by the food they get back home and the speciality of the corner shop. It is the same with Indore. They have a good modest breakfast in the morning with kachories' , samosas'and pohas and then there are sweets as jalebies and Rabdi.

A street named Sarafa (derived from the word "Sarraf" which means "goldsmith") gets completely transformed when the night spreads its wings and the shops are closed. You will see small eating joints in front of every shop selling something delicious and original in its own way. May be the sweets being served would be the same, however everyone would be adding his own touch to it. Sometimes its rosewater sprinkled or kevda or may be little bit of saffron. All these sweets are made up of milk and milk forms. Either it's turned into chhena and made Bengali way or it is turned into Khoya by heating it up till there is just a little bit of moisture in it.

There are so many different types of other eatables that one can not just visit the place and come back savouring the aroma and the taste.

• Chappan Dukaan (located at the heart of city)
• Little Italy (Authentic vegetarian Italian cuisine offers delectable Itlian and Mexican food)
• Shreemaya (One of the oldest hotels of the city, offers good food in its restaurant with a friendly staff. The food is very good)
• Bombay chat
• Celebration (A favourite place for young crowd and even families. They offer great food at excellent prices. A self service food joint offering fusion Chinese food, bakery items, chaats, chole kulche and much more.)
• Indigo Food Junction
• Pizza Hut and Mc Donalds (located at Treasure Island Mall on MG Road.)
• Rajdhani (Located at the food court of Treasure Island this restaurant offers Gujarati Thali. A family restaurant)
• Nafees (Located at Near Palasia police station. It's a great non-veg family restaurant. Speciality is Bhuna Gosht and masaledar chap)

Drink

Lassi, Shikanji and of course Tea or Chai Various bars in the Hotels Like Siyaji & Cafe Coffee Day. there are also many nightclubs and pubs in indore most notable is trance the pub - tel ;4249999,2551176

Sleep

The good hotels in Indore are:

1. Lemon Tree Hotel, Indore, +91 731 4423232, [4]
2. Hotel Fortune Landmark, Tel: +91-731-2557700, [5].
3. Sayaji Hotel, H/1, Scheme No. 54, Vijay Nagar, Tel: +91-731-4006666, [6].
4. Hotel Infiniti, Ring Road, Tel: +91-731-2559514.
5. Hotel President, 163, R.N.T. Marg, Tel: 91-731-2528866, [7].
6. Hotel Shreemaya, 12, Ravindranath Tagore Marg, Tel: +91-731-2515555, [8].
7. Hotel Planet, 3, R.N.T. Marg, Tel: +91-0731-2520 808, [9].
8. Hotel Amar Vilas, [10].
9. Hotel Amaltas International, A-B Road.
10. Hotel Princes' Palace, 8- A- 1, South Tukoganj.
11. Hotel Fun Plaza
12. Hotel Crown Palace, Kanchanbaug, Tel: +91-0731-2528855, [11].

These are all good hotels rated in descending order.They have good restaurants also and your stay will be comfortable.

• Lemon Tree Hotel, Indore, 3, R.N.T. Road, Indore 452001, Madhya Pradesh (Located in heart of the city of Indore (near Regal Square), this hotel is in the key business district, just off the Agra-Mumbai expressway (AB Road).), ☎ +91 731 4423232, [12]. checkin: 1200; checkout: 1200. The centrally air conditioned atrium hotel offers 100 rooms and suites, business center, a banquets and meeting center, a multi-cuisine coffee shop - Citrus Café (18 hours), a hip recreation bar – Slounge, an Indian specialty restaurant - Kebaberie as well as a fitness center to keep you feeling fresh-as-a-lemon. 2899.  edit

Stay safe

Indore is a safe place to stay. Like other big citites, it does not have safety issues generally even at late hours. You can find the roads full of people even at 11 o'clock in the night. Its safe even for girls. Though some parts of the cities are isolated after 8pm so will have to make sure you don't go alone in these areas as safety maybe an issue.

General safety measures need to be used. But in areas like MG Road, Palasia, Y.N. Road it is crowded and safe till 11pm.

• Dewas, around 35 km from Indore on national highway 3 (NH3).
• Maheshwar (90 km)
• Mandav, around 100 km from Indore is a good weekend getaway. see Jahaz Mahal, Rani Roopmati Mahal, Baj Bahadur Mahal
• Omkareshwar (90 km on the Khandwa road) - One of the 12 Joytirling
• Patalpani and Kalakund (35 km by Train)
• Tinchha Fall(15 km)
• Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga (60 km) - One of the 12 Joytirlings
• choral
• Kajligarh (15 Km)

From LoveToKnow 1911