Indore(Marathi/Hindi:इंदोर), is the commercial capital of the Malwa region and the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh (MP). It is situated on the Malwa plateau, just south of the Satpura Range. It is the largest city in Madhya Pradesh. Indore is the administrative headquarters of the Indore district and Indore division, and formerly served as the capital of the former princely state of Indore and the summer capital of the erstwhile state of Madhya Bharat.

The name Indore originated from the historical temples of INDRESHWAR and INDRAPUR. This with time was reduced the now called Indore.

History

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Indore was formerly ruled by the Maratha Maharajas of the Holkar dynasty. The dynasty's founder, Malhar Rao Holkar, (1694-1766), was granted control of Maratha armies in Malwa in 1724, and in 1733, he 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-in-law 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 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. It was as a result of this treaty that the capital of Holkar state shifted from Maheshwar to Indore.

After India's independence in 1947, Indore, together 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, with Bhopal as the capital city.

Geography

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During the winter season (November - February), the night-time lows are around 10 °C. During peak winter season, it can be as low as 2 °C to 3 °C. The lowest ever recorded low is 1.5 °C. During the summer season (April - June), the days are hot (35 to 40 °C) with the peak-summer-day-temperature (in May) sometimes touching 45 °C. Unlike other places in central India, the summer nights in Indore are special, i.e., cool and pleasant. Due to Indore's location on the southern edge of the Malwa Plateau, however hot it may be during the day, a gentle cool breeze (also referred to as Shab-e-malwa) in the evenings makes it quite pleasant.

Indore gets moderate rainfall of 30 to 35 inches (760 to 890 mm) during July-September due to the southwest monsoon.

Economy

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Indore is fast becoming one of the busiest & advanced Businees hubs in India. It already is the biggest business center in Central India.

Software boom has helped create new jobs & helped in advancement of the city. Companies like CSCI (formerly PMS) and Impetus and thousands of smaller and mid size companies have come up in the field of software. A SEZ is coming soon to boost software exports.

Indore has been a hub for Soya with most major companies in Soya (inculding Ruchi Soya) operating from here.

Indore is also a center for garment industry - although the old mills are no longer running but Indore has stayed as a major center for clothes & garments.

Indore was always a major center for Retailing industry - although new swanky shopping malls have come up - the old markets near Jawahar marg, rajwada & siyaganj still stand tall and are a major contributors to the economy.

Indore is biggest contributor of revenue towards Madhya Pradesh govt.

Government and politics

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Transport

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Railway

Indore is an important junction for metre-guage trains. It is also a terminus for broad-guage. in fact, Indore is one of the few places in India, where a diamond junction is present. It is well connected via rail to all parts of the country, daily trains running to Jammu, Mumbai, Delhi etc.

Roads

Indore, it is fairly well connected to other parts of Madhya Pradesh, and India with national and state highways.

Local Transport

Inside Indore, there is a lack of proper public transport. The Nagar sevas and Tempos are often overcrowded and highly uncomfortable. However, recently the municipal corporation has launched Indore city bus, which is fairly good.

Demographics

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Media

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Sports

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Indore

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Indore is the commercial and educational capital of Madhya Pradesh and a major industrial city in Madhya Pradesh. The nearby town of Pithampur houses many leading industries such as Hindustan Motors, Eicher, Bajaj, Bridgestone, L&T, Gajra Gears etc. The electronics complex in the city also houses offices of some of the top IT companies in the country. Indore also boasts of being the best shopping destination in Central India. Indore is also a major educational center of Madhya Pradesh with many engineering and management institutions. Devi Ahilya University (Indore University) is ranked amongst the top universities of central India. It is also prominent for its healthcare facilities with leading hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. One of the best hospitals in India, "Bombay Hospital", recently opened a new hospital in Indore. Indore district also includes the Cantonment town of Mhow which has some of the premier training institutions of the Indian Army. The Border Security Force has its Central School of Weapons and Tactics (CSWT) at Indore.

Culture

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Over the years the city of Indore has welcomed people from all castes, creed, color; People from all corners of the country particularly Kerala who have migrated & settled in the heart of M.P. for their livelihood , education or just for its peaceful culture.

The people are highly social & progressive which is why all cultures from south, north, east & west have mingled in the life of Indorians. Indore reflects the true spirit of Unity in Diversity.

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

Indore is known for its wide variety of "Namkeens'' , gujrati & chineese food restaurants , bengali sweets.

An interesting research on Indorians has attributed the large no.of heart disease, Hypertension patients to their food habits. The life in Indore starts early with chuskis of 'Chay' (tea) with 'garam garam poha & Jalebi' followed by delicious lunch which invariably includes popular 'besan preparations'. Later in the day one can easily find snacks like 'Khaman' , 'Kachori - aaloo kachori, dal kachori etc.' , '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 (the heart of city) where one finds lot of delicacies to enjoy after a nice dinner like - 'Gajak','Bhutta kis', 'Gulab Jamoon' , 'garadu', 'Rabri', 'HOT BOILED MILK', 'aalo tikiya', 'Halua : - Gajar, Moong' , icecreams, 'shakes' etc. and finally tasty 'paan' to end your day.

Indore Specialities Not To Be Missed

Sweets :Moong ka Halua, Gajar ka Halua, Rabri Gulab Jamoon, Ras-Malai, RasGulla, All Bengali Sweets and not to forget - The thick Shikanji - available at Sarafa & 56 Shops at Palasia.

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

Main Festivals

All National Festivals, Holi, Nag-Panchmi, Rakhi, Rang Panchmi, Ahilya Utsav, Annat Chaudas, Ganesh Utsav, Garba (Navratri Utsav), Dussehara, Diwali, New Year's Eve.

Education

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Indore has historically been the education center for Central India. Many old schools and colleges are stil there and many more have opened up. The standard of education is high (as compared to other towns in central India) & this has resulted in a young Indore as students from all over central India come to Indore for higher studies. Also since IIM (Indian Institute of Management) started in Indore, students from all over India have started to explore Indore as an alternate to the best towns for education in Indore.

Many Management Institutes have opened up in Indore recently like

• Swati Jain College ^*
• Prestige Institute of Mangement & Research
• Chameli Devi Institute of Management & Research ^*

Major School of Indore

- The Choithram Group: CBSE (Central Board)& Cambridge(International English Board)^*

- SICA School : CBSE (The South Indian Cultural Association School)^*

- Daly College

-Tilok Chand Jain Higher Secondary School

- Progressive Education School

- Emerald Heights International School

- Indore Public School

- St. Paul's Higher Secondary School

- St. Raphael's Higher Secondary School

- Satya Sai School

- Queen's College

Engineering college

- SGSITS, Indore http://www.sgsits.ac.in/ - Vaishnav Institute of technology and Science, Indore

Management

- IIM, Indore

Sight-seeing

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• Rajwada - In the heart of Indore city, a must see for all visitors to Indore.
• Lal Bagh' - It is a beautiful palace spread across 200 acrs of land . Now it's a kind of Museum and contains historic belonging.
• Krishnapura Chhatries - By the banks of the much polluted Khan river, it is at a walking distance from Rajwada.
• ISKON - Is a temple of Loard Krishna in indore near bombay hospital
• Devlalikar Art Gallery - On Mahatma Gandhi Road, not far from Rajwada.
• Indore Museum - A must-see for lovers of sculpture.
• Indore Zoo - Has an impressive collection of animals and birds.
• Gommatgiri - A pilgrimage spot for Jains.
• Khajrana Ganesh temple' - A famous temple of Indore.
• Ralamandal. A nature park in Indore, it used to be the hunting preserve of the Holkar Maharaja.
• Mhow Cantonment' - 23 km from Indore. An old Cantonment town 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 Agra Mumbai road. 16 km from Mhow. The temple is on top of a hill in the village of Kuti. According to legend it is supposed to be 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,
• Sitlamata Falls - In the village of Manpur which is part of Mhow Tehsil and is 25 km from Mhow. There is a temple in a cave here. It was in this cave that the English Resident in Indore was kept safely by the Bhil tribals during the 1857 uprising by Indian troops.
• Ujjain - Ancient temple town. 65 km from Indore.
• Dewas - Industrial town 35 km from Indore. Also famous for the temple of Chamundeswari on the hill top and as the town where the legendary classical singer Kumar Gandharva had settled. It is also the town where the famous writer E.M. Forster spent some years in the service of the Maharaja. His book The Hill of Devi is about the temple of Chamunda mentioned earlier.

Eminent people associated with Indore

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Person	Comments
Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar	The ruler of Indore state who spent most of her life in Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada and is said to have visited Indore only twice in her lifetime. Her name is synonymous with Indore and the University and airport are named after her.
Swar Kokila Lata Mangeshkar	The Nightingale of India. Born in Indore to pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar	The father of the Indian Constitution and campaigner for Dalit rights. Was born in Mhow, the Cantonment town in Indore district.
Colonel C.K. Nayudu	The first Indian Test Captain in cricket. He led India between 1932 and 1934.
Captain Mushtaq Ali	Colonel Nayudu's team-mate in the Holkar team and in the Indian team. Known as the 'Errol Flynn' of Indian cricket.
M.F. Hussain	Controversial artist (painter) who spent his childhood in Indore.
N.S.Bendre	Eminent artist (painter) born in Indore in 1910.
Sir Albert Howard	Englishman, agricultural scientist who devised the Indore method of composting in the 1930s
Kishore Kumar	The famous playback singer and actor, who belonged to Khandwa had studied at the Indore Christian College and used to stay in the hostel.
Rahul Dravid	The Indian cricketer, and the current captain of the Indian cricket,born 11 January 1973 in Indore.
Johnny Walker	Famous comic actor. Born in Indore. Was closely associated with the legendary Guru Dutt.
Field Marshal K. M. Cariappa	The first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army. Ex-student of Daly College Indore.
Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw	Was Commandant of the Infantry School Mhow during the 1950s.
General K. Sundarji	Was Commandant of the College of Combat Mhow during the early eighties. The College is now known as the Army War College.
Raj Singh Dungarpur	Former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Also a former selector. An ex-student of Daly College Indore.
Vishnu Chinchalkar	Eminent artist. Was also known as 'Guruji'.
Kutty Menon	One of the foremost exponents of Organic Farming. Recipient of Padma Shri.
Dr. P.S. Hardia	Eminent eye specialist and Guinness Book record holder for the maximum number of eye operations performed.
Dr. Chittaranjan Ranawat	Product of MGM Medical College. U.S. based world-renowned orthopaedic surgeon.
Maitreyi Padmanabhan	Also known as 'Badi Teacher'. Eminent educationist. She is associated with the founding of many schools starting with Bal Vinay Mandir, like Choithram School, Shri Satya Sai Vidya Vihar, Agrasen Vidyalaya in Indore and Grasim School at Birlagram (Nagda).
Mangala Ramachandran	Eminent Hindi Writer of Tamil origin.
Baba Dike	Eminent theatre person associated with Marathi theatre.
Bhalu Mondhe	Mulifaceted artist. Famous for his works in photography, graphics, sculpture.
Goswami Dr Gokulotsavji Maharaj	Famous classical singer of the 'khayal' and 'dhrupad gayan' styles.
Jayoo Patwardhan	Pune based architect and film director who is originally from Indore. She works in both fields along with her spouse Nachiket. They have directed a Marathi film titled 'Devi Ahilya Bai' which is a cinematic biography of the former ruler of Indore.
Abhay Chajlani	Veteran journalist and the head of the 'Nai Duniya' family.
Rahat Indori	Urdu poet and songwriter in Hindi films.
Honorary Captain Shankar Laxman 1933-2006	Goalkeeper of the Indian hockey team in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won two golds and a silver. Captain of the team which won the gold in the 1966 Asian Games. He belonged to Mhow and lived his retired life here till his death on Apr 29 2006
Chandu Sarwate	Former India cricketer.
Sanjay Jagdale	Former state cricketer. Presently one of the national selectors for the senior all-India teams and the honorary secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association. He is also the director of the Cricket Club of Indore. Has done a lot for the betterment of cricket in Madhya Pradesh and Central Zone.
Amay Khurasiya	Former Cricketer
Narendra Hirwani	Former India cricketer. Iighest wicket taker in single test, belongs to Indore.
Sandhya Agarwal	Former India cricketer and member of the women's cricket team.

Food

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Indore is famous for its culinary range. People of Indore are well known gastronomes. Sweets and Namkeen (tasty salted snacks - a typical Indian preparation) of Indore are famous all over India. Sarafa and Chappan Dukan (56 shops) are the two well known eating spots of the city. A special dish of the Malwa region, including Indore, is the Daal Bafla. Fortune Landmark and Hotel Sayaji of Indore are famous for their food festivals.

Did You Know

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• The gates of Lalbagh Palace, Indore, are replica of the gates of Buckingham Palace, London. They were casted in England and then shipped to Indore.
• Indore has a huge concrete Cricket Bat statue with names of the players of the Indian team which won the 1971 series against Gary Sobers' West Indies team.
• Rajwada at Indore is the only 7 storeyed entrance of a Palace.
• 40 feet high Idol at Bada Ganapati is the largest Ganesh Idol in the world.
• CAT, The Center for Advanced Technology is India's main Research center on Laser Technology.

See also

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--Andy77 13:51, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Cities and towns in Madhya Pradesh | Cities in Malwa | Indore

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