Indore
Mini Mumbai
—  metropolitan city  —
The Rajwada Palace of Indore
Indore Location of Indore in Madhya Pradesh and India
Coordinates	22°25′N 75°32′E / 22.42°N 75.54°E / 22.42; 75.54Coordinates: 22°25′N 75°32′E / 22.42°N 75.54°E / 22.42; 75.54
Country	India
Region	Malwa
State	Madhya Pradesh
District(s)	Indore District
Population • Density • Metro	1,960,631[1] (14) (2011[update]) • 9,718 /km2 (25,170 /sq mi) • 2,167,447[2] (14)
Sex ratio	0.920 ♂/♀
Literacy	87.38%[3]%
Official languages	Hindi, Malvi
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation • Coastline	3,898 square kilometres (1,505 sq mi)[4] • 553 metres (1,814 ft) • 0 kilometres (0 mi)
Climate • Precipitation Temperature • Summer • Winter	Cfa (Köppen) •      945 mm (37.2 in) •      38.0 °C (100.4 °F) •      44 °C (111 °F) •      24 °C (75 °F)
Distance(s) • From New Delhi • 665.5 kilometres (413.5 mi) NE (land) • From Mumbai • 522.8 kilometres (324.9 mi) SW (land) • From Chennai • 1,164 kilometres (723 mi) E (land) • From Kolkata • 1,284 kilometres (798 mi) (land)
Codes • Pincode • 4520xx • Telephone • +0731 • UN/LOCODE • INIDR • Vehicle • MP-09
Website	www.indore.nic.in

Indore /ɪnˈdɔər/ ( Hindi (help·info)) is the largest city and the headquarters of Indore District in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital of Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census,^[1] Indore city has a population of 1,960,631 and is fourteenth most populous city in India, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 2.3 million. It is the 147th^[5] largest city in the world. Indore is the richest city in central India and also known as "Mini Mumbai" due to it's lifestyle similarities with Mumbai. It also reflects Mumbai's potpourri of cultures, with significant Marathi, Gujarati, Marwari and Sindhi populations.

Indore is the only city of India with both an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

During the days of the Maratha Empire Indore was an important hub between the Deccan and Delhi. However after the death of Madhavrao Peshwa, the Maratha Empire disintegrated and Indore was declared the capital of the Holkar state, until Rani Ahilyabai Holkar moved the capital to Maheshwar.

Etymology[link]

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. The present name, Indore, originated from the Indreshwar temple constructed in 10th century by Parmar King Raja Bhoja.

History[link]

The founders of Indore were the ancestors of the present zamindars of the region which spread from the banks of Narmada to the borders of Rajputana. Their headquarters were at a village called Kampel. 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 meaning districts). 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 the Mughal rule, the family enjoyed great influence and was accorded confirmatory sanads^{[disambiguation needed ]} by the Emperors Aurangzeb and Farrukhsiyar, 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 Indreshwar Temple near the banks of river Saraswati, Rao Nandlal 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 fulfilment 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]}

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-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 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.

Indore is the 'karmbhumi' of Guru Radha Kishan. There are many respected names from the state who participated in the Indian freedom struggle but his simplicity, selflessness and complete insulation from material desire sets him apart from many others who held high offices in Independent India. His colleagues includes gandhian Prof. Mahesh Dutt Mishr, former Indore MP Homi F Dazi, painter Narayan Shridhar Bendre, freedom fighters Vinayakrao Sahasrbude, Ramchandra Sarvate, Anant Laagu and Padma Vibhushan Vinayak Sarvate.

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 1 November 1956, Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh and Bhopal was chosen as the capital. The city palace(Fetiyal Palace) was the seat of administration of the rulers of the Malwa region – The Holkars (26 May 1728 to 20 April 1948).

Geography[link]

Indore is located in the western region of Madhya Pradesh, on the southern edge of the Malwa plateau. It lies on the Saraswati and Khan rivers, which are tributaries of the Shipra River and has an average elevation of 553.00 meter above mean sea level. It is located on an elevated plain, with the Vindhyas range to the south. Apart from Yashwant Lake, there are many lakes that supply water to the city including Sirpur Tank, Bilawali Talab, Sukhniwas Lake and Piplyapala Talab. Soil cover in the city region is predominantly black. In the suburbs, the soil cover is largely red and black. The underlying rock of the region is composed of black basalt, and their acidic and basic variants dating back to the late Cretaceous and early Eocene eras. The area is classified as Seismic Zone III region, which means an earthquake of up to magnitude 6.5 on the Richter-scale may be expected.

Climate[link]

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 daytime temperatures can touch 40 °C on more than one occasion. Average summer temperature may go as high as 36–39 °C (100.4 °F) but humidity is very low.

Winters are moderate and usually dry. Lower temperatures can go as low as 4 °C-6 °C on some nights. Usually the temperature ranges between 26 °C-30 °C during winters.

Rains are due to southwest monsoons. The typical monsoon season goes from 15 June till mid-September, contributing 32–35 inches of annual rains. 95% of rains occur during monsoon season.

Indore gets moderate rainfall of 35 to 38 inches (890 to 970 mm) during July–September due to the southwest monsoon.

Civic administration[link]

Indore is administered by the Indore Municipal Corporation

Some of the regions surrounding the city are administered by the Indore Development Authority (IDA). The IMC was established in 1956 under the Madhya Pradesh Nagar Palika Nigam Adhiniyam. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into 69 wards. These wards have been further divided into 11 zones.

The main institution involved in planning and development in Indore is IDA. The jurisdiction of this agency is demarcated clearly not only physically but also functionally. The principal responsibility of IDA is to ensure a holistic development of the Indore agglomeration covering an area of 19.718 km² as per Master plans.^[17][18]

The corporators are elected from each ward, who in turn elect a mayor. The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day running of the city services, municipal school board, the city bus service, the municipal hospital and the city library. Executive powers are vested in the municipal commissioner, who is an IAS officer appointed by the Madhya Pradesh state government. The Indore City Police are headed by an Inspector General, an IPS officer.

Demographics[link]

Indore's total population as per the provisional population data for census 2011 is reported to be 1,960,631.

Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%.^[19]

As per 2011 census, the city of Indore has an average literacy rate of 87.38%, higher than the national average of 74%. Male literacy was 91.84%, and Female literacy was 82.55%^[20] In Indore, 12.72% of the population is under 6 years of age (as per census 2011).^[19] 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 with Malwi and Marathi spoken as well.^{[citation needed]}. Ethnically, Marathis and Hindi linguistics form major sub groups in the city followed by Sindhis, Bengalis, Punjabis, Gujaratis and South Indian and others.

Transport[link]

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport

Indore City Bus

Air[link]

Indore is served by the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport. Indore airport is about 8 km from the city and currently handles only domestic traffic. It is a major airport in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The new international terminals are also working now, for many international direct and indirect flights. The airport has been operating services by Indian Airlines, Jet Airways Konnect, Jet Lite, IndiGo, SpiceJet. Indore has a direct connectivity to major cities of India like Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Nagpur, Khajuraho, New Delhi, Pune, Rewa and Raipur.^[21]

Rail[link]

The City Railway Division comes under Ratlam Division of the Western Railways. Indore Junction BG is the main and terminal station on the broad gauge line connecting it to the rest of the country. In the Railway budget of 2009 Indore main railway station was listed for upgrade along with other 300 stations across India. Indore is directly connected to the metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow and Jaipur. 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. Electrification of the Indore – Dewas – Ujjain is currently underway.

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

Road[link]

Indore is connected to other parts of India through national and state highways. The major national 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 – Nagpur connecting NH 69 )

The Mumbai- Indore section of the National Highway No. 3 and the Ahmedabad – Indore section of the National Highway No. 59 are undergoing multi laning under the NHDP program. Other important regional highways are:

• State Highway No. 27 (Indore to Burhanpur)
• State Highway No. 34 (Indore to Jhansi)

Local transport[link]

Metro Taxi in Indore

Indore has a public transport system. Atal Indore City Transport Services Ltd, a PPP scheme operates buses and radio taxis in the city. The buses – designated as City Bus today operate on 36 Routes, with around 170 bus stop stations. The buses are color coded according to their route. Some of these buses are also equipped with services like GPS and IVR (around 300) which are used to track the position of the bus with information displayed on LED displays installed on the bus stops. Local transport also includes Auto rickshaw, Van and Local City Ride Buses called Nagar Seva. Many cab services have recently started serving the city, like Metro taxi, City cabs. The major bus terminals are Sarwate bus terminal, Gangwal bus terminal, Navlakha bus stand. Indore have recently started one more transport facility that is star cab.

Economy[link]

Indore is often referred as the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh with a bulk of its trade coming from Small, Mid and Large scale manufacturing & service industries. These industries range from Automobile to Pharmaceutical and from Software to Retail and from Textile trading to Real estate. Major industrial areas surrounding the city include the Pithampur Special Economic Zone and the Sanwer Industrial belt. Pithampur is also known as the Detroit of India.^[22][23] Pithampur industrial area houses many big auto companies. Prominent among these are Force Motors, Volvo Eicher commercial, Avtec, Mahindra 2 wheelers Ltd.

Pune-based Indian multinational Bharat Forge Limited (BFL)company eyeing customers based in Pithampur, is all set to open its unit in Indore region.The company plans to start first phase of its manufacturing unit in Betma with an estimated cost of `150 crore on 68 acre of land by 2014.They envisage to increase the investment to `1000 crore by 2016.^[24]

While the Textile manufacturing and Trading is the oldest business to contribute to economy, the Real Estate has emerged very fast in past few years. National Real Estate Players DLF Limited,Suncity (ZEE Group), Omaxe, Sahara, Parsvnath, Ansal API, Emaar MGF have already launched their residential projects in Indore. These projects are generally on the Indore bypass. This road also houses the projects of many local and regional Real estate players like Silver spring, Kalindi, Milan Heights etc.

Major software firms in Indore include Impetus, IBM India^[25] and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Also many small and medium size software development firms are also established. In the software front a major event occurred in the first half of 2011 when India's biggest software company Tata Consultancy Services decided to open a campus in Indore. Government of MP has also done the land allotment.^[26]

Infosys, country’s second largest information technology services company, plans to set up new development centre at Indore in Madhya Pradesh at an investment of Rs 100 crore in phase one.^[27]

Pithampur near Indore houses production plants of various Pharmaceutical companies like Ipca Laboratories, Cipla, Lupin, Glenmark, Unichem.

Education[link]

Academic block, IIM Indore

Daly College, Indore

Indore is home to several educational institutions for pre-primary, primary, secondary, high-secondary, senior-secondary, graduation and post-graduation studies. It is the only city in India to house both Indian Institute of Management and Indian Institute of Technology. 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 Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) board, NIOS board and the state level M.P. Board.

Media[link]

Several state newspapers and national media houses have their regional offices in Indore.

Arts and theatre[link]

Ravindra Natya Grah, Abhivyakti Centre of Fine Arts & Performing Arts, Deolalikar Kala Vithika are located in the city. There are also various cultural clubs like Sanand Nyas, Ras Bharati, Kala Abhivyakti, Yeshwant Club and Sayaji Club.

Print media[link]

There are about 20 Hindi dailies, two English dailies, 26 weeklies and monthlies, 4 quarterlies, 2 Bi-monthly Magazine and one annual paper published from the city.India's only magazine on pump industry PUMPS INDIA & valve magazine VALVES INDIA is published from here.^[28] The major Hindi dailies include the:- Raj Express, Nai Dunia, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran, Patrika, BPN Times, Agnibaan, & PrabhatKiran and SatyaRaj. The major English dailies are The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Free Press, Business Standard, The Economic Times, and DNA .

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 eight mobile phone companies in which GSM players include BSNL, Reliance, Vodafone, Idea, Airtel, Aircel, Tata DoCoMo, Videocon Mobile Service while CDMA services offered by BSNL, Virgin Mobile, Tata Indicom, and Reliance.

Sports[link]

Indore has 2 stadiums, Nehru Stadium and Holkar Cricket Stadium.^[29] Indore has many sports stadium and sports complexes Basketball complex, opposite Holkar cricket stadium, Table-Tennis Hall. Small stadium Near Nehru stadium, Khalsa school stadium, Maharaj school stadium and other

Culture[link]

Indore has a cosmopolitan culture. Hindu, Muslim, Jains, Christians, Sikh, Parsi, Bahai's, Bohra and several other Culture are living peacefully in the city. Normally mixed culture is found across the city. Indore was included in holding two Guinness Book of World Records^[30] for the largest tea party in the world and for making the largest burger of the world.

Food[link]

Indore has a wide variety of Namkeens, Poha & Jalebi, Chaats (snacks), Kachoris and Samosas, cuisines of various types in different restaurants, and Bengali, Muslim, mugalp, Rajasthani, continental and confectionery sweets, as well as dishes such as Dal-Bafla. Most important place in Indore for Foodies is Sarafa Bazar, where a wide range of Indian Fast food is available. Chhappan Dukan is a major food junction in Indore, where the youth & family gathers on the road side shops for Indian Snacks. Generally, Namkeen is served on top of a variety of food items served in Indore.

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.

Specialities:

Sweets:Moong ka Halua, Gajar ka Halua, Rabri, Maalpua, Faluda kulfi, Gulab Jamoon, Ras-Malai, RasGulla, All Bengali Sweets available at Sarafa & 56 Shops at Palasia.

Namkeen : Sev with all its varieties, Mixure, 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.

Sheetal Pey : 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[link]

All national festivals like Holi, Gangaur, Teej, Rangpanchmi, Baisakhi, Raksha Bandhan, Mahavir jayanti, Navratri, Durga puja, Dussehra, Ganesh Utsav, Deepavali, Ramzan, Gudi Padwa, Bhaidooj, Eid, Christmas, Bahai Navruz on 21 March and other others like Nagpanchmi, Ahilya Utsav, are celebrated with equal enthusiasm. There are many shiva temples in Indore, Mahashivratri is celebrated at a large extent in Indore.

Information technology and Indore[link]

Most of the big IT companies such as TCS and Infosys are investing in near future in Indore. Infosys, country’s second largest information technology services company, is setting up new development centre at Indore in Madhya Pradesh at an investment of Rs 100 crore in phase one at Super corridor.^[27] Infosys demanded an area of 2000 Acre to open its new branch in Indore which will employee about 80,000 people.
Some of the major IT companies presently in Indore are IBM India,^[25] Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), Impetus, Premier Biosoft (India) Pvt Ltd, SoftGrid Computers, Logic Doors, Suvi Infosystems, Infobeans, ClearTrail, Digital Solutions, Syspudits LLC, Cyber Infrastructure Private Limited (CIS), Yash Technologies,CDN Solutions Group TM Software, SNV Infotech, Ideavate Solutions, Consagous Technologies, Shubh Infotech, Codeautomations, Systematix Infotech etc.

Entertainment[link]

Indore is equipped with places like malls and cinema halls. A total new world of entertainment will be seen in Indore in coming months when the city will have a roller-coster ride, a drop tower, and go-karting track along with many new sources of entertainment. Many times there are Circus & Magic Shows set up at different place which are good source of Entertainment.^[31]

Cinema[link]

Cinema is the most popular medium of entertainment in Indore as well as in the whole country. There are a number of cinema halls in the city more, namely PVR, Mangal BIG, INOX Central, INOX sapna-sangeeta, Broadway, Satyam, K sera sera, Velocity, Regal, etc.

Malls[link]

Malls are the hottest trends in city today. Apart from being exotic shopping destinations, they are emerging out to be one of the major hang out places of the city crowd. Malls provide a comprehensive package to the people, wherein they can shop, eat and enjoy at the same place. The motto is: everything under one roof. Indore is also host to many such malls, which provide variety and comfort to the visitors. Treasure Island is the largest, with 5 floors and 245 stores. It is the most popular mall around and is located in the heart of the city. There are also other malls namely Mangal City mall, Indore Central mall, C21 mall, Malhar mega mall, Orbit mall etc. Many new world class malls and other retail outlets are under construction at a very fast speed.

Coming years will see a huge increase in the retail market in Indore.

Places of interest[link]

• There are various places in Indore which make it a tourist attraction.^[32]

Historical Places[link]

Rajwada[link]

Rajwada is the historical palace of the Holkars. It was built about two centuries ago and is located near the Chhatris in the main square. It is a seven storied structure, which serves as the living example of the grandeur of the Holkars. Rajwada stands in the centre of the city. The new palace is on the northern side, while the old palace stands in the old part of the town. The old palace is a multi-storied building which also serves as a gateway of the Rajwada. It stands amongst the crowded streets of the Kajuri Bazar and faces the main square of the city.

Krishnapura Chhatri[link]

Chhatris (cenotaphs) are the royal tombs of the erstwhile rulers of the Holker clan. These cenotaphs are placed on the banks of the beautiful river Khan, and these chhatris exhibit excellent architectural brilliance. A marvelous remnant of a glorious reign, the Chhatris survived the passage of time. The typical Maratha style architecture with domes and pyramidal spires, Chhatris allures the tourists with its historical enigma.

Central Museum[link]

Central Museum, also known as the Indore Museum, is one of the most interesting buildings in Indore. It is a treat for the people who are genuinely fascinated by the history of India and the rich civilisation that flourished here in the pre historic age. It is located near the General Post Office in Indore. The Museum exhibits the finest collection of Parmar sculptures from Hinglajgarh. The Parmar style actually originated here only. Its main features include proportioned figures, careful and intricate ornamentation and depiction in stone.

Religious Places[link]

Annapurna Mandir[link]

Annapurna Mandir is a very beautiful and one of the oldest temples in Indore. Dedicated to the goddess Annapoorna, this temple is one among the famous pilgrimage centres in Indore. Not only devotees, but also tourists come to see this majestic shrine.

As per Hindu Mythology, Annapoorna Devi is believed to be the goddess of food. This temple bears a resemblance to the famous Madurai Meenakshi Temple of Madurai.

Inside the temple premises there exist shrines of Sivan, Hanuman, and Kalabhairava. The Pravachan Hall of the temple is also very famous. Four full sized elephants embrace this temple’s highly ornamented gate. An architectural splendor, the outer wall of the temple is brightly decorated with beautiful images of legendary characters. An architectural marvel, Annapoorna Temple in Indore is a worthy for a short visit. This temple is situated Near DashaHara Maidan, Annapurna Road, Indore.

Khajrana Ganesh Mandir[link]

Citizens of Indore city and other nearby cities have great faith in the Khajrana Temple. This temple is made by Ahilyabai Holkar. This is an important place of Hindus. There is a Dargah in proximity of the temple of Nahar Sayed. It is believed that the headless body of Nahar Sayed is buried in this Dargah. This is an important place of Naita Muslims.

Gommat Giri[link]

This is an excellent set of Jain temples built on the top of Gommatesher Hill. The main attraction is 24 feet tall statue of Lord Bahubali, and 24 others temples for each of the 24 jain tirthankars.

Kanch Mandir[link]

The Kanch Mandir also known as Glass Temple is an exquisite example of a marvel in glass. This Jain Temple also known as Jain Mandir was built by Sir Seth Hukum Chand Jain (Kasliwal) in the early 20th century.It is located in the Itwaria Market. The speciality of this temple is that its doors, pillars, ceilings and walls are entirely inlaid with glass with minute detailing. It is one of the most famous tourist attraction of the city. The temple also has paintings which are depicting stories from the Jain scriptures. The top of the temple multiplies the three statues of Lord Mahavir which makes this temple more beautiful place.

Bada Ganpati[link]

The Bada Ganpati temple is a very ancient temple and widely known for the size of the Ganesh idol. This temple was built in the year 1875 by Shri Dadhich. The idol is said to be the size of 25 Foot from head to crown. This temple is located near the heart of the city Rajwada also known as Holkar Palace.

Parks and leisure Places[link]

Atal Bihari Vajpeyee Regional Park[link]

Also known as Pipliyapala park or Indore regional park, it is developed by the Indore Development Authority (IDA) at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore. Normal hours of operation are:every day (except Tuesday) from 11 am-9 pm. Tickets have been priced at Rs 25 for adults and Rs 10 for children. Development of the park is on the 80 acres of land of the pond and 42 acres land near this tank. There is a canal, which covers the whole park starting from one point of the pond and ending at the other part. The bridges over canal with the Mist fountain let us feel a special type of peace,mentally as well as physically. Various attractions to the park include Musical Fountain, Jumping jet fountain, Artists' village, Maze, French gardens, Bio-diversity garden, Mist fountain, Fast food zone, Boating.

Chokhi and Nakhrali Dhani[link]

Chokhi Dhani and Nakhrali Dhani are Rajasthani heritage resorts on the outskirts of Indore. These resorts are given the appearance of a Rajasthani village in India. The villages provide people the precise atmosphere of the village, along with the modern day facilities and entertainment. These villages are catching fast with the city people as well as the tourists who visit Indore. At Choki Dhani, people find respite from the busy schedules of daily life. The rustic Rajasthani spirit fills the environment with colours of joy. You can pamper yourself with good food and enjoy traditional Rajasthani delicacies here.

Shell City[link]

Shell City is a water park situated on Khandwa Road.

Mayank's Blue Water Park[link]

Mayank's Blue Water park is situated on Ring Road,Indore.

Tafreeh Garden[link]

Tafreeh Garden is a wonderful resort cum adventure park situated at Dhar Road. This garden has Swimming Pool, Music Station, Boating Deck and a lot of other adventurious and fun filled activities.

Nearby attractions[link]

There are various places which tourists and citizens of Indore like to visit for weekends and occasion or Holidays.

Ujjain[link]

This pilgrimage town is 56 km north-west to Indore. It is known as the Greenwich for the Hindu Astrologers. This town is situated on the banks of river Kshipra. The legendary king Vikramaditya once ruled this town. From then this town is famous as the center of learning. The most Famous place in Ujjain is it's Mahakal Temple, which is one of the twelve jyotirlinga.

Dewas[link]

Dewas is a small industrial town on the border of Indore which is quite famous for its Kali Temple on the Hill.

Patal Pani[link]

This tourist attraction is famous for its beauty in Monsoon Season. It is 36 km from Indore towards Mhow. It is very beautiful place for enjoying the weekend.

Sitala mata fall[link]

This tourist attraction is famous for its Water Falls in Monsoon Season. It is very beautiful place for enjoying the weekend.

Choral Fall[link]

Choral has the wonderful Water Falls in Monsoon Season. People go there specially in Mansoon Sesson for enjoying the weekend. Its situated on Khadwa Road, near Gram Simrol.

RRCAT[link]

RRCAT (Raja Rammanna Center for Advance Technology) formerly known as Center for Advance Technology is the center for scientific research in the separate colony which is built in west Indore. It specialises in laser technology. It also has two particle accelerators (both synchrotrons) called Indus I and Indus II.

Gallery[link]

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  Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple, ISKCON Indore.

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  Bolia Maharaj Ki Chhatri

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  Krishnapura Chhatri.

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  Krishnapura Chhatri

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  Sculptures on Krishnapura Chhatri

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  Krishnapura Chhatri from inside

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  Carvings at Krishnapura Chhatri

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  Carved Pillars of Krishnapura Chhatri

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  Sculptures on Krishnapura Chhatri

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  Vijay Balla, signed by captain Ajit Wadekar,and team after team victory over England (1971) and West indies (1972).

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  Treasure Island Mall, First in Madhya Pradesh

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  Khan River. Krishnapura Chhatri in background

See also[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Hunter, Cotton, Burn, Meyer. "The Imperial Gazetteer of India", 2006. Oxford, Clarendon Press. 1909.
• Plunkett, Richard. Central India. Lonely Planet, 2001. ISBN 1-86450-161-8
• "Indore." Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 ed.
• Ek Yug Ek Purush – a Biography of Sir Siremal Bapna by Om Prakash Sharma – 1971

External links[link]

• City portal at Govt. of India info. website
• City portal providing complete information about Indore
• Indore travel guide from Wikitravel
• Indore at the Open Directory Project
• People and culture

Sant Shri Asharamji Bapu (Hindi: संत श्री आशारामजी बापू, Gujarati: સંત શ્રી આશારામજી બાપુ, born as Asumal Sirumalani on April 17, 1941), also endearingly called "Bapu Ji", is a self-realized Hindu Spiritual Guru from India. He is also regarded as the Greatest ever saint of India, having uncountable number of devotees which also includes very reputed personalities. Bapu preaches the existence of One Supreme Conscious in every human being and represents a confluence of Bhakti_yoga, Gnana_yoga and Karma_yoga. Under his guidance, an Ashram was started in 1971 at Ahmedabad on the historically significant place where sage Sandipani (Guru of Lord Krishna) used to do Yagya. As of now, the number of Ashrams have surpassed 350. A documentary video "Voice of Consciousness" showed life-sketch of Sant Sri Asharamji Bapu. His teachings have changed the lives of millions and millions of people.

Biography[link]

Youth[link]

Asumal Sirumalani [Asaram Bapu], born to father Thaumal Sirumalani and mother Menhgiba. Place of birth being Berani village of the Nawabshah District in Sindh (Un-Partitioned Indibaa) on April 17, 1941 (Gregorian calendar).^[1] His father was a wealthy businessman.^[2]

Bapu went to school in Maninagar. His mother helped develop his interest in dhyaan-bhajan (meditation and prayers) from his early childhood.

At a very young age Asumal lost his father, but grew more and more interested in pursuing meditation and spirituality. He finally left his family (who wanted him to get married) and traveled the country, until he went to Vrindavan, the land of Lord Krishna. Here he was inspired to go to the ashram of the Guru, Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj. He had to wait for 40 days in the Ashram to get a glimpse of the Guru. There he stayed and served his Guru with devotion. Lilashah Ji for testing the determination of Asumal, made him go through several hardships and tests for another 30 days before Asumal was blessed. Then Swami Sri Lilashah Ji Maharaj asked him to go back to home and continue his spiritual practices at home.

While coming back to his home, he left the train and went to Moti Koral (A place in Gujarat). He started Spiritual practice at the bank or river Narmada. A local saint Shri Lalji Maharaj was impressed by Asumal's interest to attain Self Realization. Lalji Maharaj made arrangements for Asumal to stay in Datt Kutir of Ram Niwas (Lalji Maharaj's Ashram).

When Asumal's wife and mother came to know that he was staying at Moti Koral they visited him. They asked him to come back. Asumal refused to return until he completed the Anushthan. He successfully completed the Anushthan. The whole village including Lalji Maharaj came to the railway station to see them off to Ahmadabad. As soon as the train started moving from Miyagaun junction, Asumal jumped out and boarded a train towards Mumbai where He met Guru Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj.

Self Realization[link]

Asumal reached Bombay (Mumbai) and met Guru Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj. Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj was very happy to see his disciple's keen interest to attain the truth. Hence, on 2nd Day of Ashvin month in Samvat 2021 at2.30 in the afternoon Asumal was transformed into Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu by the blessings of Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj (Asumal se ho gaye sai Asaram). After this Asaramji Bapu went into samadhi for next two and a half days.

Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj instructed Asharamji to serve the humanity by staying as a householder. After Self-Realization Asaram Bapu stayed in solitude for seven years.^[1] Asharamji Bapu used to give religious discourse to all those who came to meet & see Bapu. Bapu spent His solitude in various places like Disa, Naareshwar Dhaam, the Himalayas, Mount Abu.

Life as a Householder[link]

Asharam Bapu met Swami Sri Lilashahji Maharaj in Nanital in Vikram Samvat 1928, & by the commands of Guru, in order to provide a good example to common householders, Bapu entered the life of a householder. It was the day of Guru Punam in Vikram Samvat 2028 when Asharam Bapu reached Ahmedabad after staying in solitude for seven years.[2]

Asharam Bapu chose a peaceful place in the Motera village on the banks of Sabarmati river. Later on some of the devotees constructed a small room for him which is known as "Moksha Kutir". Slowly, the number of devotees coming to Motera kept on increasing and in a very short time the place became a great spiritual center. Today Motera is the main spiritual centre for the devotees coming to Sant Sri Asharamji Ashram.

Parliament of the World's Religions, 1993[link]

In 1893 Swami Vivekananda represented India and top religious people from all over the world listened to him with great reverence, in 1993 yet again after 100 years, India represented by Saint Sri Asaram ji Bapu representing WRP and people listened to him with same reverence.

Foundations[link]

There are 366 ashrams working under the guidance of Asharam Ji Bapu.^[3] These ashrams organise spiritual and social welfare activities on a regular basis. Some of these activities include weekly video satsangs, distribution of Rishi Prasad www.rishiprasad.org Rishi Darshan www.rishidarshan.org, Lok Kalyan Setu, other spiritual publications like Divya Prerna Prakash, free distribution of Netra Bindu (eye drops) and a device to remove Vaastu related issues. LIVE webcast of Spiritual Discourse is facilitated for more than 5 crore followers (sadhaks) living worldwide through the Ashram website.^[4]

Sri Yog Vedant Seva Samiti[link]

More than 1300 Sri Yog Vedant Seva Samitis are formed under the guidance of Pujya Bapuji. These Samitis do various social welfare programs like development of tribals, and people belonging to backward classes, Service activities in orphanages,distribution of food-grains through ration cards, distribution of buttermilk and water outlet service, de-addiction Campaigns, centres for Spiritual Literature, Video Satsang Centres, Free-Food and Financial Support for extremely poor people and upliftment programmes for prisoners in Jails etc. are few among them but not limited to this list.

Bal-Sanskar Kendras[link]

Bal Sanskar Kendra or BSK ^[5] for short are sessions and camps conducted for all-round and comprehensive development of children/students. BSKs are inspired by spiritual teachings of Asharam Bapu and coordinated by Bal Sanskar Kendra Dept., Shri Akhil Bhartiya Yoga Vedanta Seva Samiti, Sant Shri Asarmaji Ashram, Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India.

Yuva Seva Sangh[link]

Aims at strengthening the Youths of India (YSS )Yuva Seva Sangh - Inspire by Param Pujya Asharam Ji Bapu .Yuva Seva Project - Vyasan Mukti Abhiyan, Parents Worship day, Prisoners upliftment program, Seeding moral values in Youths, Environmental care Jeevan Vikas Abhiyan, Tejasvi Yuva Abhiyan.

Controversies since 2009[link]

Other News in Media and Sting Operation[link]

In December 2009, the Gujarat Police filed an attempt to murder case against Bapu Ji and two others.^[6]

After initial police investigation, it turned out that the person who made the allegations had already been caught on a video tape by a TV Channel A2Z News in a Sting Operation, in which his gang of people got busted and accepted in front of camera about their conspiracy of targeting Sant Shri Asharam Ji Bapu and their Ashrams, with false allegations by support of some media houses. Asharam Bapuji or any of his disciples had nothing to gain by attempting to harm this individual when he had already been caught on tape conspiring to malign the Sant. .^[7] On 3 April 2010, the channel broadcast details of investigations and reports by government instituted special investigation commission, under leadership of Justice D K Trivedi.^[8]

Other controversies involving Asharam Bapu include tax evasion^[9] and land encroachment.^[10]

Asharam Bapu rebutted all such allegations,^[11] as Ashram is having all legal and documentation proofs of legally purchasing land and all required tax paid on time, with legal representations..

CID gives Ashram Clean Chit (April, 2010)[link]

Two children were found drowned in the river Sabaramti in 2008. But On April 8, 2010 after months of investigation and searching through records and witnesses, CID gave Clean Chit to Asaram Ashram and asserted that there were no black magic or any other activities that may have anything to do with the death of the children. Most popular press amusingly stayed tongue tied about why it made earlier allegations of such practices at the Ashram. ^[12]

References[link]