Indore (Hindi: इंदौर/इन्दोर , Marathi- इंदूर) , the largest city and the commercial capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is situated on the Malwa Plateau, just south of the Satpura Range. Indore is the administrative headquarters of the Indore District and the Indore Division, and formerly served as the capital of the former princely state of Indore and the summer capital of the erstwhile state of Central India.

Origin of name

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

History

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

Shyamu singh parihar, the founder of Indore, was the Chief Zamindar (landlord), and had an army of 2000 soldiers. In 1713, Nizam was appointed as the controller of the Deccan plateau area, which renewed the struggle between the Marathas and the Mughals. From time to time the Maratha invaders kept harassing the people of Malwa and thus Nandlal singh arranged to pay 25000 rupees to them in return for guaranteeing the safety and security of his people, upon which the invaders returned back to the Deccan. (Memoirs of Malwa: Major General Sir John Malcolm: year 1912)

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

Baji Rao Peshwa finally received the Viceroyalty of Malwa in 1743 A.D. and was bound by a treaty forbidding him from ever infringing upon the rights of Zamindars. Malhar Rao Holkar was one of the four signatories who guaranteed the proper fulfillment of the conditions. (Major General Sir John Malcolm’s, Memoirs of Central India Vol. I pp.94-95). Upon victory the Peshwas appointed Malhar Rao Holkar as a “Subhedar”, which marked the beginning of Holkars' reign in Malwa.

Thus, Indore came to be ruled by the Maratha Maharajas of the parihar dynasty. The dynasty's founder, shyamu singh parihar, (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 parihar who ruled from 1767 to 1795. She ruled from a palace-fort at Maheshwar, south of Indore on the Narmada River.Parihar dynasti was ended when Ahilyabai parihar married to Holkar dynasty prince. Ahilyabai parihar 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.

After India's independence in 1947, Indore, along with a number of neighboring 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 chosen the capital. The city palace was the seat of administration of the rulers of the Malwa region – The Holkars (26th 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 Rajbada found its place back in history. It became the only historic structure in India to have been rebuilt with exactly the same style, materials and method of construction as those of 250 years ago.

Geography

Indore is located in the western region of Madhya Pradesh, and is close to the centre of India. Indore has an average elevation of 553 metres.

The surrounding areas are part of the black cotton soil region of India.

The Malwa region has large seasonal temperature variations. During the winter season (November - February), the night-time lows are around 10°C. At the peak of winter, the temperature can drop to as low as 2°C to 3°C. The lowest temperature ever recorded is 1.5°C. During the summer, (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 however, the summer nights in Indore are cool and pleasant. 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 them quite pleasant.

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

Transport

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

Domestic Airport

Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport (IATA Code IDR, Lat 22.723 Long 75.805) connects Indore directly to Mumbai, Delhi, Gwalior, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Jabalpur, Raipur, Jaipur, Nagpur,Bangalore and Bhopal in India.
Major airlines operating flights to Indore include

• Indian
• Jet Airways
• Kingfisher Airlines

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

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

Railways

The Indore Junction INDB is part of the Ratlam Division of the Western Railways. The tracks leading into the city are not electrified.

Indore is one of the several places in India with both meter gauge and broad gauge railways tracks operational. Regular train services connect Indore to most parts of the country. There are direct trains to Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta (Howrah), Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Trivandrum, Jammu, Amritsar, Dehradun, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Agra, Nagpur, Patna, Surat, Vadodara, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, and other major towns. For other major towns, trains are available from Ujjain, Khandwa, and Bhopal which can be reached by Train or road within 2-4 hrs. The Indore junction is the main station in the city.

There are 7 Train Stations within city limit providing local transport and short distance services to the various parts of the city.

• Indore Junction INDB
• Lakshmibai Nagar
• Lokmanya Nagar
• Rajendra Nagar
• Saifee Nagar
• Rau
• Mangaliya Gaon

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 project unigauge system of Indian Railways.

Roads

Indore is well connected to other parts of Madhya Pradesh and India through national and state highways. There are some major highways which pass through Indore and connect it to some major cities.
The Major highways passing through the city are:

• National Highway No. 3 (NH3 - Mumbai Agra)
• National Highway No. 59(NH59 - Indore Ahmedabad)
• State Highway No. 17 (Connecting Bhopal)
• State Highway No. 27 (Indore to Maharashtra Border connecting Khandwa)

There are daily bus services operated by private operaters as well as government transport agencies of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan. Indore is well connected by multiple daily bus services to

• Mumbai (593 KM)
• Pune (610 KM)
• Ahmedabad (382 KM)
• Nagpur (440 KM)
• Vadodra (323 KM)
• Surat (465 KM))
• Jaipur (647 KM)
• Udaipur (410 KM)
• Bhopal (188 KM)
• Jabalpur (494 KM)
• Gwalior (486 KM)
• Agra (604 KM)
• Kanpur (695 KM))
• Aurangabad (402 KM)

Apart from the long distance services, there are many services to nearby places withn the state. The bus services are operated from 3 Major bus stands in the city

• Sarvate Bus Stand (Near Indore Railway Station)
• Gangwal Bus Stand (Western part of the city catering to Bus services going towards Gujarat and Rajasthan
• Navlakha Bus Stand (Luxury / AC / Volvo bus services to various cities operate from here. This is in the southern part of the city)

Local Transport

Indore has one of the finest public transport systems.In December 2005, the municipal corporation launched the Indore City Bus service, an extensive service with 24 routes servicing most areas in city. The service has received very favourable press, and has been called the first modern bus system in India. The company runs 53 low floor buses, equipped with GPS devices, electronic sign boards and computerized vending machines. The Indore City Bus corporation made a profit of 1 crore rupees within nine months of the inception of its operation and is seen as an excellent model by several other mid size Indian cities.

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

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

Even Maruti's latest brand SX4 has been launched as Public transport vehicle in Dec 2007.It will be charged Rs. 15/km. Added facility to the older Public Transport.

During the early 60's to the late 90's the trucking industry really boomed up Indores economy and made the city popular for businesses. The trucking business from the 60's to the 90's era was dominated mostly by Sikhs who had settled in from Punjab to Indore. Indore, the largest metropolitan city of the state of Madhya Pradesh, is fast emerging as a centre of trade and commerce. In the context of rapid growth of the city, increasing mobility, high travel demand, increasing intensity of traffic, congestion, delays, accidents and other such problems, public mass transport system of the city stands out as the most critical issue. The intra-city public transport system is essentially road based with 500 private minibuses , 550 tempos and 10000 auto rickshaws. Since there was no specialized and effective regulatory agency to monitor the system a special purpose vehicle in the form of public limited company “ Indore City Transport Services Ltd.” was set up to operate and manage the public transport system in Indore with private sector participation to overcome financial constraints.

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

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

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

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

Demographics

Indore is the most populous city in Madhya Pradesh with population of about 1,597,445 according to the 2001 census. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Indore has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 65%. In Indore, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. The city is undergoing a fast rise in population owing to its growing stature as a commercial city. The average annual growth rate of population is around 3% as per the statistics of census 2001. Hindi is the main language, however, being ruled by Marathas, there is a large Marathi speaking population; Punjabi & Sindhi is also spoken in Indore. Malvi is the local language.

Trade and commerce

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

Corporate presence

Indore is biggest contributor of revenues to the Madhya Pradesh government. The boom in the Indian Software Services Industry has further helped in creating new jobs and improving the prosperity of the city. Companies like CSC (NYSE CSC), Impetus Infotech, Elensoft Technologies, MphasiS, InfoBeans, Armour Software, Infosoft TechNet, Suvi infotech, Web Dunia, North South Technologies, Alma Limited, HotWax Media and hundreds of smaller and mid-size companies have come up in the field of software. A Special Economic Zone is planned, to boost software exports. Some big Indian companies, like TCS, are expected to start there operations once the SEZ is in place. Indore has been a hub for the automobile, steel and alloy Industry. The nearby industrial hub Pithampur houses many leading industries such as Hindustan Motors(presently known as Avtec Ltd ), Eicher Motors, Bajaj, Anant Steel, Metalman Group, Nicholas Piramal, Bridgestone, Larsen & Toubro, Crompton Greaves, Novino, Panjon and Kirloskar Group,Chinese Construction Equipment Major Liugong.

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

Indore has also been a hub for agribusiness with several major companies involved in soybean processing having factories around the city. Raw Cotton export from Indore has recently started where facilities of Inland Container Deport at Pithampur is available. Cotton varieties like MECH-1 and H-4 are regularly exported by exporters like Arham Syntex P. Ltd., Manjeet Cotton, etc. ===Traditional businesses=== Indore is also a center for garment industry. Long back, Textile mills (Hukumchand Mill, Swadeshi Mill, et al) were for a long time the pride of the city. Although, these mills have been shut down - a few have even been dismantled - Indore still has a regional stronghold in wholesale garment business. Textile Exporters like Arham Syntex P. Ltd., Spentex, etc. have come up in recent which are exporting Yarns and Cotton and have global presence. Indore was always a major center for retailing industry. Indore also boasts of being the best shopping destination in central India. The construction of several new shopping malls like the Treasure Island, Mangal City, Orbit, M2K Mega Mall , Cine Mall, Indore Center, C21 Mall (10 Floor Mall)and more coming soon, have helped it manage this reputation. There are traditional markets near Jawahar marg, Rajwada, Siyaganj and Ranipura, where there are wholesellers of almost all sorts of goods. Jail road market has become the biggest whole sale & retail market in the region for mobile accessory & repairing,

Software Technology Park Indore

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

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

Education

Indore is a major educational center of Madhya Pradesh and has many well-known institutions. Indore University, now Devi Ahilya Vishwa Vidyala (DAVV), is ranked amongst the top universities in Central India.

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

There are also a number of good engineering colleges like 1. Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS, formerly also known as GSTI) 2. Institute of Engineering and Technology (DAVV) 3. Shri Vaishnav Institute of Technology and Science (SVITS) 4. Medicaps institute of technology and management (MITM) 5. IES-IPSA (Institute of Engg. & Science - IPS Academy) 6.INDORE INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY(IIST) which are imparting quality education to the students in the field of technology and engineering .

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College is well known, both nationally and abroad.

Institute of Management Studies (IMS) and International Institute Of Professional Studies (IIPS)are other esteemed colleges of Indore. These institutes offer courses that are provided only by very selected colleges in the country ie Courses like integrated MCA(6yrs), MTech (5 1/2 yrs). IMS and IIPS boast of an extensive network of alumni in various arenas and industries. In addition, the Holkar Science College has been regarded as one of the most prestigious colleges of science in the country for much of the last century. It is also one of the oldest science college, it was established in 10th June 1891.

The city does not fall behind in primary and secondary education. Perhaps the best known school is the Daly College, , which is rated amongst the top schools of the country. Other good schools include Choithram School, Columbia Convent H.S. School, Delhi Public School, Golden International School, Daisy Dales School, The Emerald Heights International school (affiliated to Cambridge University (UK)), Guru Harkrishan Public School, Imperial Academy, Indore Keraleeya Samajam Public School, Indore Public School, New Digamber Public School Ndps, South Indian Cultural Association School (SICA school), Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar, Indore, St. Paul's Higher Secondary School, St. Raphael's Girls School, Vidyasagar School (principled by noted educationist and president awardee Mr. S.k. Joshi ). New Golden H.S.School(Estd. 1976) The Navodaya Vidyalaya for Indore district is situated in Manpur, 45 kilometres from main city.

Raja Ramanna Centre for Advance Technology, formerly Center of Advance Technology, is one of India's foremost scientific research institutions. It is primarily devoted to atomic research.

Indore has developed as a big hub for preparing students for higher education. There are a number of coaching centers that prepare students for entering into various Indian and international educational institutions.

Now Indore can boast the only city in the country to have both IIM - The Indian Institute of Management and the IIT - Indian Institute of Technology.

Media

Local media in Indore is very strong and flourishing. Indore has been seat of journalism in the state for a long time. There are a number of newspapers, magazines and local TV stations. Although Naidunia is one of the oldest newspaper publication, with a history of 59 years,Dainik Bhaskar is most widely read newpaper of the city and region. Patrika has gone ahead and announced the launch of its second edition in Madhya Pradesh from Indore this year. Patrika entered the state in May 2008. With this launch on September 30, it will cover the commercial capital of the state as well. The other popular newspapers published from Indore are Raj Express,Dainik Deshbandhu, NewsToday, Nav Bharat, Indore Samachar, Swadesh, Chautha Sansar, Chronicle ,ALMA TIMES,AIITA NEWS and Free Press Journal. Some of the newspapers published in evening are Agni Baan, Prabhat Kiran and Dainik Dopahar. There are about 19 Hindi dailies, two English daily, 25 weeklies and monthlies, 3 quarterlies and one annual paper published from the city.

The city has local tv stations from various companies. Major local channels are either by Raj tv, Bhaskar tv or SR tv

Devi Ahilya University (Indore University) offers a graduation course in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Indore Press club is an affiliate of the National Press Club. The city has 5 radio stations, viz., Superhits 93.5 SFM (Owned by South Asia FM Ltd.), Radio Mirchi 98.3FM (the very first private radio station of India),My FM (by bhaskar group), Big FM (by Reliance ADA group}, Akashvani station (Government Owned).

Sports

Indore has two cricket stadia, Nehru Stadium and Usha Raje Stadium. Preparations are going on to make the Usha Raje Stadium a "Flood Lighted" stadium to offer Day-Night domestic and international matches soon. There are also some sports club for lawn tennis & table tennis. Indore has organized various international cricket matches.

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

India's legendary cricket player, Rahul Dravid was born in Indore.

List of Grounds

Central Gymkhana Ground, Indore

Daly College Ground, Indore

Emerald High School Ground, Indore

Industrial Training Institute Ground, Indore

Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground, Indore

Nehru Stadium, Indore

Yeshwant Club Ground, Indore

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

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

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

Healthcare

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

The prominent hospitals of Indore include

• Maharaja Yashwantrao Medical College and Hospital
• Choithram Hospital and Research Centre
• Dr Jafrey's Indore Chest Center
• CHL Apollo Hospital
• Bombay Hospital
• Vishesh Hospital
• DR Hardia's Eye Hospital
• Gokuldas Hospital and Research Centre
• Dental College & Hospital
• Bhandari Hospital and Research Centre
• National Pathology Lab

Apart from these, there are many other mid size and small nursing homes and care centres catering to various ailments.

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

Culture

Over the years the city of Indore has welcomed people from all castes, creed and color. People from all corners of the country have migrated & settled in the heart of Madhya Pradesh for their livelihood, education or just for its peaceful culture. Indore today can boast of being a true cosmopolitan city with multi ethnic and multilingual people living in perfect harmony.

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

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.

Food

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

Indore is known for its wide variety of "Namkeens", Gujarati and Indochineserestaurants, and Bengali & Rajasthani sweets.'''

The staple food (snacks) of the city is Poha-Jalebi. People are also fond of Sabudane-ki-Khichdi. Life in Indore starts early with cups of 'Chai' (tea) with Poha & Jalebi followed by lunch which invariably includes popular 'besan' (gram flour) preparations. Later in the day one can easily find snacks like 'Khaman', 'Kachori' - 'aloo kachori', 'dal kachori', 'Dahi Chat', 'Tokri Chat', 'samosa', 'petis', 'Baked Samosa', 'Bhel puri', 'Pani Puri', 'mathri' etc. Numerous shops of sweets have enjoyed nice business in Indore. Late nights another market comes alive at 11:00 PM in Sarafa (in the heart of city) where one finds lots of delicacies to enjoy after a nice dinner like - 'Gajak','Bhutte ka kis', 'Dahi Bada' 'Gulab Jamun', 'garadu', 'Rabri', 'aalo tikiya', 'Halwa (JMB Gajar, Moong)', icecreams, milkshakes, rabdi (milk custard), malpuye, etc. and finally tasty 'paan' to end your day.

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

Sweets: Moong ka Halwa, Gajar ka Halwa, Rabri Gulab Jamun, Ras Malai, Ras Gulla, Mithe Tukade, Bengali Sweets and the thick Shikanji.

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

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

Main festivals

All national festivals, eid Ganeshotsav, Deepavali, Gudi Padwa, Bhaubeej and other others like Nagpanchmi, Ahilya Utsav, are celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

• Indore celebrates Rang Panchami. This festival is celebrated five days after Dhulandi. This is also celebrated like Holi, but colors are mixed with water and then either sprinkled or poured on others. The local municipal corporation arranges a special event in which they sprikle color mixed water in the main streets of old Indore.
• Ganeshotsav is the main festival after Deepavali and is celebrated in a unique way in Indore city. In earlier times, when textile mills flourished in Indore, the workers of these mills contributed money and labour to arrange a carnival of floats (known as "Jhanki" in local Hindi language).
• Makar Sankranti is a 'Kite Festival' when people fly kites and competitions are held to cut each other's kites in the sky on 14th January each year.
• Gudi Padwa is the new year for maharashtrians.as Indore has a large maharaahtrian population gudi padwa is celebrated widely.
• (eid ) eidul fiter is come after completing the ramazan and happiest day for the muslim

Government and politics

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

Total Number of Parliamentary Seats: 1

Member of Parliament - Ms. Sumitra Mahajan - BJP

Total Number of Constituencies for State Assembly : 9

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

City Mayor: Ms. Uma Shashi Sharma

District Collector: Rakesh Shrivastava - IAS

Suprindent of Police: R. K. Chowdhary - IPS

Indore Development Authority President: Madhu Verma

Places of interest

• Shree Sansthan Bada Rawala - Historical home of the founder of Indore, Rao Nandlal Chaudhary. It contains the famous personal library of philanthropist Niranjan Zamindar and has over 28,000 books and other artifacts of historical importance.
• Rajwada - A seven storied palace built during the Holkar era. The main wada (the kings' residence) was rebuilt recently to its original glory by Maharani Ushadevi Holkar.
• Lal Bagh Palace - A beautiful palace spread across 200 acres of land . It is now a museum and one can see the artefacts of the Holkar era.
• Kanch Mandir - Digambar Jain temple with exquisite glass work
• Krishnapura Chhatri - By the banks of the much polluted Khan river, it is at a walking distance from Rajwada.
• Devlalikar Kala Vithika - A well-known art gallery named after famous painter Vishnu Devlalikar
• Khajrana Ganesh temple - Temple of Lord Ganesha.
• Mhow (Military Headquarters of War) Cantonment - An old Cantonment town near Indore, founded in 1818. Has a very charming market and an old world charm. Foreigners cannot enter without permission.
• Patal Pani - A beautiful waterfall near Mhow. Patal Pani has a small railway station - the first after Mhow as one travels on the metre gauge track towards Khandwa.
• The temple of Janapao - On the Bombay-Agra National Highway-3 road. 16 km from Mhow. The temple is on top of a hill in the village of Kuti. According to legend, it is the place where Jamadagni, the father of Parshurama, had his ashram. It is famous for a mela (fair) held on Kartik Purnima - the first full moon after Diwali,
• Kajligarh - Nearly 20 km towards Khandwa on Khandwa road, its a very small old ruined fort situated near to a beautiful valley & small waterfall. Its worth watching during & after the rainy season. An Ideal one day outing spot which is yet unknown to even most of the Indorites
• Thincha Falls - Located close to kajligarh, its a beautiful waterfall near Simrol. Breathtaking beauty is what describes it the best. A must see during and after monsoons.
• Annapurna Temple - A nice Hindu Temple, primarily of goddess Annapurna, in the west region of the city.
• Mhow - Known as Miletry Headquerters of War 22 km away from indore a small and beautiful town having pride of being birth place of Creator of Indian Constitution "Baba Saheb Bheemrao Ambedker".

Trivia

• The gates of Lalbagh Palace, Indore, are a replica of the gates of Buckingham Palace 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 high idol at Bada Ganapati is the largest idol of Lord Ganesh in the world.
• RRCAT(formerly CAT), Raja Rammanna Center for Advanced Technology 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.
• Because of similarity between the lifestyles, fashion and taste Indore is nicknamed Mini Bombay.
• The 250 year old Rajbada 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.
• First City in INDIA to have twin reputed education institutes IIM and IIT.

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

References

External links

• Indore Municipal Corporation website
• Indore Police Official Site
• City portal at Govt. of India info. website
• Dainik Bhaskar Indore edition
• 6pmnews Hindi evening epaper from Indore
• Dainik Jagran epaper Indore edition
• Naidunia newspaper from Indore
• informativ web site about indore in hindi
• all about Indore , the commercial city of Madhya Pradesh
• Current weather in Indore
• Indore city bus info
• Indore City
• Indian Coins and Numismatics Forum, Indore
• Holkar Coins
• Coins and Manuscripts
• Premium Portal of indore - eIndore.com
• Indore Community Forum, Videos and Photo gallery of Indore
• 51 Things to do in Indore
• Useful Links for Indore and Around
• All India IT Association
• Impetus India
• North South Technologies
• HotWax Media Ltd.