Indore
From Free net encyclopedia
Indore 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 of Madhya Pradesh. Indore is the administrative headquarters of 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.
History
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. His daughter-in-law "Ahilyabai Holkar", succeeded him, ruling from 1767 to 1795. She ruled from a palace-fort at Maheshwar, south of Indore on the Narmada River. Ahilya Bai Holkar was an architectural patron, who donated Hindu temples across India. In 1818, the Holkars were defeated by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, and the Holkar kingdom became part of the British Raj. As a result of this loss in the Battle of Mahidpur, the treaty of Mandsaur was signed and 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 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, with Bhopal as the capital city. Template:Seealso
Indore today
Today Indore is the commercial and educational capital of MP 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, etc. The electronics complex in the city also houses offices of some of the top IT companies in the country. Indore is also a major educational center in MP 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 hospital in India, Bombay Hospital recently opened a new branch 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.
Sight-seeing
- Rajwada. In the heart of Indore city. A must see for all visitors to Indore.
- Krishnapura Chhatries. By the banks of the much polluted Khan river. Walking distance from Rajwada.
- Devlalikar Art Gallery. On MG Road. Not far from Rajwada. Is open only at select times.
- 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. 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
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Sumitra Mahajan | Has been the member of parliament (MP) from Indore constituency since 1989. She belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. |
| Colonel C.K. Nayudu | The first Indian Test Captain in cricket. He led the team against England in 1935-36. |
| 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. |
| Digvijay Singh | Member of the Congress (I). Former Chief Minister of MP for two five year terms. One of the most popular politicians all over India. Former student of the SGSITS Engineering College of Indore. |
| P.C. Sethi | Former CM of MP and former Union Cabinet Minister. |
| M.F. Hussain | Controversial artist (painter) who spent his childhood in Indore. |
| N.S.Bendre | Eminent artist (painter) born in Indore in 1910. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Kailash Shahara | Chairman of the Ruchi group of companies. He had established the first soyabean processing plant in India. Has been chairman of SOPA (Soyabean Processors Association of India) for two consecutive terms. |
| Vijayendra Ghatge | Member of the former ruling family and Bollywood star. |
| 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 | Was captain of the Indian Hockey team in the 1948 London Olympics. Lives in Mhow. |
| 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 India cricketer. |
| Narendra Hirwani | Former India cricketer. |
| Sandhya Agarwal | Former India cricketer and member of the women's cricket team. |
Food
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.
Weather
Winter
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.
Summer
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.
Rainfall
Indore gets moderate rainfall of 30 to 35 inches (760 to 890 mm) during July-September due to the southwest monsoon.
Educational institutions
Devi Ahilya University
The University of Indore is known as Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya(or DAVV). Official Website
Holkar Science College
Official WebsiteIIM Indore
The sixth and the youngest of the IIMs opened in 1998. Official Website
RRCAT
Raja Rammana Center of Advanced Technology (RRCAT) in Indore is a Research and development (R&D) center of Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC). It is mainly famous for research in the field of nuclear energy and elecron accelerators. Official Website.
SGSITS
Shri Govindram Seksaria Institute of Technology and Science (SGSITS) is an engineering college over 50 years old, and among the top most in India. Established in 1952, the institute offers Bachelor of Engineering Degree in 9 disciplines including Electronics and Telecommunication, Computer Science and Biomedical Enginering. It also offers Masters of Engineering in certain core areas like Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, etc.Official Website
M.G.M. Medical College
It is one of the oldest in the country. It imparts under-graduate and graduate courses in all the specialties for more than 50 years. Official Website
The Daly College
In 1869, Lt. General Sir Henry D. Daly, who had earlier commanded central India horse and hodson’s horse, was appointed the governor general’s agent for Central India. In 1870, the Rajput, Maratha, Bundela and Muslim chiefs of central India were motivated by Sir Henry into establishing a school, that would provide a British education to their sons. The Daly College, established in 1882, is situated on a sprawling 120 acre lush green campus majestic with a white marble building designed in the Indo-Saracenic style. Official Website
ACMV
The Government Ahilya Ashram & Chandravati Mahila Multipurpose Higher Secondary School (also known an ACMV) was established in 1912 by the rulers of Indore, "Maharaja Tukujee Rao Holkar" and "Maharani Chandravati Holkar". Dr Anant Sukhtankar was the first principal. ACMV started with 15 students. It currently has about 1800 girl students. Students can choose from English or Hindi Medium.
Choithram Group
IET-DAVV
The University College of Engineering provides engineering education in 5 engineering disciplines: Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, Electronics and Instrumentation, Information Technology, and Mechanical Engineering. Official Website
IPS Academy
The IPS Academy is one of the most popular school & college of Indore. It located in Rajendra Nagar. In IPS 45 courses are conducted like MCA, MBA, AICTE approved engineering degree programs: Computer Sc, Electronics & TC, Electrical, Textile Technology, Information Technology, Instrumentation & Control. Official website
IIPS
The International Institute of Professional Studies (IIPS) is a technical and management institution for teaching and research. Official Website
Malwa Institute of Technology
The Malwa Institute of Technology was established in 2004, and is situated in Nipania, in front of Delhi Public School. The institute provides B.E. in electronics and telecommunication, electrical and electronics, computer science engineering, and mechanical engineering, and B.Pharma degrees.
SVITS
The journey of SVITS (Shri Vaishnav Institute of Technology & Science) started in 1995 with 3 graduate programs and less than 200 students. Over 10 years SVITS has grown in to a major academic institution with more than 1500 students and 6 AICTE approved engineering degree programs: Computer Sc, Electronics & TC, Electrical, Textile Technology, Information Technology, Instrumentation & Control. Shri Vaihnav Shaikshanik and Parmarthik Trust, which was established in 1981 under the auspices of Shri Vaihnav Sahayak kapda market committee established this institute in 1884. Official Website
St. Paul Higher Secondary School
St. Paul Higher Secondary School is a school located in the city of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. It is located on the Boundary Road and offers higher secondary school education from classes VI (sixth) to XII (twelfth). Official Website
The Emerald Heights International School
This school is famous for its Extra curricular activities & Sports programmes, State of the art Shooting gallery, Cricket Ground, Tennis Court & Swiming Pool of International standered. Official website
M.I.T.M Indore
The college was founded by Mr. R. C. Mittal (Chairman of Medicaps Limited) in 2000 with the aim of poineering in the technical knowledge. Only after 5 year of its establishment this college is recognized as one of the best engineering college of Indore. Official website
See also
External links
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