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Indore
Metropolis
From top, left to right: Rajwada Palace, Daly College, Yeshwant Club , Holkar Stadium, Indore Airport, Indian Institute of Management Indore, IIT Indore, IT Crystal Park, Atal Bihari Regional Park, Patalpani waterfall
Nickname:  Street Food Capital of India[1][2]
Indore Location of Indore in Madhya Pradesh Show map of Madhya Pradesh Indore Indore (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 22°43′0″N 75°50′50″E / 22.71667°N 75.84722°E / 22.71667; 75.84722Coordinates: 22°43′0″N 75°50′50″E / 22.71667°N 75.84722°E / 22.71667; 75.84722
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
Region	Malwa
District	Indore
Ward	84 wards[3]
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Body	Indore Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Pushyamitra Bhargav[4] (BJP)
• District Collector	Dr. Ilayaraja T (IAS))[5]
• Municipal Commissioner	Pratibha Pal (IAS)[6]
• Member of Parliament	Shankar Lalwani
Area [7][8][9]
• Metropolis	525 km2 (203 sq mi)
• Metro	1,200 km2 (500 sq mi)
• Rank	7
Elevation	550 m (1,800 ft)
Population  (2011)[10]
• Metropolis	1,994,397
• Rank	14th
• Density	3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi)
• Metro [11][12]	2,170,295
• Metro rank	15th
Demonym	Indori
Time zone	UTC+5:30
PIN	4520XX
Telephone code	0731
Vehicle registration	MP-09
Official language	Hindi[13]
Effective literacy rate (2011)	85.5%[10]
HDI (2016)	0.755 (High)[14]
Sex ratio	Female 925 Male 1000[3]
Climate	Cwa / Aw (Köppen)
Precipitation	945 mm (37.2 in)
Avg. annual temperature	24.0 °C (75.2 °F)
Avg. summer temperature	41 °C (106 °F)
Avg. winter temperature	17 °C (63 °F)
GDP Nominal (Indore District)	Rs.64,813 Crores (2020–21)[15]
Website	imcindore.mp.gov.in

Indore (/ɪnˈdɔːr/ (listen)) is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.^[16] It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to encompass campuses of both the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management.^[17] Located on the southern edge of Malwa Plateau, at an average altitude of 553 meters (1,814 ft) above sea level,^[18] it has the highest elevation among major cities of Central India. The city is 190 km (120 mi) west of the state capital of Bhopal. Indore had a census-estimated 2011 population of 1,994,397 (municipal corporation)^[10] and 3,570,295 (urban agglomeration).^[11] The city is distributed over a land area of just 530 square kilometres (200 sq mi), making Indore the most densely populated major city in the central province.^[19] Indore is the cleanest city in India according to Swachh Survekshan Report 2022 sixth time in a row, conducted by MoHUA the world's largest urban sanitation and cleanliness survey.

Indore traces its roots to its 16th-century founding as a trading hub between the Deccan and Delhi. The city and its surroundings came under Maratha Empire on 18 May 1724 after Peshwa Baji Rao I assumed the full control of Malwa. During the days of the British Raj, Indore State was a 19 Gun Salute (21 locally) princely state (a rare high rank) ruled by the Maratha Holkar dynasty, until they acceded to the Union of India.^[20] Indore served as the capital of the Madhya Bharat from 1950 until 1956.

Indore's financial district, based in central Indore, functions as the financial capital of Madhya Pradesh and is home to the Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange.

Indore has been selected as one of the 100 Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under the Smart Cities Mission.^[21] It also qualified the first round of Smart Cities Mission and was selected as one of the first twenty cities to be developed as Smart Cities.^[22] Indore has been part of Swachh Survekshan since its inception and had ranked 25th in 2016.^[23] It has been ranked as India's cleanest city six years in a row as per the Swachh Survekshan for the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.^{[24][25][26][27]} Meanwhile, Indore has also been declared as India's first 'water plus' city under the Swachh Survekshan 2021. Indore became the only Indian city to be selected for International Clean Air Catalyst Programme. The project with cooperation of Indore Municipal Corporation and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, will be operated for a period of five years to purify the air in the city.

Etymology

Gupta inscriptions name Indore as 'Indrapura'.^[28] It is believed that the city is named after its Indreshwar Mahadev Temple, where Indra is the presiding deity.^[29] It is believed that Indra himself did Tapasya (meditation) in this place and led sage Swami Indrapuri to establish the temple. Later, Tukoji Rao Holkar who belonged to the Holkar clan of the Marathas and was the feudatory of Indore, renovated the temple.^[30]

History

Gupta Empire (Gupta Era)

Gupta Empire inscription mentions Indore as city/town of Indrapura in Gupta Indore Copper plate inscription dated 146 Gupta era or 465 CE.^[31] These are also some of the earliest mentions of Indore where the city is mentioned as 'Indrapura'.^[32] Indrapura (modern day Indore) was then known for its sun temple, where in 464–65 CE, Gupta king Skandagupta had made an endowment for the permanent maintenance of the city's sun temple. The temple was constructed by two merchants of the city – Achalavarman and Bhṛikuṇṭhasiṁha.^[28][33]

An early Gupta era inscription from ancient India. This is a photograph of a personal copy of plates published by John Fleet in 1888, with Inscriptions of the Early Gupta Kings And Their Successors, as a part of the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum series, Vol. 3

Holkar Era (Maratha Raj)

During the Mughal era, the area under the modern Indore district was equally divided between the administrations (sarkars) of Ujjain and Mandu. Kampel was the headquarters of a mahal (administrative unit) under the Ujjain sarkar of Malwa Subah (province). The area of the modern Indore city was included in the Kampel pargana (administrative unit).^[34]

In 1715, the Marathas invaded this region (Mughal territory) and demanded chauth (tax) from the Mughal Amil (administrator) of Kampel. The Amil fled to Ujjain, and the local zamindars agreed to pay Chauth to the Marathas. The chief zamindar, Nandlal Chaudhary (later known as Nandlal Mandloi), paid a chauth of around Rs. 25,000 to the Marathas. Jai Singh II, the Mughal Governor of Malwa, reached Kampel on 8 May 1715, and defeated the Marathas in a battle near the village. The Marathas came back in early 1716, and raided Kampel in 1717. In March 1718, the Marathas, led by Santaji Bhonsale, invaded Malwa again, but were unsuccessful this time.

By 1720, the headquarters of the local pargana were transferred from Kampel to Indore, due to the increasing commercial activity in the city. In 1724, the Marathas under the new Peshwa Baji Rao I, launched a fresh attack on the Mughals in Malwa. Baji Rao I himself led the campaign, accompanied by his lieutenants Udaji Rao Pawar, Malhar Rao Holkar and Ranoji Scindia. The Mughal Nizam met the Peshawar at Nalchha on 18 May 1724, and acceded to his demand of collecting chauth from the area. The Peshwa returned to the Deccan, but left Malhar Rao Holkar at Indore to oversee the chauth collection.

The Marathas maintained friendly relations with Nandlal Chaudhary, who held influence over the local Sardars (chiefs). In 1728, they defeated the Mughals decisively at Amphora, and consolidated their authority in the area over the next few years. On 3 October 1730, Malhar Rao Holkar was appointed as the Maratha chief of Malwa. The local zamindars, who had the title of Chaudhari, came to be known as Mandlois (after mandal, an administrative unit) during the Maratha reign. The Holkar dynasty of the Marathas, which controlled the region, conferred the title of Rao Raja upon the local zamindar family.^[35] After Nandlal died, his son Tejkarana was accepted as the Mandloi of Kampel by the Peshwa Baji Rao I. The pargana was formally granted to Malhar Rao Holkar by merging 28 and one-half Pargana by the Peshwa in 1733. The pargana headquarters were transferred back to Kampel during his reign. After his death, his daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar moved the headquarters to Indore in 1766. The tehsil of Kampel was converted into Indore tehsil by a change in the name.^[34] Ahilyabai Holkar moved the state's capital to Maheshwar in 1767, but Indore remained an important commercial and military center.

Princely State (Indore/Holkar State)

Ahalyabai Holkar is fondly remembered as a noble, saintly and courageous woman. She ruled the kingdom of Indore (which was then part of the wider Maratha Empire) for several decades. Her rule is remembered as a golden age in Indore’s history. From an agricultural background herself, she married Khande Rao, prince of Indore. Thereafter, she resided in the Royal Palace. Later, she was trained in statecraft and accompanied the army to war on many occasions. At that time the Maratha Empire (which was founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji Raje Bhonsale) was at the apex of its power. There were frequent battles and skirmishes, both against foreigners as well as internal feuds. In one such battle in 1754, Ahalyabai’s husband was killed. Her aged father-in-law (Malhar Rao) was shattered at the death of his son. He summoned Ahalyabai, who he loved deeply, and said: "You are now my son. I wish that you look after my kingdom".Malhar Rao Holkar died in 1766, 12 years after the death of his son Khande Rao. Malhar Rao's grandson and Khande Rao's only son Male Rao Holkar became the ruler of Indore in 1766, under Ahilya Bai's regency , but he too died within few months in April 1767. Ahilya Bai became the ruler of Indore after the death of her son with Khande Rao. Ahilya Bai was a great pioneer and builder of Hindu temples who constructed hundreds of temples and Dharmashalas throughout India. She is specially renowned for refurbishing and reconsecrating some of the most sacred sites of Hindu pilgrimage that had been desecrated and demolished in the previous century by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb including:

• Kashi Vishwanath Temple
• Ayodhya – Construction of Shri Rama Temple, Sarayu Ghat
• Badrinath – Construction of Shri Kedareshwar Temple and Hari Temple, Dharamshalas (at Rangdachati, Bidarchati, Vyasaganga, Tunganath, Pawali), construction of many kundas (at Gaurkund, Kundachatri), a garden and a kunda of warm water at Devprayag, pastoral land for cows
• Dwarka – Mohatajkhana, Pooja House and donation of some villages to the priests of the Dwarkadhish Temple
• Kedarnath – Dharmashala and Kund)
• Omkareshwar – Renovation of the temples of Mamaleshwar Mahadev, Amaleshwar and Trambakeshwar Temples, completing the construction of Gauri-Somnath temple, construction of a Dharmashala & pond, donation of a silver mask for adoration of the Shivalinga
• Rameswaram – Construction of Hanumana Temple, Shri Radha Krishna Temple, a Dharmashala, Well & Garden and many more.

In 1818, the Holkars were defeated by the British during the Third Anglo-Maratha War, in the Battle of Mahidpur by which the capital was again moved from Maheshwar to Indore. A residency with British residents was established at Indore, but Holkars continued to rule Indore State as a princely state mainly due to efforts of their Dewan Tatya Jog. During that time, Indore has established the headquarters of the British Central Agency. Ujjain was originally the commercial centre of Malwa. But the British administrators such as John Malcolm decided to promote Indore as an alternative to Ujjain because the merchants of Ujjain had supported anti-British elements.^[36]

In 1906 electric supply was started in the city, the fire brigade was established in 1909, and 1918, the first master-plan of the city was made by noted architect and town planner, Patrick Geddes. During the period of Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar II (1852–86) efforts were made for the planned development and industrial development of Indore. With the introduction of Railways in 1875, the business in Indore flourished during the reigns of Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar, Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar III and Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar.

• 

  Kashirao (Dada Saheb) Holkar KCSI (Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India), the elder brother of Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar II, receiving public recognition by the Viceroy, Lord Canning, in open durbar on 14 January 1861

• 

  Tukoji Rao Holkar II, Indore, from a drawing by Mr. W. Carpenter, Jun.," from the Illustrated London News, 1857

• 

  Tukoji Rao Holkar III, The Maharaja of Indore (1890-1978) by James Lauder, London

• 

  Investiture of His Highness The Maharaja Yeshwant Rao II Holkar Bahadur of Indore 9 May 1930

• 

  Ahilyabai Holkar 1996 stamp of India

The Holkar State Darbar (Court) was composed of many Jagirdars, Sardars, Istamuradars, Mankaris and Zamindars.^[37][38]

Post-independence

After India's independence in 1947, Holkar State, along with several neighboring princely states, acceded to the Indian Union. In 1948, with the formation of Madhya Bharat, Indore became the summer capital of the new state. On 1 November 1956, when Madhya Bharat was renamed/merged into Madhya Pradesh, the state capital was shifted to Bhopal. Indore, a city today of nearly 4.5 million (2018) residents, has been transformed from a traditional commercial urban centre into the modern dynamic commercial capital of the state.

Climate

Indore lies on a borderline between a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa) and a tropical savanna climate (Aw). Because of its high elevation and inland location even during the hottest months the nights are relatively cool, which is known as Shab-e-Malwa.^[39] Three distinct seasons are observed: summer, monsoon and winter. The coldest temperature was 1.1 °C (34.0 °F) in January 1936.^[40]

Indore gets moderate rainfall of 700 to 800 millimetres (28 to 31 in) during June–September due to the southwest monsoon.

Demographics

Indore is the most populous city in Madhya Pradesh. It is also the largest metropolitan city in Central India. According to the 2011 census of India, the population of Indore city (the area under the municipal corporation and outgrowths) was 1,994,397.^[10][46] The population of the Indore metropolis (urban agglomeration that includes neighboring areas) was 2,170,295.^[11] In 2011, the city had a population density of 25,170 people per square mile (9,718 per square km), rendering it the most densely populated of all the municipalities with population over 100,000 in Madhya Pradesh. As per the 2011 census, 1,502,775 were literates, which translates to 75.4% of the total population, with an effective literacy rate (of population 7 years and above) 85.5%, with male literacy of 89.8% and female literacy was 81.2%.^[10] The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes populations in 2011 were 309,229 and 54,075, respectively. The total number of households were 404711.^[10]

Religion

Majority of the population are Hindus (80.18%), followed by significant populations of Muslims (14.09%) and Jains (3.25%).^[47]

Languages

Hindi is the official language of Indore city, and is spoken by a majority of the population. A number of Hindi dialects such as Malvi, Nimadi and Bundeli are spoken in decent numbers.

Other languages with substantial number of speakers include Marathi, Urdu, Sindhi, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bengali.^{[48][49][50][51]}

According to 2012 figures, around 6,000 Pakistani Hindu migrants live in the city (out of a total 10,000 in the state).^[52]

Government and politics

Civic administration

Indore has a city government, or municipality, with a mayor-council form of government. In 1870, the first municipality was constituted in Indore. and Bakshi Khajan Singh was appointed chairman.^[53] Indore municipality became the first city to have an elected municipal government responsible for the welfare and growth of the city.^[53] In the year 1956, during the reorganization of states, Indore was included in Madhya Pradesh, and later that same year, was declared a municipal corporation.^[53]

Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) is spread over an area of 269 square km.^[8][54] The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) is a unicameral body consisting of 69 Council members whose districts are divided into 12 zones and these zones had been further divided into 69 wards defined by geographic population boundaries.^[55] In 2014, 29 villages were added into the fold of the municipality.^[56] In 2015, 23 more villages were added. After these inclusions, the number of wards went up to 85, and zones 19.^[8][57]

The mayor and councillors are elected to five-year terms. The municipal or local elections to Indore Municipal Corporation were last held in 2015.^[58][59] The next elections were to be held early in 2020, but as per a report from February 2020, these have not happened, although preparation of voter rolls and ward reservation happened later in July.^[60][61][62] The elected wing of the city government is headed by the Mayor and the incumbent Mayor is Pushya Mitra Bhargava. As per a report from the Free Press Journal, Indore was notified in 2018 for not having constituted ward committees.^[63] The executive wing is headed by Pratibha Pal, the municipal commissioner of Indore, who is also the first female commissioner of the city.^[64]

On 8 May 2020, the budget for of ₹ 4,763 crore for 2020–21 was approved for the civic body.^[65] Major sources of revenue for the municipality include collection of property tax, water tax, rent.^[66][67]

Indore municipality follows the guidelines as per the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporations Act 1956, as well as the Madhya Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1961.^[68] The IMC is responsible for public education, correctional institutions, libraries, public safety, recreational facilities, sanitation, water supply, local planning, and welfare services.

Representation in Parliament and State Assembly