Indore district General information

Indore District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The district derived its name from the city of Indore,which serves as its administrative headquarters. This district is part of Indore Division.

Geography

The Indore District is bounded by the districts of Ujjain to the north, Dewas to the east, Khargone (West Nimar) to the south, and Dhar to the west.

Rivers and Lakes

Two main rivers are Chambal at the west (which originates from Vindhya range south of Mhow) and Kshipra, a tributary of Chambal at the east. Other small rivers include Gambhir and Khan, two tributaries of Kshipra.

Cities and Towns

Indore is the administrative centre and chief city of the district. Mhow is an important cantonment town in Indore District, it has three of the Indian Army's premier training institutes. The Border Security Force (BSF) has its Central School of Weapons and Tactics (CSWT) at Indore. Other towns are Depalpur and Sanwer.

    * The Indore Collector is Mr.rakesh srivastav

Demography

The district has an area of 3,898 km². Population of the district is 2,585,321, out of which, male population is 1,352,849 and female population is 1,232,472 (2001 census). A 41% increase has taken place from its 1991 population of 1,830,870. Total literacy rate is 74.82% (male 84.71% and female 63.96%) (2001 census).

Division

Indore district consists of 4 Tehsils: Depalpur, Sanwer, Indore and Mhow. Number of Blocks in the district is also 4 (consisting of 36 Police Stations). There are total 335 Panchayats and 649 villages in these 4 blocks.Rojadi is one of them which is the first village in which every house has power cabel direct to the transformer so no bijali chori there

There is one Lok Sabha constituency in this district. The member of Lok Sabha in Parliament from Indore is Smt. Sumitra Mahajan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She is member of Parliament since 1989 CE. There are nine Vidhan sabha constituencies in this District. They are Indore I to V, Rau, Depalpur, Mhow and Sawer. Rau was newly added before November 2008 state election. Also Mhow tehsil will be now part of Dhar Lok Sabha seat.

Tourist Place

Lalbagh Palace: The Lalbagh Palace of the Holkars on the banks of the Khan river is one of the grandest monuments the Holkar dynasty left to Indore city. A reflection of their taste, grandeur and life style, its construction began in 1886 under Tukoji Rao Holkar II, and was carried out in three phases, the final phase completed in 1921 under Tukoji Rao Holkar III.

Khajrana: Many citizens of Indore have a great faith in this Ganesh temple made by Ahilya Bai. They believe that praying here fulfils one's wishes. Nearby is the dargah of Nahar Sayed. It is believed that his headless body is buried here. This is an important pilgrimage place of Naita Muslims.

Annapurna Mandir: Inspired by the Meenakshi temple of Madurai, four life size elephants hold an ornately decorative gate in plaster. Inside the complex, apart from the main temple of Annapurna Devi are also temples of Shiva, Kal Bhairav, and Hanuman. There is also a pravachan hall. The outer wall of the main temple is decorated with colourful reliefs from mythological stories.

Bada Ganapati: Better known for its size than antiquity, this temple houses perhaps the largest Ganesh idol in the world, measuring 25 ft. from crown to foot. Created as a result of a dream to an Avantika (Ujjain) resident Shri Dadhich, it was built in 1875. The idol has a most interesting configuration of ingredients: bricks, lime stone, masala made of Gud, methi dana, soil collected from seven moksha puris: Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika, and Dwaraka, mud from stables of horse, elephant and cow, the powder of Pancharatna : heera, panna, moti, manek and pukhraj (diamond, emerald, pearl, ruby and topaz) and the holy water from all major places of pilgrimage. The metalic frame is of gold, silver, copper, brass and iron.

The Krishnapura Chhatris: These are exquisite cenotaphs of the three later Holkar rulers. These memorials in stone are gracefully poised on the banks of the Khan river with their pyramidal spires tapering into soaring kalashas. These are memorials built on the cremation spots of the Holkar rulers of Indore. Facing west is the cenotaph built over the ashes of another woman ruler of Malwa, Maharani Krishnabai. The other two Chhatris are of Tukoji Rao II and Shivaji Rao, father and son, and are linked by a common oblong prayer hall with ornately carved arches and pillars on a high platform along the garbha grihas containing life size statues of these rulers. A breathtaking sight at night when illuminated, the Chhatris glow etherally against the dark of the sky. An artificial lake is created in this stretch of the otherwise dry Khan river, complete with a fountain, well laid gardens on both banks and boating facility.

Kanch Mandir: The Kanch Mandir (Glass Temple) which is a jain mandir (temple) is a marvel in glass. This temple was built by the "Cotton King" Sir Hukamchand Seth in the early 20th century. The walls, ceiling, floor, pillars, doors are entirely inlaid with glass. The mirrorwork reflects minute detailing. There are paintings done in coloured glass which depict stories from Jain scriptures. At the top is a special glass chamber which multiplies the three statues of Lord Mahavir installed there, into an infinite number.

Holkar Palace (Rajwada): is close to the Chhatris, in the main square in the heart of the city. It is a seven storied building (only facade remains) built over two centuries ago. This historic palace of the Holkars is built in a mixture of Maratha, Mughal and French style.The gopura-like monumental stone and wood structure, flanked by bastions and studded with balconies and windows, is a testimony of the past grandeur of the Holkars.Its lofty entrance archway above a huge wooden door encrusted with iron studs, leads into a vast courtyard enclosed by galleried rooms, and the arcaded Ganesh Hall where state and religious functions were once held.It is now used for art exhibitions and classical music concerts. The lower three floors are made of stone and the upper floors are made of wood, which made it very vulnurable to destruction by fire. Rajwada was burnt three times in its history, and the last one in 1984 was the most devastating. The charred rubble of the rear portion has now given way to a symmetrically laid out garden featuring fountains, an artificial waterfall and some superb pieces of eleventh century sculpture.