INDORE TOURISM GUIDE: Guide for newbies who haven’t been to this vivacious city yet.

Touring Indore is a treat because it can take you from opulence to simplicity through every street and square. Now Indore’s tourism possibilities cannot be contained under the umbrella of MP Tourism. With Indore’s name being in some news or the other in the past years, a hike in tourism has been experienced, owning to which a new Indore Tourism Promotion Council has been recently established. If you by chance haven’t been to this vibrant city yet, here’s a systematic guide which will enable you to see what the city has to offer to a newbie tourist. But if you wish to seek the true essence of the city, you’ll need an eternity to peel off all its layers!

A historical palace built by the Holkar of the Maratha Empire, Rajwada palace projects the grandeur of Indore under a monarchy. The area around Rajwada palace is a hot-spot for shopping of all kinds, be it clothes, jewelry, crockery, cosmetics, stationery, etc. The market is usually abuzz with the daily flurry of vendors and the honkings of daily visitors and shoppers. Rajwada is considered the heart of Indore and is one of the main locations for Indoris to portray their happiness or dissent in forms of celebrations and protests.

Keeping in mind the Indoris and their love for food it is not a surprise that a food chaupati is a prime attraction of the city, one that has been here for more than 100 years. A gold market in the day, Sarafa turns into a food paradise at night with interconnected streets all hosting vendors who serve all kinds of varieties to fulfill every foodie’s fantasy. Sarafa stays alive well into the late-night up to 3 a.m. and sometimes even more. If you’ve been to Indore and haven’t been here, what did you actually see in this city then?

Initially created as a burial site for Holkar kings and queens, Chhatribagh has now been developed into a park with the monuments still standing tall and proving to be a popular spot for all those who love ancient architecture. Each chhatri in the park marks the burial site of a Holkar king or queen. In the evening all the canopies are lit and a beautiful fountain is set in motion. This is a common tourist destination.

A Jain temple built with glass, Kaanch Mandir started constructing in around 1903 under the sponsorship of Seth Hukumchand a powerful and wealthy businessman of Indore. The interior of KanchMandir is entirely covered by glass panels and mosaics; including the floor, columns, walls and the ceilings. Seth Hukumchand hired craftsmen from Jaipur and some even from Iran to work on the temple. The ornamentation follows the old and medieval Jain style, with the major innovation being the use of multicolored glass and mirrors.

The Lal Bagh Palace was built by Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar in 1886-1921. The opulence and grandeur of its interiors and construction could not even be resisted by the Bollywood mega minds. The palace was used as a location in the movie Kalank a classic Karan Johar production, directed by Abhishek Verman. With daunting entrance gates that are a replica of Buckingham Palace, shipped from England to the state of art decorations of columns and chandeliers of the Palace of Versailles, Persian carpets and exquisite craftsmanship the palace takes us to a time of riches and magnificent luxury.

Established in 1974 in just 17 acres of land, Indore zoo now has about 52 acres of land under it. Fully maintained by the Indore Municipal Corporation, Kamla Nehru PraniSangrahalaya is one of the major tourist attractions of the city, keeping in mind the recent developments and cleanliness campaigns promoted by the authorities. It is a single-use plastic-free zone, serving water in copper tumblers to the visitors. The zoo premises are well kept and maintained and recent attractions like Butterfly Park and mirror house.

A quaint museum in Indore, the Central Royal Museum is famous for sculptures, paintings, thrones, and artifacts belonging to the 19th century under the rule of Serfoji II. The Museum was established on October 1, 1929, used to collect and preserve the antiquities founded in the region of the former Holkar State. It is also known as the Central Museum.

The Ralamandal Wildlife sanctuary is the oldest sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh, housing deers, and birds for all wildlife lovers. It has an amazing hiking trail and the top of the Ralamandal hill gives a spectacular view of the entire city. The top also has a fully constructed museum waiting to open. Ralamandal is the perfect spot to keep you close to nature and take you away from the chaos of the city.

A grand doorway constructed in the iconic reign of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, Jaam Gate was constructed in Mhow to fortify the Indore- Mandleshwar Highway in the year 1970- 1971. It is a popular tourist attraction close to Indore with exotic views of flora all around with a mesmerizing waterfall sat amongst the bypassing roadway route. The monsoon season gives away the perfect allure of the Jaam Gate with misty fog and clouds close and within reach. And if you are lucky enough you might find a lazy panther lounging around the woods near the monument!