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The city of Indore offers a spectacle of majestic palaces, historic temples, and other Maratha-era architectural marvels.
Royal Regalia
The 18th-century 1 Rajwada Palace, also popular as the Holkar Palace, is an interesting melange of Rajputana and Maratha architectural styles. The seven-storeyed building, built in 1747 CE by Malhar Rao Holkar, the founder of Holkar Dynasty, remained his residence until 1880 and is now a museum and monument of great significance. Having survived three massive fires, the building still stands strong with gilded columns, wooden doors, and arched balconies that run along the central courtyard. Not far from the palace, on the banks of River Khan, 2 Chhatri Bagh is a congregation of the royal cenotaphs of Indore.
Surrounded by lush lawns, the cenotaphs are adorned with exquisite carvings and connected by a prayer hall with life-sized statues of the rulers.
Spiritual Sojourn
The White Church, or 3 St. Ann’s Church, is a colonialera cathedral built of marble and white stone. Established in 1857, it remains one of the oldest and largest cathedrals in the state. Another allwhite monument, 4 ISKCON Indore ( iskconindore.com) is enchanting with its marble idols of Lord Krishna and his consort, Radha. The chants that echo in the premises can send you into a trance, and the prasad (offering) is good enough for you to stay until after the evening aarti. The 5 Gommatagiri Digambar Jain Temple, with its 21-ft-high statue of Gomateshwara (a revered figure among Jains) is worth visiting. 6 Geeta Bhawan is a religion-neutral space that welcomes everyone and its walls are donned with interesting murals and paintings. Built in pristine marble, the intricate 7 Kanch Mandir looks like a medieval mansion from outside, replete with canopied balconies and a tiered spire. Inside, every inch of the place is covered in mirrors. Mythological characters, hymns and chants, quotes and tales from the scriptures find a place on the walls of the temple.
Historical Landmarks
A few kilometres off the main city, 8 Lal Bagh Palace has European architectural influences, and spreads over 28 acres, with gates designed like that of London’s Buckingham Palace and the ceilings painted with nymphs and angels, flowers and creepers. Earlier known as the Town Hall, 9 Gandhi Hall was renamed after Gandhi’s assassination in 1948. Constructed in IndoGothic style, the imposing red building with onion domes, arched windows, and tall turrets also houses a clock tower, Ghanta Ghar.