Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is consistently ranked as the cleanest city in India. It serves as the headquarters of both the Indore District and the Indore Division. It is also considered as the state education hub and houses campuses of both the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Institute of Management. Located on the southern edge of Malwa Plateau, at an average altitude of above sea level, it has the highest elevation among major cities of Central India. The city is west of the state capital of Bhopal. It is 57 km (35 mi) from Ujjain and 35 kms (20 mi) from Dewas. Indore had a census-estimated 2011 population of 1,994,397 (municipal corporation) and 3,570,295 (urban agglomeration). The city is distributed over a land area of just , making Indore the most densely populated major city in the central province.
Modern-day Indore traces its roots to its 16th-century founding as a trading hub between the Deccan and Delhi. It was founded on the banks of the Kanh and Saraswati rivers. The city came under the 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. Indore served as the capital of the Madhya Bharat from 1950 until 1956.
Indore functions as the financial capital of Madhya Pradesh and was home to the Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange till its derecognition in 2015.
Indore has been selected as one of the 100 Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under the Smart Cities Mission. It also qualified in the first round of Smart Cities Mission and was selected as one of the first twenty cities to be developed as Smart Cities. Indore has been part of the Swachh Survekshan since its inception and had ranked 25th in 2016. 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. Meanwhile, Indore has also been declared as India's first 'water plus' city under the Swachhta Survekshan 2021. Indore became the only Indian city to be selected for International Clean Air Catalyst Programme. The project, with cooperation of the Indore Municipal Corporation and the 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'. It is believed that the city is named after its Indreshwar Mahadev Temple, where Indra is the presiding deity. 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.
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. These are also some of the earliest mentions of Indore where the city is mentioned as 'Indrapura'. 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.
Holkar Era (Maratha Empire)
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).
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.