Best of Indore in a day

ind My train journey to Indore was eventful as rest of my trip to Madhya Pradesh. I happened to share my compartment with three staunch Indoris. I might sound like stereotyping here but please do not get me wrong. What I actually mean here is the fact that like each person born and brought up in Indore, they just loved their city….its culture, flavour, political parties, governance and everything you can name under the sky…. It was amazing to get chatty with them. They literally gave me a virtual walking tour of the in and around of their favourite city, Indore. Manish, one of the fellow co-passengers had shared the interesting fact that Lord Indra (King of Gods in Hindu Mythology) is believed to be the presiding deity of Indore. So the city was named Indrapur after him. Maratha rule followed by British Invasion saw the city change its name from Indur to as we know now, Indore.

Amazing wall art on Indore streets and railway station

I guess my fellow passengers were pretty shocked on learning my plans for covering the famous Jyotirling Omkareshwar and the temple town of Maheshwar in a day before heading back to Indore by night fall. But awake and alive after this particular trip, I was now all set to explore the wonders of Indore in just a day. Well readers why do I see a question mark on your faces?…Yeah…yeah friends I understand your worry. And I completely agree that it is next to impossible to experience and cherish the real flavours of a city in just a day…but where is the harm in relishing a juicy slice of such a wonderful city nevertheless ?

Popular-Poha-Jalebi — An Indian postal stamp dedicated to the love of Indori Poha Jalebi 🙂

Thanks to my lovely co-passengers those I had met on the train and few of my dear friends those who hail from Indore, my itinerary for the day was overflowing with must do things, places to visit and areas to shop from and eat at.

So the adventure of this beautiful day happened something like this …but of course after a yummy breakfast of Indore special Poha Jalebi first at Chappan Dukan.

KHAJRANA GANESH TEMPLE –
Ganesh idol at Khajrana Ganesh Temple

An early morning auto ride from my hotel brought me to this revered Swayambhu (self-manifested) Ganesha(Lord of new beginnings and success) Temple. The locals believe that a pandit named Mangal Bhatt had a vision of a statue of Lord Ganesha resting in a well. He informed of his dream to the then ruling Queen Ahilyabai Holkar who excavated the well and installed the recovered statue in a temple that was built in 1735.From just a tiny temple to a conglomerate of temples dedicated to different deities, today the temple premise is quite spread out.Everyone from Indore will tell you that if you pray with a pure heart, your wish will invariably get fulfilled here. And if you ask me, there is some positivity, some genuine divine grace that one can sense when one is in front of the Ganapati murti(statue) with graceful diamond studded eyes.

Temple location: Ganeshpuri Main Rd, Ganeshpuri, Khajrana, Indore

LAL BAUG PALACE:
Darbaar Hall at Lal Baug Palace

Getting off the bus, my parched throat urged my thirsty body to relish a gulp of coconut water at a vendor’s by the palace boundary. Soothing my soul off the scorched heat I walked up to the grand palace gate of Indore’s Royal family. These cast iron gates with the Holkar dynasty emblem on them were imported from England and are the smaller version of Buckingham Palace gates. After quite a bit of walk from the gates, I could see a huge white mansion clearly influenced by European architecture surrounded by lovely gardens. The palace grounds once had one of the best red rose gardens in India. And so the name ‘Lal Baug’ which translates to ‘Red Garden’ got associated with the palace. The Lalbaug palace sans any rose gardens today looked just fine; nothing fantabulous to die for atleast from the outside. Anyways, now that I was there I got myself an entry ticket of a nominal amount of Rs.10 and stepped inside. And in an instant I felt teleported to some palace in Europe. An entrance hall decked up with Italian marble walls and columns welcomes one here onto series of exquisite rooms decorated tastefully with elegant Persian carpets, Greek sculptures, grand chandeliers, Belgian stained glass windows, plaster swags with decorative motifs and beautiful paintings on the room ceilings. Few room ceilings are even painted with real gold paint! There are dining rooms made to fit a king, one made completely of sandalwood another with Ivory!!

Sandalwood dining Hall

Centralised music system and a spring supported bouncy ballroom cum Badminton court are amongst many built in facilities which were used for the entertainment of the royal family and their guests!!!This three storeyed garden palace by the river Saraswati is an epitome of the opulence and grandeur that the later Holkars indulged in. The ornate interiors of the Lal Baug Palace is the biggest lure that makes it a must visit when you are in the city of Indore.

Palace Location: Lal Baug Garden,Nai Duniya, Revenue Colony, Indira nagar, Indore

Visiting hours: 10 am to 5pm except on Mondays

How to reach: From Khajrana temple take auto/Chakda to Bengali Chouraha. From there get on bus number 9, run by AiCTSL (going towards Suryadev nagar).Get down at Lal Baug .The palace is at a walking distance from here.

DIGAMBER JAIN KAANCH MANDIR-
The Kaanch Mandir entrance

A leading business magnate from pre-independence era, Seth Hukam Chand Jain who was nicknamed ‘The Cotton Prince of India’ commissioned an impressive Kaanch Mandir (Glass Temple) in 1903.Artisans from Rajasthan and Iran toiled to make his dream temple a reality. The temple exterior copies traditional haveli (mansion) architecture with artistic overhanging balconies while the temple interior dazzles with the floor, ceiling, doors, knobs, pillars and walls all embellished with mosaic of mirrors and colourful glasses. The surround reflections of the temple deity all around through the infinite number of glasses glowing in the light from the glass chandeliers and lanterns truly seems to summon onto the omnipresence essence of the divine.

kaanch mandir 1 — The sparkling interiors of Kaanch Mandir

Mandir Location: Digambar Jain Kanch Mandir, Hukumchand Marg, Beside Sheesh Mahal, Itwaria Bazaar, Indore

RAJWADA,The Holkar Palace –
View from the balcony of Rajwada

A walking distance from Kaanch Mandir stands the unofficial symbol of Indore, the seven storeyed majestic facade of Rajwada. Built nearly two centuries ago by Malhar Rao Holkar I of Maratha dynasty, Rajwada served as the epicentre of Holkar rule for many generations. The palace is a neat amalgamation of Maratha, Mughal and French architecture. The first three floors are stone-made and the upper ones are done in wood. Inside the gates the palace opens up to an airy courtyard with grand galleries, ornate windows and balconies. When I was visiting most of the palace was being renovated by Madhya Pradesh government.

At the Holkar Trust premise of Rajwada

A small part of this palace is still maintained by Holkar family’s trust. This recently renovated portion has been converted into a Museum done beautifully depicting the Shiva temple Rani Ahilyabai prayed-in along with lineage, photographs, weapons and other artifacts of the royal family.

A replica of Queen Ahilyabai’s temple
Krishnapura Chhatris –
A Cenotaph at Krishnapura Chhatri

Just a stone’s throw away from Rajwada, on the banks of river Kahn are 3 Chhatris (An ornate memorial built over the site where an important person has been cremated) and 5 cenotaphs to commemorate the departed members of Holkar royal Family. Usually not topping the charts of a tourist to the city, this place needs to be visited to appreciate the tasteful Maratha architecture. The marvellously carved chhatris made out of different types of colour coordinated stones and adorned with many sculptures of the rulers, god, goddess, soldiers, musicians and courtiers is truly a delight to watch.

The beautiful carvings at Khrishnapura Chhatris

Address: Mahatma Gandhi Rd, Rajwada, Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holker Cloth Market, Indore

Sarafa Market-
Trip to the city of Indore is incomplete unless one bites into the endless flavours of the city. I have never ever found a person from Indore not obsessing over their age old legendary culinary delicacies. So I too arrived at Sarafa market to explore Indore’s street food culture. Situated near Rajwada, Sarafa is a jewellery market by the day but is renowned instead for the yummilicious snacks exclusively available here.

Delicious ‘Bhutte ka kees’ at Sarafa Market

My hungry tummy started the food tour from the famous ‘Joshiji ke Dahiwade’ where I did gobble up a plate of soft delicious dahi vade .But more than the dish it is the visual delight to watch Joshiji prepare a dish of dahi vade for you flipping the vade with curd high up in the air without spilling a drop and next sprinkle five condiments with a single finger without mixing them. It looks more like a magic show seeing one’s plate getting ready in the artistic hands of the shop owner. Next at Joshiji’s I tried Bhutte ka kees, an unique dish made of grated fresh corn that made many flavours of sweet, salty and tinge of sourness to explode simultaneously on my taste buds.

Winter delicacy:Spicy Garadu

And this was just the beginning …I next tried Garadu, a chaat made of deep fried yam with sprinkle of chaat masala and a little zest of lemon. Garadu and Ratalu are winter special dishes made of deep fried yam-A must try sizzling snack in the shivering chills of Indore.

Khopra Pattis 🙂

My next stop was Vijay Chat house at Sarafa where I tried their speciality Khopra pattis (Deep fried mashed potato ball-shaped patties with a stuffing made of grated coconut, chilli & ginger. The patties are served with a tangy date chutney & green chutney.)Stomach almost filled to the brim and heart still yearning for a bit more I headed towards Nagori Shikanji .

Enjoying Shikanji at Nagori’s

Nirvikar Nagori, the college going next generation owner of the shop proudly suggested me to try their best shikanji made of milk and dry fruits. Yes my friends… Shikanji in Indore has absolutely nothing to do with water or lemons. Despite that it is a must try dessert for sure. Finishing my Shikanji I was wondering where to get my share of Indori sev … Actually Sev is kind of staple diet to the Indoris!!! So when visiting Indore…I had to get my share of Sev as well. Question was from where. Thanks to Nirvikar; I was referred to Ratan Namkeen that had zillion types of delicious Sev. With my packets of souvenir sev for family and friends I decided to put a full stop on my day’s munching and head out for some more souvenirs 😛 .And finally I ended my day by purchasing one Maheshwari and Chanderi saree as souvenirs from Mrignayni MP state emporium

The lustre of Chanderi Silk Sarees

Over the years Indore as the commercial hub of Madhya Pradesh has added many glory feathers to its cap – The city’s rise to prominence during the illustrious Holkar rule, being India’s first state to have maintained toll roads to telephone connections, country’s only city to have an IIT (Indian Institute of Technology) and an IIM (Indian Institute of Management) to being adjudged India’s cleanest city for the third straight year in the central government’s cleanliness survey….Indore sure is an eclectic city. To many, Indore is a hub for delicious food but a day in the city made me realize that Indore represents a lot more ….of art, culture, handicraft, architecture, history and tourism. Indore lives on as a vibrant city that genuinely upholds the spirit of unity in diversity.

A beautiful wall painting celebrating Indore’s hat-trick of being adjudged India’s cleanest city

Hey Friends!!!Hold on…This time I have a gift for each one of you from Indore. Presenting to you, the recipe of an Indore speciality – ‘Bhutte ka kees’

Take a bowl full of fresh corn kernels.
Coarsely grind the corn kernels in grinder and keep aside
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan or wok.
Add 1/4^th teaspoon of mustard seeds and add ½ teaspoon of Cumin seeds .Let them crackle
Next Add 1 teaspoon green chilli and ginger paste and to this add 7-10 fresh curry leaves. Mix well
Add a pinch of Asafoetida to the pan along with 1/4^th teaspoon each of turmeric and red chilli powder and mix well
Now add the grated corn to the mix
Saute the spices with the grated corn for 3 minutes on low flame
Add ½ cup water to this. For creamier composition ½ cup of milk can be added instead of water
Add salt and sugar to attain a balance sweet and salty taste
Simmer for few minutes till corn paste becomes slightly dry
Add some lemon juice to the pan to make the dish sweet salty with a tinge of sour