I ndore was basically founded by the landlords in 1975, straddling the trade route on the valley of the Narmada river. Indore was formerly ruled by the Maratha Maharajas of the Holkar dynasty. The dynasty's founder, Malhar Rao Holkar, (1694-1766), was granted control of Maratha armies in Malwa in 1724, and in 1733, he was installed as the Maratha governor of the region. By the end of his reign, the Holkar state was de facto independent. He was succeeded by his daughter-in-law Ahilyabai. She ruled from a palace-fort at Maheshwar, south of Indore on the Narmada River . Ahilyabai was an architectural patron, who donated money for construction of Hindu temples across India . Under peace and prosperity natured by the great Queen Ahalyabai the trade prospered further from 1767 to 1795.

The area was given to Malhar Rao Holkar in 1733 by the Maratha Peshwas in appreciation of his widowed daughter-in-law who administered the area well and succeeded him to the throne, Indore was destroyed in 1801 but recovered and was the British headquarters of their Central India Agency. The ruling family of Indore , the House of Holkar, took the British side during the Mutiny in 1857. The Old Palace (Rajwada) with its 7-storeyed gateway faces the main square. On the North of it is the New Palace and garden. Presently Indore is the textile town on the banks of rivers Sarasvati and Khan. Indore is notable center of Hindustani classical music.

After India 's independence in 1947, Indore , together with a number of neighbouring princely states, became part of the Indian state of Madhya Bharat. Indore was designated the summer capital of this newly created state. On November 1, 1956, Madhya Bharat was merged into Madhya Pradesh, with Bhopal as the capital city.

State : Madhya Pradesh
District(s) : Indore
Coordinates : 22.42° N 75.54° E
Area : 3,898 km²
Elevation : 553 m
Time zone : IST (UTC+ 5:30 )
Population (2001): 1,835,915
Density : 471/km²
Codes : Postal :4520xx (001-018)
Telephone :+91-731
Vehicle : MP-09