Enroute to one of India's oldest pilgrimage Mahakaal at Ujjain on river Kshipra and to Omkareshwar on the river Narmada and onwards to Rameshwaram, Indore is a convenient resting place. Recently the remains of a Buddhist Stupa were discovered in excavations in the eastern suburbs of Indore, taking its history to the early Christian era. Earlier a part of the Mauryan and Gupta empires, it later formed a part of the flourishing Paramour kingdom of Malwa and the sultanate of Mandu.

    
    Shivaji once passed through Indore while escaping the Mugals from Agra. After the break up of Mugal empire, Malwa became an open gateway for the Maratha armies to North India. Their army transit camps here attracted the local Zamindars (landlords) who, drawn by the promise of lucrative trade, settled in the villages on the confluence of the Khan and Saraswati rivers, thereby laying the foundation of this commerce centre in 1715. In 1741, Temple of Indreshwar was erected in the town, from which it derives its name Indore. Next>>>>