INCREDIBLE
INDORE!
20th October, 2016, Indore: Indore-
Commercial City of Madhya Pradesh. I got an opportunity to visit this majestic
city for a squash tournament! Following is the quick-read of what I did in
Indore:
v 1st
Day: Arrive at Indore by 09:30 HRS and had the most famous recipe as my
breakfast: INDORI POHA!
v Visit
to Asia’s tallest Ganapati Idol at Bade Ganapati Temple. Followed by malls like
Treasure Island and watching Inferno.
v Artificial
look-alike temple: Vaishnava Devi Temple. In the evening explored Hinkargiri
and Bijasan, Jain and Hindu Pilgrim places.
v 2nd
Day: Went to Daly College, Red Church, White Church and the most famous Indore
temple: Khajrana Temple. Also passed by The Great Corridor Road!
v Luckily
explored JATRA, an evening fest which happens once in a year, dinner at an
ambience filled restaurant Guru Kripa.
v 3rd
Day: Pitra Parvat and a climb up to the biggest Hanuman Statue, Gomatgiri, a
jain worship place.
v Evening
at Ram Mandir which literally has Ram written throughout the temple. 56 Dukan
and Laxmi Narayan milk centre.
v 4th
Day: Visited a school and tried out the local transportation: City Bus!
v Cloth shopping Street and also visited The
Mirror Temple.
v Departure
from Indore at 16:25 HRS.
I stayed in Indore from
21st to 24th of October. Connectivity is no problem,
because Indore is well connected to the other major cities in India. I boarded
The Avantika Express from Mumbai to Indore and vica-versa. Reaching in the morning,
at 9:30 I didn’t waste any time of the day. I ate the famous and delicious
Indori Poha at Anna Bhaiya Shop. I have my relatives staying there, therefore
accommodation was no problem. But Indore has a range of hotels, so staying is
no worry.
People there have a habit
of eating the lunch early and not like me or people from city having food at
2:00pm or 3:00pm. I ate Lunch early and started exploring Indore by 11:30 AM!
My cousin knows every interesting place of Indore, so we commenced. Up first
was The Bade Ganpati Temple! Indeed I was not too surprised to see the Huge
Ganpati Idol, being watching The Lalbaughcha Raja for years. But yes this
Ganpati has been there for more than 100 years which is interesting.
Later
on, we went to Treasure Island Mall, which is made upon the City concept. Also
watched the movie Inferno at a local cinema. While returning we went to The Vaishnava
Devi Temple. Oh My God! It is seriously the best look-alike temple I have seen.
You get to experience how it feels to go to the actual temple in the north of
India. The cold temperature, low heights, crawling, etc. are the stages to
reach the actual temple inside. For sure, a must visit Temple of Indore.
Jain Temple |
In the evening to experience the most peaceful places of Indore we went
to two pilgrim places near the Indore Airport. Hinkargiri, the Jain worship
place was at a bit higher altitude offering cool and peaceful atmosphere. It
offered great scenic view of the Airport Runway and also of the whole city. Also the carvings of these temples are
immense. Later we went to Bijasan which
is on the same way. It was lit up with lights and there were a lot of people.
The Airport looks great as well- The Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport! The roads
opposite to it are transformed and lit up. Day1 ends.
carvings |
Hindu Temple |
New Day New Tasks! I had a match at
Daly College, Daly College is not a college nor a university, it is a school!
In every sense it appears to be a royal university with all facilities
available. I was wonderstruck to see only students from std 1-12 in it!
Regardless of losing the match narrowly, I found amusement in the rest of my
journey. We then went to The Red Church and The White Church. They are huge and
peaceful. Next up, we went to The
Khajrana Temple. They are really famous for they attract tourist from faraway
lands. All the famous people who come to Indore, make it a point to visit it.
The temple has huge water purifiers installed and various shops. The Temple is believed
to possess superpowers (I am never concerned about that). We reached home by
driving through The Great Corridor Road which is like a Speedy Highway.
Red Church |
Khajrana Temple |
In the evening dining was at Guru Kripa Restaurant, which is really
amazing. It lures many local people due its fine ambience. I also got to see
The Jatra Fest and Sarafa Food Street. Great Day!
Day 3 was filled with roaming, roaming and roaming. Firstly we visited
The Pitra Parvat. Climbing our way up to the Biggest Hanuman Statue I have ever
seen. Apart from the statue, the hill has got trees and plants planted by
people long years ago with their names mentioned below each tree. A really
innovative concept! Afterwards we went to Gomatgiri to see captivating scenery
and Big Mahaveer Statue.
Hanuman Statue at Pitra Parvat |
Evening was the best part. We went to the extreme part of the city to a
Ram Temple near Vaibhav Nagar. This Ram Temple is the most unique one I have
ever come across. First we need to write the Lords Name “RAM” 108 times on a
paper, this paper then gets used to make up another recycled statue. The Priest
only then allows to have a look in the temple. The ceiling, the walls and every
other place in the temple has RAM inscribed on it. Really sensational! The
temple is also one temple that even worships Ravana, the Lord of Lanka. As an
Indian, I would definitely say that is one of the greatest temple that I have
seen.
Ceiling with Ram written |
Ram Inscribed Everywhere |
Ravana |
We then went to 56 Dukaan (Chappan Dukan) as they say (56 stores). Indore
offers one of the best vegetarian food dishes, snacks and much more. Endless
number of unique dishes are found in Indore, that is why I love Indorian food.
We also went to drink the world famous milk from Laxmi Narayan Milk Centre
which remains open from 7 in the evening to 3 in the early morning. The milk
was fantastic coupled with Jalebi, a round Indian Sweet. Long Day!
56 Dukan- Food Stalls looks like a Festival. |
Milk Centre |
The 4th day was my time to say a Bye to Indore but Indore had
some more plans for me. I went to a School and used the Local Transportation to
come back. The City Bus is decent but yes the transportation in Indore lacks
numbers and proper service like other metropolitan cities. I also went to a
Clothing street which had a lots of variety and fancy clothes. In Indore you
can find specific lanes or streets for specific occupation like Jewellery, electronics,
etc. At last I had a little time to visit The Mirror Temple which I did.
Mind-blowing temple. Temples are a key attraction of Indore. I departed from
Indore at 16:25 HRS and reached Mumbai in the morning.
This Trip was delightful for me.
Indore as a city is commendable but only lacks certain things like
Proper Public Transport, Industries and Traffic Rules. It was a refreshment for
me to visit this city of Madhya Pradesh. I was not able to go to certain places
like Rajvada- The historical museum of Indore, Iskon Temple, Chowkidhani- an
artificial city with amusements. I will definitely cover them next time! So, as
per me the 5A rating for Indore will be:
Accessibility: 6/10
Accommodation: 9/10
Attractions: 8/10
Activity: 7/10
Amenities: 6/10
Total: 36/50.
“YOU JUST CAN’T REMAIN INDOOR IN INDORE!”