World Tourism Project

World Tourism Day being round the corner, it was taken as a project by DP1 students of Choithram International and to further the initiative they visited historical monuments in Indore namely Khajrana, Lal Bagh, Rajwada, and Kaanch Mandir. Given below is a detailed descriptive report of the visit, which would open up hitherto unknown factual conditions-

 

Khajrana

We started our journey from the famous Khajrana Mandir. The holy temple of Lord Ganesha and many other Gods, situated in Ganeshpuri Colony, Khajrana. According to the official website of Khajrana temple, the temple is taken over by the government. The temple is managed by the Bhatt family. It is believed that in order to safe guard the idol from Aurangzeb, the idol was hidden in a well and in 1735, it was taken out from the well and a temple was established in 1735 by Ahilyabai Holkar belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Maratha Empire. There are regular donation of gold, diamonds and other precious jewels at the temple. The gate and the outer wall of the Garbhagriha is made of silver and different moods and festivals are depicted on it. The eyes of the deity are made of diamonds which were donated by a business man of Indore. The upper wall of the Garbhagriha is made of silver. The structural design is detailed and magnificent. It is one of the finest temples in Indore. Other than the main temple which resides an idol of Lord Ganesha, the campus features many other small temples of Lord Hanuman, Goddess Lakshmi and many more. The temple is very well maintained and clean. The parking facility and the roads are also very well built thus making it easily accessible to the local public as well as tourists. The parking lots are also treated as tracks for runners and people who exercise. The security around the temple is good. The only downside of the temple is that despite being well built from the inside, it is surrounded by sewers and badly formed residential areas which could scare away the foreign tourists. Yet it is always the first destination for, be it Indians or foreigners.

​

Lal Bagh

Lal Bagh Palace is one of the most prominent buildings of architecture in Indore. The palace represents the desirable life style and the inventive eye of the Holkars. It is surrounded by beautiful garden and tracks. When asked to two of the regular walkers on the track whether they have ever visited the palace, Mr.Omprakash and Mr.Jagdeesh replied despite coming to Lal Bagh daily for years to walk, never have they seen the palace. Although being a prominent historical monument, the palace has become more of a runners’ track rather than telling the tales of Indore’s rich history. The huge and beautiful entrance gate makes you feel as if you are walking down to a royal mansion, but as soon as you step in you feel as if you are in a garden where stray animals leisurely lie, people chat and walk in the mornings and wild grass sprouts here and there. Regardless upon reaching the palace, instead of a palace you see ruins of one. It is very well and polished styled from the inside but on the outside, walls are cracked, glasses are broken and pipes are rusted. If the inside is so worked upon why has there been no work done for the outside appearance? After all, it is the outside beauty that attracts all. The imperial architecture represents the lavish preference of the Holkars. All the rooms including lobbies and corridors are very well maintained and the richness of the place is well preserved. To give an insight to the history of the palace, outside each room there is a billboard describing the style and purpose of it. Since the building is centuries old, cracks in the walls can be seen every now and then. According to me government does a fine job by protecting the insides, but forget the main purpose of this palace, i.e. to showcase the gorgeous history of city Indore.

​

Rajwada

Located in the heart of the city, stands proud the old palace of the Holkars which has survived three brutal cases of fire. The grand 18 storey mansion is a glory amongst the crowded streets of Khajuri Bazaar. The architecture is a blend of Maharashtra, Mughal, and French style. Since the palace is in the heart of the city unlike Lalbagh palace, which is surrounded by trees, Rajwada is surrounded by plastic and garbage. This magnificent monument has become more

of a geographical landmark in the modern times. The arcade Ganesha hall consists of idols and paintings alongside their detailed descriptions about their backgrounds and history. It is very well maintained and protected. The main Rajwada palace, after enduring three fire accidents and the collapse of two floors, is very close to turning into an archaeological site from its current reputation as a historical monument.Nevertheless, the dilapidated structure has been rebuilt,

keeping up the hope of its revival.

​

Kaanch Mandir

Hitching a horse cart ride from Rajwada, we travelled to Kaanch Mandir. It is a renowned Jain temple in Indore, situated in the cloth market, and is surrounded by a busy marketplace. Literally a temple made of glass, it was built by Seth Hukumchand Jain in 1903. It is a sight to behold as a whole building stands tall on a fragile substance like glass. This temple is simply mesmerizing. It is wondering how well maintained the temple is as it remains intact despite being made of glass. Although it can be easily mistaken for a common building seeing the temple is a plain green colored building on the outside which can be a reason it is not popular among tourists.

​

What is most important for us is to generate awareness among all, regarding the upkeep and preservation of historical monuments, then only can we revive our cultural heritage and glory and the onus lies upon us, the students, to be the torch bearers in the field.

​

~Nidhi Polekar

  DP-1