<p class="mainlevel">Indore is situated on one of India's oldest pilgrimage routes from Mahakaal at Ujjain on river Kshipra, to Omkareshwar on the river Narmada.<br /><br />It was on the route of the Marathas of Deccan on their way to North India. These Maratha guerilla warriors were in constant battle with the Mughal empire. 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 the name Indore.<br /><br />The trade centre grew rapidly under the Holkar dynasty (1733-1818). The remains of their two century old palace still stand in the main square (called Rajwada). The city became the capital of the Indore Princely state in 1818 after the British forces under Sir John Malcolm defeated the Holkars led by Rani Krishnabai Holkar at Mahidpur. She signed the treaty of Mandsaur by which the control of Indore went in the hand of the East India Company. Between 1948 and 1956, Indore served as the summer capital of the former Madhya Bharat state. Currently, it is the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh.<br /><br />{mospagebreak}<br /><br />It may be noted that contrary to the popular belief, Indore was not the capital of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar. She ruled from Maheshwar on the banks of river Narmada, located about hundred kilometers south of Indore. It is the largest city in Madhya Pradesh and an aspiring Metro. Indore was planned and built by Rani Ahilyabai Holker. It is naturally endowed with a beautiful landscape and salubrious climate. There are numerous monuments associated with the Holkars in the city. Indore is a great industrial centre and has the look of a boom town.<br /><br />Due to its location in Central India (approx.76o E, 23o N) , far from the sea, Indore has a moderately extreme climate.</p><p class="mainlevel"><u>Winter:</u> In winter(November to February), the night low is around 10oC.At the peak of winter, it can be as low as low as 2 to 3oC. The record low is +1.5oC.<br /><u /></p><p class="mainlevel"><u>Summer</u>: During summer (April-June) the days are hot (35-40oC) with the peak summer (May) day temperature sometimes touching 45c. However , unlike other places in central India, the summer nights in Indore are something special. Due to its location on the southern edge of the Malwa Plateau, however hot it may be during the day, in the late evening, cool breeze starts which makes the evenings quite pleasant, referred to as Shab-e-Malwa.<br /><u /></p><p class="mainlevel"><u>Rainfall</u>: Indore gets moderate rainfall of 30-35 inches (~80cms) during July-September due to S. W. Monsoon.</p>