From the very moment I landed at this royal city of the Holkars I was beguiled by many a splendid monuments remniscient of a magnificient past. Earlier I was quite cynical about this visit, for I didn't know much about the city oand its attractions. But the moment I set foot here I knew it was the right choice.

I find it hard to express in words the grandeur of the Lal Bagh Palace. This medley of baroque and renaissance style of architecture was perhaps the most elegant residences in India. As the name signifies, the Kanch Mandir is a sheer marvel in glass. I was amazed at the rich tapestry of the temple structure.The walls, ceilings, floors and the doors are entirely inlaid with glass.

The royal cenotaphs of the three Holkar rulers built on the banks of the Khan river were quite impressive. Close to these exquisite cenotaphs lie the Holkar Palace ( Rajawada). The monument, as I've discerned from my visit, speaks volumes about the past grandeur of the Holkars. It is a spectacular structure of stone and wood flanked by bastions and bedecked by balconies all around.

Among others, I must mention about the statue of Lord Ganesha housed in the temple of Bada Ganapati. Measuring 25 ft from crown to feet, this awesome statue has the distinction of being the largest idol of Ganesha in the world. I was amused at the configuration of ingredients used in the making of this idol- it included bricks, lime stone, masala made of jaggery, methi dana, and soil collected from seven moksha puris. One of the exquisite halls of Indore is the Mahatma Gandhi Hall, known earlier as King Edward Hall. An Indo- gothic structure made of seoni stone, it was constructed in 1904 and renamed in 1948. As the day was over in the sight seeing tours the evening was free for taking a walk down the beautiful Nehru Park, which dates back to the British years. The air around the park was filled with the fragrance of roses blooming in profusion and I was sent into paroxysms of ecstacy.