Indore (Hindi: इंदौर pronunciation (help·info)) is one of the major cities in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census,[1] Indore city has a population of 1,960,631. It is the largest city of Madhya Pradesh, the 15th[4] largest city in India and the 147th[5] largest city in the world. Indore is also known as "Mini Mumbai" due to diverse population of Marathis, Sindhis, South Indians, Punjabi, Marwaris, Rajasthanis along with the local population. Indore reflects lot of similarities of Mumbai, dense crowd, shopping style, food and entertainment that is why Indore is sometimes referred as Mini Mumbai by local people only.
It is also the financial centre of the state and serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. In local language the name Indore is often referred as indoor (Hindi: इंदोर) by local people. It is also called Ahilya nagari.
Indore is the only city of India that has both an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). These two premier education institutions are located in the city, not very far from the city center. Authorized Learning Centre of Sikkim Manipal University with its 1st V-SAT enabled centre offering various IT, Science, Commerce, Management, Arts & Humanities courses is also located at Gita Bhawan Square of Indore City. The leading technology service provider Devi Ahilya Center for Computer and Information Technology (DACCIT) catering IT Solutions for multinational companies is also situated at Indore city. Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, a unit of Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, engaged in R&D in non-nuclear front-line research areas of lasers, particle accelerators and related technologies, is located in Rau, Indore. It houses two special economic zones: Pithampur and Sanwer. Pithampur, often called the 'Detroit of India', has many automobile industries and some of the largest pharmaceutical companies. Sanwer, on the other hand, has steel industries, including The Indo-German Tool Room. As Indore expands, it shares its border with two cites, Ujjain and an industrial town called Dewas. Ujjain is one of the seven sacred cites of India, having many famous temples and is a major tourist destination. Dewas is famous for the RBI press and hosts several automobile parts manufacturing companies.
During the days of the Maratha Empire Indore was an important hub between the Deccan and Delhi. However after the death of Madhavrao Peshwa, the Maratha Empire disintegrated and Indore was declared the capital of the Holkar state, until Rani Ahilyabai Holkar moved the capital to Maheshwar.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indore%2C_India