Indore, Madhyapradesh

The present map is one of the earliest surviving plans of the city of Indore, which was then a major center (although not the capital) of the territory of the Holkar Maharajas of Indore, which since 1721 had been one of the main constituencies of the Maratha Confederacy. The city is shown along the banks of the Saraswati and Khan rivers and consists of a conurbation of several large uneven built-up blocks.

In 1811, the Indore court degenerated into a bewilderingly complex den of intrigue and violent infighting. By 1817 the state was technically led by an 11-year old Maharaja, supported by 20-year old generals, who opposed the British, while other Indore court factions were allied to the EIC.

To settle matters, Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Hislop leading 5,500 troops defeated the child maharaja’s force of over 35,000 men at the Battle of Mahidpur on December 20, 1817. As referenced on the map, Hislop, for a time, made Indore his headquarters, before moving on to continue his campaign.

Following the war, the kingdom of Indore lost much of its territory but was preserved as a princely state, although the city of Indore was upgraded to become the state’s capital.