Shiv Vilas Palace

Shiv Vilas Palace, the “new palace” that sits beside the red‑brick Rajwada in Indore, is a curiously under‑visited flash of Neoclassical grandeur that still smells faintly of colonial ambition. Built from 1890 to 1894 by Maharaja Shivajirao Holkar to house his family while the unfinished Lalbagh Palace gapes in the distance, it was the Holkars’ official residence for barely three decades before the line moved on; today the marble‑faced façades hide a government hospital and a handful of bureaucratic offices, so the only public glimpse is a brief, escorted walk through the wrought‑iron gates during organized city tours. If you insist on seeing it, aim for a Tuesday morning in November–February; the heat is tolerable and the crowds are at their thinnest, and you’ll catch the light that makes the Ionic columns look less like a costume. Skip the interior – the rooms are utilitarian and the décor has been stripped away – and focus on the outer courtyards, the raised marble steps, and the view across to Rajwada’s pink turrets. Pair the stop with a quick lunch at Sarafa Bazaar’s chaat stalls, then wander to the nearby Holkar Cricket Stadium for a glimpse of the city’s modern pulse. Two hours is honest; any longer feels like lingering in a museum that’s also a clinic.

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