Khajrana Ganesh Temple

Founded in 1735 and credited to Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of the Holkar dynasty, this Ganesha temple in Indore’s Khajrana locality has a recovery legend at its core: the idol is said to have been hidden in a well for safekeeping during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and later retrieved and re-consecrated by Ahilyabai Holkar. A parallel devotional account holds that a local priest, Pandit Mangal Bhatt, was shown the ancient idol’s location in a dream; the Bhatt family has continued to manage the temple since. These origin narratives are recorded as documented temple tradition rather than independently verified history.

The sanctum today is notably ornate for a temple of its age and origins: its gate and the outer and inner walls of the garbhagriha are clad in silver, and the deity’s eyes are set with diamonds donated by a local businessman. What began as a small shrine has grown into one of Indore’s largest and most visited temples, drawing regular large crowds — devotees commonly circle the temple and tie sacred threads while praying for the successful completion of undertakings — with district-administration oversight reflecting its scale and civic prominence in the city.