Khargone
Introduction
Khargone is a city and the administrative headquarters of Khargone district in Madhya Pradesh, set on the bank of the Kunda river. It is known for its cotton and chili pepper production, and for the Navgraha Mandir, a temple devoted to the nav grahas.
If you are planning a visit, the city's reputation for cleanliness is part of its identity: it has received a national award as India's Fastest Moving City in its category and has placed among the cleanest cities in the country in past Swachh Survekshan surveys.
Before you go
Khargone is a district headquarters in Madhya Pradesh, in the Nimar region of central India. The source material for this guide is thin, so treat what follows as a starting point rather than a complete picture.
Before you go, gather your own current information on how to reach the town, where to stay and what is open, since none of that is covered here. Plan around the Nimar climate rather than a fixed forecast: summers are hot and the monsoon brings heavy rain, so build some flexibility into your itinerary.
Getting there
Khargone is reached most directly from Indore, the state capital, by a drive of roughly two and a half hours; buses on the same route take longer. Indore is also where you'll find the nearest major airport.
- By air: fly into Indore, then continue by road to Khargone.
- By train: the nearest station is in Khandwa, east of Khargone; from there you can catch a bus of about two hours into town.
Getting around
Khargone is a compact district headquarters on the bank of the Kunda river, and getting around is a low-key affair. There is no metro, tram or suburban rail network, and the city itself has no railway station, so you rely on road transport: buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis and your own two feet. The nearest railhead is at Khandwa, roughly 90 km to the east; from there, buses run to Khargone and take around two hours, so plan on completing the last leg of a train journey by road. Buses also link the city with Indore, though the bus takes noticeably longer than driving the same route. Within the city, auto-rickshaws and local taxis are the usual way to cover distances too far to walk.
For longer road journeys in and out — particularly from Indore — a hired car or taxi is the quickest and most comfortable choice, with a direct drive from Indore taking roughly two and a half hours. Khargone has no airport of its own; the nearest major airport is at Indore, and from there you continue by road, by taxi or by bus. Central areas, including the riverside surroundings of the Kunda, are manageable on foot for short errands and sightseeing. Be mindful of the climate: summers are extremely hot and dry, with a hot local wind known as the loo, so walk in the cooler morning and evening hours rather than at midday. The monsoon brings heavy rain and can cause the Kunda to flood from the outskirts of the city, which may affect low-lying routes.
Where to stay
The source material for Khargone offers no details on where to stay, so there is nothing to describe here.Food & drink
For eating in Khargone, look to the local snack stalls rather than formal restaurants. Poha, samosa and kachori are the staples to seek out, and chai is the drink that goes with them.
What to see and do
Khargone is known above all for its temples, and the wider area around the city is said to hold as many as a hundred of them. In town, the most notable is the Navgraha Mandir, an old temple devoted to the nine major planets of Hindu astronomy. Beyond the city, the 12th-century Pawagiri Jain temple, also called the Gvaleshwar temple, is the standout among the area's religious sites and worth the trip out for its age and setting. Otherwise, the source offers little on organised activities, so plan your time around visiting temples and exploring the city's neighbourhoods on foot.When to go
Khargone has three distinct seasons, and your choice of when to visit depends on how much heat and rain you can handle. Summer runs from mid-March to mid-June and is extremely hot and dry; April and May are the fiercest months, when the hot, dry 'loo' wind blows through the area and affects the local ecology, and nights stay quite hot too. If you plan to be out and about during the day, this is the least comfortable stretch of the year.
The monsoon arrives in late June and brings humid conditions with substantial rainfall. Local people are commonly affected by flooding of the Kunda river, which flows from the outskirts of the city, so keep this in mind if you are travelling around the region during the rains. Winter, from mid-November onward, is dry, mild and sunny, though temperatures can fall close to freezing on some nights, so pack for chilly evenings even on clear days.
Three days in Khargone
Day one: Start in Khargone itself, in Madhya Pradesh, and get your bearings in the Nimar region. Visit the Navgraha Mandir, a Hindu temple, and try poha, a local breakfast dish. In the evening, explore the local markets and get a feel for the city.
Day two: Head to Kunda and Pawagiri Jain, and visit Gvaleshwar. These are places of interest in the area around Khargone.
Day three: Plan a trip to Indore or Khandwa. Buses are available from Khargone to these cities. Otherwise, spend the day exploring more of Khargone.