Madhya Pradesh Travel Guide 2026: Gwalior, Orchha, Mandu, Indore and Ujjain Complete Itinerary
Browse more guides: India travel | Asia destinations Madhya Pradesh Travel Guide 2026: Gwalior, Orchha, Mandu, Indore and Ujjain Complete Itinerary TL;DR I planned my first Madhya Pradesh circuit thinking of it as a fort run and walked away with three trips packed into one. The state covers 308,252 square kilometres and houses about 85 million people in the Hindi-speaking centre of India. Gwalior gives me the 8th-century hill fort with Man Singh Palace and the 1589 Tomb of Tansen. Orchha drops me into Bundelkhand medieval architecture from 1531 with Jahangir Mahal facing the Betwa River. Mandu carries the Malwa Sultanate story from 1401 to 1561 across Jahaz Mahal, Hindola Mahal and Roopmati Pavilion. Indore is the food capital with the Sarafa Bazaar night market and Lalbagh Palace, and it doubles as the gateway to Mandu and Maheshwar. Ujjain holds the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga and the 4 a.m. Bhasma Aarti, plus the Simhastha Kumbh that returns every 12 years with the next mela in A...