Current Time in Dewas, India

Dewas lies on the Malwa plateau in the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India, about thirty-five kilometres north-east of Indore and a similar distance from the temple city of Ujjain. It stands on rich black volcanic soil at an altitude of around five hundred metres, which gives it a pleasant climate for much of the year, and it is dominated by a single rocky hill rising abruptly from the plain. Roughly three hundred thousand people live here.

That hill, known simply as the Tekri, gives the city its name and its identity. Two temples stand on the summit, dedicated to the goddesses Chamunda and Tulja Bhavani, reached by a long flight of steps or by a ropeway, and pilgrims climb in large numbers during Navratri. The view from the top takes in the wheat and soybean fields of Malwa stretching to the horizon.

Dewas has an unusual political history. Until Indian independence it consisted of two princely states, Dewas Senior and Dewas Junior, ruled by branches of the same Maratha family, whose territories were so entangled that a single street could be divided between two administrations. The arrangement fascinated visitors, among them the English novelist E. M. Forster, who served as private secretary to the Maharaja of Dewas Senior in 1921 and described the experience in his memoir The Hill of Devi. His time in central India also fed directly into A Passage to India.

The modern city rests on industry. A government security printing press established here produces banknotes for the Reserve Bank of India, and it remains one of the largest employers in the region. Soybean processing plants, leather and tannery works, engineering and packaging factories occupy the industrial estates along the Indore road, making Dewas one of the more industrialised centres of Madhya Pradesh.

Music gives the city its cultural distinction. The great Hindustani classical vocalist Kumar Gandharva made his home in Dewas for decades, recovering here from illness and developing a highly individual style rooted partly in the folk songs of Malwa. The city holds concerts in his memory, and a small but serious community of musicians continues that tradition. Local cuisine belongs to the Malwa school, with poha and jalebi for breakfast, dal bafla, and the street food culture of neighbouring Indore within easy reach.

Dewas sits on the national highway between Indore and Agra and on the railway line linking Indore with Ujjain and Bhopal, while the international airport at Indore is under an hour away. Colleges affiliated to Vikram University in Ujjain provide higher education in arts, science, commerce and engineering.

With its goddess temples, its literary connection, its music and its factories, Dewas is a compact and characterful stop for anyone travelling through the Malwa region of central India.