It was established on 10 June 1891 by His Highness Maharajadhiraja Raj Rajeshwar Sawai Shri Sir Shivaji Rao Holkar Bahadur XII, the erstwhile ruler of Indore belonging to the Holkar dynasty of the Marathas.

[2] Holkar College campus is located in the South area of East Indore.

It is situated in an area between known as Bhanwar Kua which has a high concentration of cultural and academic institutions, including the Indore University, Central Museum, Institute of Management Studies, Cystal IT Park and the Kamla Nehru Zoological Park.

The institute receives funds from the state but is autonomous with regards to administration and conduct of examinations.

HSC's research and teaching is organised within a network of faculties and academic departments which includes: The Department of Computer Science was established in academic year 2000–2001.