diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java
index 6519eb18f86..c549dabab97 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/action/support/master/TransportMasterNodeOperationAction.java
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ public abstract class TransportMasterNodeOperationAction<Request extends MasterN
                 }
                 clusterService.add(request.masterNodeTimeout(), new TimeoutClusterStateListener() {
                     @Override public void postAdded() {
-                        ClusterBlockException blockException = checkBlock(request, clusterState);
+                        ClusterBlockException blockException = checkBlock(request, clusterService.state());
                         if (blockException == null || !blockException.retryable()) {
                             clusterService.remove(this);
                             innerExecute(request, listener, false);
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
index 4f35dd3d754..e49a56bb012 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
@@ -262,6 +262,10 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                     listener.onResponse(new Response(true, clusterState.metaData().index(request.index)));
                     return;
                 }
+                if (!request.rerouteAfterCreation) {
+                    listener.onResponse(new Response(true, clusterState.metaData().index(request.index)));
+                    return;
+                }
                 clusterService.submitStateUpdateTask("reroute after index [" + request.index + "] creation", new ProcessedClusterStateUpdateTask() {
                     @Override public ClusterState execute(ClusterState currentState) {
                         RoutingTable.Builder routingTableBuilder = RoutingTable.builder().routingTable(currentState.routingTable());
@@ -377,6 +381,8 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
 
         Set<ClusterBlock> blocks = Sets.newHashSet();
 
+        boolean rerouteAfterCreation = true;
+
         public Request(Origin origin, String cause, String index) {
             this.origin = origin;
             this.cause = cause;
@@ -421,6 +427,11 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
             this.timeout = timeout;
             return this;
         }
+
+        public Request rerouteAfterCreation(boolean rerouteAfterCreation) {
+            this.rerouteAfterCreation = rerouteAfterCreation;
+            return this;
+        }
     }
 
     public static class Response {
diff --git a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java
index eca983f299d..b5d87f88553 100644
--- a/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java
+++ b/modules/elasticsearch/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/gateway/GatewayService.java
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.IndexTemplateMetaData;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.MetaData;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.metadata.MetaDataCreateIndexService;
 import org.elasticsearch.cluster.node.DiscoveryNodes;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.IndexRoutingTable;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.RoutingTable;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.allocation.RoutingAllocation;
+import org.elasticsearch.cluster.routing.allocation.ShardsAllocation;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.component.AbstractLifecycleComponent;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.inject.Inject;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
@@ -57,6 +61,8 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<GatewayService> i
 
     private final ThreadPool threadPool;
 
+    private final ShardsAllocation shardsAllocation;
+
     private final ClusterService clusterService;
 
     private final DiscoveryService discoveryService;
@@ -75,9 +81,10 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<GatewayService> i
     private final AtomicBoolean recovered = new AtomicBoolean();
     private final AtomicBoolean scheduledRecovery = new AtomicBoolean();
 
-    @Inject public GatewayService(Settings settings, Gateway gateway, ClusterService clusterService, DiscoveryService discoveryService, MetaDataCreateIndexService createIndexService, ThreadPool threadPool) {
+    @Inject public GatewayService(Settings settings, Gateway gateway, ShardsAllocation shardsAllocation, ClusterService clusterService, DiscoveryService discoveryService, MetaDataCreateIndexService createIndexService, ThreadPool threadPool) {
         super(settings);
         this.gateway = gateway;
+        this.shardsAllocation = shardsAllocation;
         this.clusterService = clusterService;
         this.discoveryService = discoveryService;
         this.createIndexService = createIndexService;
@@ -240,12 +247,16 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<GatewayService> i
                     }
                     // go over the meta data and create indices, we don't really need to copy over
                     // the meta data per index, since we create the index and it will be added automatically
+
+                    // also, don't reroute (or even initialize the routing table) for the indices created, we will do it
+                    // in one batch once creating those indices is done
                     for (final IndexMetaData indexMetaData : recoveredState.metaData()) {
                         try {
                             createIndexService.createIndex(new MetaDataCreateIndexService.Request(MetaDataCreateIndexService.Request.Origin.GATEWAY, "gateway", indexMetaData.index())
                                     .settings(indexMetaData.settings())
                                     .mappingsMetaData(indexMetaData.mappings())
                                     .state(indexMetaData.state())
+                                    .rerouteAfterCreation(false)
                                     .timeout(timeValueSeconds(30)),
 
                                     new MetaDataCreateIndexService.Listener() {
@@ -287,7 +298,7 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<GatewayService> i
     }
 
     private void markMetaDataAsReadFromGateway(String reason) {
-        clusterService.submitStateUpdateTask("gateway (marked as read, reason=" + reason + ")", new ClusterStateUpdateTask() {
+        clusterService.submitStateUpdateTask("gateway (marked as read, reroute, reason=" + reason + ")", new ProcessedClusterStateUpdateTask() {
             @Override public ClusterState execute(ClusterState currentState) {
                 if (!currentState.blocks().hasGlobalBlock(STATE_NOT_RECOVERED_BLOCK)) {
                     return currentState;
@@ -295,7 +306,23 @@ public class GatewayService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<GatewayService> i
                 // remove the block, since we recovered from gateway
                 ClusterBlocks.Builder blocks = ClusterBlocks.builder().blocks(currentState.blocks()).removeGlobalBlock(STATE_NOT_RECOVERED_BLOCK);
 
-                return newClusterStateBuilder().state(currentState).blocks(blocks).build();
+                // initialize all index routing tables as empty
+                RoutingTable.Builder routingTableBuilder = RoutingTable.builder().routingTable(currentState.routingTable());
+                for (IndexMetaData indexMetaData : currentState.metaData().indices().values()) {
+                    if (indexMetaData.state() == IndexMetaData.State.OPEN) {
+                        IndexRoutingTable.Builder indexRoutingBuilder = new IndexRoutingTable.Builder(indexMetaData.index())
+                                .initializeEmpty(currentState.metaData().index(indexMetaData.index()), false);
+                        routingTableBuilder.add(indexRoutingBuilder);
+                    }
+                }
+
+                RoutingAllocation.Result routingResult = shardsAllocation.reroute(newClusterStateBuilder().state(currentState).routingTable(routingTableBuilder).build());
+
+                return newClusterStateBuilder().state(currentState).blocks(blocks).routingResult(routingResult).build();
+            }
+
+            @Override public void clusterStateProcessed(ClusterState clusterState) {
+                logger.info("all indices created and rerouting has begun");
             }
         });
     }