Wednesday Wanderings : Maheshwar

Here’s some mid-week travel inspiration..

Maheshwar, on the banks of river Narmada

(Click on the photograph to get a high resolution version)

Mesmeric Maheshwar

Now that I realize I am already 10 days late in writing this article, I thought.. well, Christmas might not be a bad time to get it done. So, here’s for you.. Maheshwar!

Maheshwar is a quaint little town on the north bank of river Narmada, about 90 kms from Indore (which happens to be my hometown). The town served as the capital of Ahilya devi Holkar, the rule of state of Indore in eighteenth century. Its home to her palace, numerous temples, a fort and the riverghat – the reasons most tourist visit Maheshwar.

Long back, we had got the recommendation to visit Maheshwar, but this time someone suggested to visit it in early morning or late evening. We decided to first go in evening, preceded by lunch at the ‘Chhappan Dukaan’ (translated as: 56 shops) in Indore which is famous for its rows of shops with street food. After gorging on tempting ‘Khopra Patties’ and rolls and frankies and kulfis, we finally left for Maheshwar. It was already 3 pm by the time we started, and were afraid that the fort might get closed. Fortunately for us, as we found out when we reached Maheshwar, there is no closing time for fort, and even better – we reached just before sunset. Giving me the best opportunity to click photographs (and as a result bugging my mom, sis coz I kept trailing behind).

Oh, btw, in case I mention to forget, Maheshwar is famous for its rich handloom fabric traditions and you will find colourful sarees with the most distinctive designs here. You can also visit a handloom factory and see actual weaving in place.

The handloom museum was closed by the time we reached, and we moved on towards the fort and the temples it houses.
Beautiful sculptures adorned the fort with its massive archways (my previous post), as we saw a squirrel dance away between the windows and arches and idols on the fort.

We skipped the temple, preferring instead to go for the river cruise. The river-ghat was surprisingly not crowded at all. I was expecting huge throngs of people waiting at the temple, bathing in the river, but the river embankment was almost empty. A few families were strolling, enjoying the light breeze. The river cruise beckoned us. It wasn’t the traditional cruise that you would be expecting. I think the boat’s called a Shikara, traditionally hand-rowed. The one we climbed into was motor-driven though and charged us just Rs 30 per person. It took us to a small temple, right in the middle of the river! Towards the east, the river extended towards infinity, and towards the west, the evening sun was just setting and the sky was full of enchanting palette of colours – all the way from light blue to orange red.

On the cruise, we met a local couple who told us about the temple and its history. The ‘Paaneshwari’ temple in the middle of the river has its origins from a story about Ravana the demon and the local king who fought a battle on the river. The local king wass able to defeat the demon king and keep him catured inside the river for 6 months, because of which the river also diverged and branched out at many places. This reminds me, another point to remember, do not trust the tourist guides you might find or be pestered by when you enter Maheshwar. They not only overcharge, but are also discourteous, and instead, if you want to know more about any place, the local people would be more than happy to help.

After the cruise, we splashed around a bit in the water, strolled a bit more, and took more photographs. The breeze was refreshening, the atmosphere calm and serene. A few women were praying and floating away small lamps into the river, creating a bit of a hazy magical feeling about the whole place.

Sunday Postcard: Maheshwar, India

Fort-cum-temple at Maheshwar overlooking river Narmada

I took this photo during my recent visit to Maheshwar (90 kms from Indore, in Madhya Pradesh). The photo not only captures the carvings on the arch of the gate of the fort on the banks (ghats) of the river Narmada, but also the tranquil mood of the place – a teenager talking on phone, a mother with her baby looking out towards the river – probably waiting for her husband, two guys sitting on the steps – just enjoying the gentle breeze in the serene evening, and my sister looking back at me, waiting for me to catch up as I keep pausing to take photographs.