Maheshwar is a peaceful, riverside town situated on the bank of Narmada River right in the heart of Madhya Pradesh. It is a small sleepy town tucked far from big cities but its temples, fort, place and ghats behold an amazing combination of beauty and serenity. I explored Maheshwar on a day trip en route my bike ride across Omkareshwar – Maheshwar – Mandu circuit. After soaking the spirituality of Omkareshwar, I drove to Maheshwar and spent a day roaming around within the compound walls of Maheshwar Fort and clicking pictures of its peaceful, calm life.
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Maheshwar is an experience in itself and if I start listing down top places to visit in Maheshwar, that would not be a justice to the vibes of this beautiful town. So, here are my Top 5 Experiences from my Maheshwar Trip. I will request you to just wander around and explore this little gem in the lap of Narmada river –
- Explore Magnificent Maheshwar Fort and Ahilya Palace (Rajwada)
- Chill out at Narmada Ghat steps with Scenic River Views
- Soak your Soul in Spirituality at Maheshwar Temples
- Shop world famous Maheshwari Sarees at Rehwa Society
- Experience Peaceful Slow Pace Life of Maheshwar
1. Explore Magnificent Maheshwar Fort and Ahilya Palace (Rajwada)
(Go to the Top) Maheshwar is mainly dominated by this 16th Century Fort. The huge, imposing ramparts were built by Akbar while the Maheshwar Palace and temples were later added during the reign of Ahilya Bai.
Maheshwar holds the distinction of being the capital of Rajmata Ahilya Devi Holkar’s empire during the 18th century. It was the capital of the Malwa during the Maratha Holkar reign till 1818, when the capital was shifted to Indore. This glory is reflected in its Fort and Palaces, a signature mark of this river-side town.
Huge Fort structure houses Shri Maheshwar Fort, Ahilya Bai Fort and Holkar Fort side by side. They are so close and connected that it gets difficult to tell which fort is which one. Right next to the fort is Rani Ahilya Bai Palace (also called as Maheshwar Rajwada). Once widowed, Ahilya Bai stayed in this palace living a simple life and governing his state with a strong will power, establishing her as one of India’s most powerful female leaders, Rani Ahilyabai Holkar. Photography is not allowed inside the Palace but it houses a life size statue of Ahilya Bai, Ahilya Gaddi (Seat) and Golden Jhula (Swing).
2. Chill out at Narmada Ghat steps with Scenic River Views
(Go to the Top) This turned out to be the best part of my trip. Its river ghats are clean and serene. You can easily find a secluded spot from where you can watch the vastness of Narmada river and locals immersed in their own lives, both in their own carefree flow.
Narmada Ghat right next to Fort is the biggest of all. Built in 18th Century by Ahilya Bai Holkar, Narmada Ghat offers enchanting sights. Ahilya Ghat, Peshwa Ghat, Kamani Ghat are other prominent ones. You can go boating in Narmada and visit Baneshwar Temple built on an island inside Narmada river. With its own beauty, Maheshwar Ghats are favourite of movie-makers and several Bollywood and Tamil movies have been shot here, recent being Dabangg 3 with Salman Khan dancing on Narmada Ghat.
Secret Tip – Maheshwar is also home to Navdatoli, an archaeological site discovered in the 1950. This site situated just opposite of Narmada Ghat is lesser known to tourists and even I missed it on my trip. You may ask a boatman if he can drop you there. Further down is another gem – Sahastra Dhara waterfall where Narmada divides in multiple streams and flows with speed making it a cascade of waterfall.
3. Soak your Soul in Spirituality at Maheshwar Temples
(Go to the Top) With home to a number of old temples Maheshwar appeals to both, the pilgrim as well as the tourist in you. There are many temples in and around Maheshwar Fort, some of the prominent being –
- Shri Raj Rajeshwar Temple is a Shiv temple and with 11 lamps lighting since many centuries said to be for ever. You can see them lighting inside temple complex.
- Ahilyeshwar Temple – As walk up from Shri Raj Rajaeshwar Temple to Narmada Ghat, you reach Ahilyeshwar Temple on Narmada Ghat – a temple dedicated to lord Ram
- Ek Mukhi Datta Temple is a newly constructed temple spread over 30 acres complex and with beautiful idols of Lord Ek Mukhi Datta, Maa Narmada and Lord Ganesha.
4. Shop world famous Maheshwari Sarees at Rehwa Society
(Go to the Top) Wondering what to buy in Maheshwar !! This serene town is home to unique and beautiful Maheshwari Sarees. So if you are visiting this tiny town, please do not forget to buy unique Maheswari fabrics – Sarees, Shawls and Scarves made from silk, cotton and wool.
Colourful Maheshwari Sarees and fabric are signature mark of this town with a unique feature of reversible border. Maheshwar is the home of one of India’s finest hand loom fabric traditions since 5th Century and rose to popularity during the rule of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar. Ahilya Bai wanted royal gifts for the royal guest. Hence weavers from Mandu and Surat were hired and Maheswari Saree and turban were weaved and this set a Maheshwari tradition which is still alive.
To promote the local handloom industry, Holkars founded an NGO Rehwa Society, in 1979. This NGO located right inside Maheshar Fort given women employment and is working to revive the town’s textiles. You can go inside and watch weavers immersed in weaving colourful threads. You can also shop Maheshwari sarees and fabrics from here.
5. Experience Peaceful Slow Pace Life of Maheshwar
(Go to the Top) Yes, you read it right. Peaceful normal life of Maheshwar !! You will find people here going at their own pace, nothing to hurry up. People are friendly with smiles all around
There is a sense of calmness in the air of this town that makes you have a feel of belongingness right from the first moment. Sugarcane juice hawker telling you in detail what to look around, school children roaming around in their dress and people just idling on Narmada ghat – everything is like so full of positivity. Here are some of my pictures portraying the same Maheshwar images.
Book a Hotel in Maheshwar
(Go to the Top) In case, you are not constrained by budget, best stay in Maheswar is at Ahilya Fort Heritage Hotel. A part of the Fort has been converted into a Heritage Hotel. You may stay here and enjoy the hospitality of Holkars spending a night in palatial rooms with scenic Narmada views and lush green gardens. In case, you have limited time on hand, you can also book dinner to and enjoy a night to remember. You can book Ahilya Fort heritage hotel here on booking.com or search for more Maheshwar hotels below.
Booking.comHow to Go from Omkareshwar to Maheshwar
(Go to the Top) While I rode my bike from Omkareshwar to Maheshwar, you may very well use public transport to travel between these 2 attractions. There are regular buses from Omkareshwar to Maheshar at every 30 minutes. Both cities also have direct bus connectivity to Indore. By bus, tt takes 3 hours from Omkareshwar to Maheshwar and 2 hours to Indore from either of these two places.
We hope that this helps you explore and experience this peaceful and serene town. While I spent only a day here but I will suggest to spend a couple of days at leisure here. You will certainly be able to offload a lot of worries and burden off your soul and mind. Do drop us a comment in case you need any help in planning your Maheshwar Trip.
Very Informative post, all images are amazing. Madhya Pradesh is a very good place to stay which called capital of Mandu. Thousands of tourists go there to spend some memorable days between the natural beauty.