A day at the historic town of #Maheshwar on the banks of the #Narmada #Tourism #Travel

A chance remark about Maheshwar being the precious gem on the course of the river Narmada made us to take a detour from the usual Ujjain and Omkareshwar trips that we undertake when we visit Indore. And what a wonderful decision it turned out to be!

We started at around 6.00 am from Indore stocking up a few bites for breakfast as we did not want to waste time on wayside inns. Verdant green corn fields whizzed past providing a visual feast to our famished urban eyes as the car sped along the smooth highway. We reached our destination, the ancient town of  Maheshwar, much before we had expected to, at around 9.00am.

I had read about Maheshwar having a mention in our ancient scriptures of Ramayana and Mahabharata as the land of Mahishmati. Yes!  The same Mahishmati that is depicted in the epic film Bahubali! It was said to be a part of Avantika or Ujjain and dates back around 4000 years. My romance with this quaint little town began with my first step on its soil. It was as if history, mythology and nature had merged to form a mesmerizing picture of a majestic fort juxtaposed against the deep blue waters of the sacred Narmada. The river is undoubtedly the fulcrum of existence in this ancient town, giving shape to its spiritual and cultural landscape.

Our guide, Dileep Sharma, a young local man, who had been referred by my friend at Indore, was waiting for us at the entrance of Ahilya Fort.  He greeted us in English with hands folded in a namastey gesture, but was quite happy to know that we were fluent in Hindi. He explained that part of the ancient fort  had been restored and converted into a hotel by Richard Holkar, a direct descendent of the great Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. Staying in the Ahilya Fort as the hotel is called, gives one the exalted experience of staying with royalty. All the rooms are unique and tastefully decorated overlooking the glistening waters of the Narmada and providing a romantic touch to your stay. There are patios and terraces in the courtyard where one can relax with a book or just enjoy the scene at the river below. The  residents at the Ahilya Fort have been offered exclusivity and privacy from the curious eyes of tourists as the hotel part of the fort has been walled up. 

Our guide led us to the huge statue of the revered Maharani Ahilyabai (1767-1795) occupying the pride of place in the midst of a garden.

 

He then guided us through the Rajwada, her erstwhile administrative quarters.  It was fascinating to see the various chhatris and the royal artifacts preserved in good condition, but my attention was drawn to the cushioned seat from where the queen had ruled and delivered judgements with a Shivaling in her hand.

Even today, she is spoken of with the respect and reverence accorded to a deity, as her rule after the tragic death of her husband and son had been marked by the undoing of the damage done to Hindu places of worship by Aurangazeb. I saw a board displaying the list of temples restored by her and they included the holiest of shrines like the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir at Varanasi and the Somnath Jyotirling.  The innate simplicity of the Rajwada is symbolic of the simplicity of the queen who ruled here. It was Devi Ahilyabai who shifted the capital of Malwa from Indore to Maheshwar. Sharmaji also showed us the palki in which the image of Ahilyabai is carried out in procession on specific days.

Walking down the stairs from the fort, we were mesmerized by the sight of the beautiful temple to Ahilyeshwar built in grey stone.

Our guide wanted us to see the unique daily Shivaling puja conducted every day between 8am and 10am in the morning and fortunately we made it in time  to see the latter part.  I did not count the number but a few Brahmins were making hundreds of Shivalingas, worshipping them and then offering them to the Narmada. Sharmaji told us that this was a practice continued right from the days of Ahilyabai when 108 Brahmins used to make 125000 small Shivalingas every day. Now there are 11 Brahmins making 15000 Shivalingas.  We were also shown a room adjacent to the temple, where a golden swing and some precious Shivalingas are displayed (no photos allowed). There is a shrine to Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshman in the fort, opposite to which is located a separate shrine to Lord Hanuman.  

We then walked up towards the famous Rajarajeshwara temple complex where 11 lamps are presumed to be burning since pre-historic times. Called Akhanda Jyoth,  these lamps are kept burning as devotees offer donations for the ghee used in the lamps lit in honor of Lord Agni. 

We heard an interesting story about Agnidev falling in love with the beautiful daughter of King Nila, which was reciprocated by her. The King’s sacred fire would burn only when she breathed air into it. While Agnidev took the form of a brahmin and courted her, the King caught them and rejected their love match. Agnidev got furious and threatened to burn down the entire Nishada kingdom. Realizing his true form, the King fell at his feet and begged forgiveness. He also requested the fire God to bless his kingdom. Agnidev agreed albeit with a condition that couples in pure love should not be frowned upon. It is said the women of Mahishmati enjoyed much more freedom as compared to other places.

A small shrine to Sahastraarjun, the powerful emperor who imprisoned the king of Lanka, Raavana, for many months, is present in this temple complex.

The beautiful Kashi Vishwanath temple has been built as a replica of the original temple at Varanasi.

Later Sharmaji led us down the spectacular fan shaped stairs to the clean Ghats on the Narmada riverfront. Nothing actually prepares you for the majestic view of the historic fortress provided a stunning backdrop to the glistening river.

Narmada, believed to be born of a drop of sweat from Lord Shiva’s forehead, is sacred, as scared as the Ganga or Yamuna. She also goes by the name of Shankari.  It is said that ‘you are purified and released from all your sins if you bathe in the Ganga but the very sight of Narmada will purify you.’ 

No wonder then that we see devotees doing the parikrama of this sacred river either by foot or by car.

As it was almost noon when we reached the Ghats, the golden hued rays of the sun created a beautiful shimmering setting for our boat ride on the Narmada. There was a group of four apart from us in the boat heading towards the Baneshwar Mandir located in the middle of the river. Even as our boat moved at a slow pace, we could feast our eyes on the panoramic view of the magnificent riverfront with intermittent sightings of pilgrims feeding fish, taking a dip or chanting to the beat of clanging bells. Sharmaji enlightened us with information about the four main Ghats, the Ahilya Ghat, Peshwa Ghat, Mahila Ghat and the Phanse Ghat,  among the 28 Ghats on the Narmada. He told us about the small rounded stones called Banalingas found at the base of the river, which are taken home by devotees for daily worship.

As we approached the Baneshwar Mandir, the boat slowly came to a halt. Climbing a few stone steps, we entered the precincts of the sacred shrine.

The tranquility in this shrine is so conducive to meditation and prayer that we were induced to spend more time here. The lone priest mentioned that the temple is believed to be located on the axis connecting the North Pole to the centre of the earth. We were more relaxed during the ride back, focusing our views on the multitude of temples on the riverfront with their signature saffron flags flying gently in the breeze.

On our way back from the Ghats it was time to pay a visit to the Rehwa Society, the weaver’s co-operative, run by the Holkar family. The workshop is in the fort itself to the left as you go down to the river from the Rajwada. The clatter of the looms accompanied the rhythmic movement of hands at work as the famous Maheshwari saris were being woven. The men in the office were kind enough to give us a glimpse into the history behind the weaving industry in Maheshwar. Maharani Ahilyabai had invited weaver communities from nearby Mandu to teach her people the craft of weaving in order to provide them with a source of living. She gifted the beautiful, light textiles that were created by the weavers to all visiting royal dignitaries. The craft slowly found royal patronage and the handloom weaving tradition in Maheshwar began to thrive.

The stuff at the Rehwa Society is absolutely authentic and you can definitely buy shawls, stoles and saris from them though they are expensive. Further down the stairs, there is another shop Bhagyshree Handloom handling production and sales of authentic Maheshwari handlooms since many decades. 

 The proprietor, Golu Shilodre, was quite happy to show me a variety of saris and I could not resist the temptation of buying a few. In addition, there are many shops in the market area showcasing these beautiful Maheshwari handlooms.

The beauty of this historic town has attracted more than forty film makers for shooting parts of their films at this picturesque location.

#Maheshwar  #AhilyaFort  #Narmada #Ahilyeshwar  #RajrajeshwarTemple  #RehwaSociety #AhilyabaiHolkar  #IncredibleIndia #Travel #Tourism