Maheshwar Tour & Travel Guide

A Peaceful Riverside Town with Long Held Spiritual Significance

Situated by the sides of River Narmada, Maheshwar is a gorgeous town, popularly known as the temple town of Madhya Pradesh. This destination stores a lot for the pilgrim and for a tourist. Maheshwar is no less than any treasure trove filled with beautiful temples of the bygone era that calm the soul and man-made creations of present day that are a visual treat. The place holds its significance in mythology and history owing to its mention in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the epics of India. Once the capital of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar's province, Maheshwar saw its glorious reign then. The Rani took personal interest and beautified the city with many buildings, temples and public works. Structures here speak volumes of Maratha architecture and the Queen’s love for this city made her set her extravagant palace here. The exquisite beauty of this small town and meandering Narmada is captured in a number of Bollywood movies. Over the period of time, Maheshwar grew as a center of handloom weaving since the 5th century and has been producing the exquisite Maheshwari fabric & saris since then. The textile of this city is historic and the deep rooted dedication of weavers makes them weave spirituality and folklore.

Maheshwar is mentioned in the epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, by its primitive name, Mahishmati, and attracts sadhus and yatris (pilgrims) to its ancient ghats and temples, even today. It was in the 18th century under the Holkar queen, Ahilyabai the town enjoyed great developments.

She moved the Holkar capital from Indore to Maheshwar. Even in present day Ahilyabai is much revered for her wisdom, benevolence and temple-building knowledge. A little away from the ghats & the primitive buildings in Maheshwar, the streets & alleys are colourful & lively as the brightly painted wooden houses that add a dash of vibrancy to this old city with relics.

Maheshwar attracts a lot for tourists and pilgrims. The prime sightseeing areas include Fort Ahilya, Maheshwar fort by the river Narmada. It is believed that Maheshwar has more than 100 temples that narrate the long history of Maheshwar. Almost all temples are spread along the right bank of the river near Maheshwar ghat and the vicinity of the fort. Some of the prominent temples here are Sahastar Arjun Temple near the holy river Narmada, Chaturbhuj Narayan Mandir, Chintamani Ganpati Mandir, Anant Narayan Mandir, Rajrajeshwar Mandir, Ahilya Mata's Chhatris, Pandharinath Mandir, Banke Bihari, Khedapati Hanuman, Ram and Krishna Mandir, Bhawani Mata Mandir, Gobar Ganesh Mandir and Narsingh Mandir. Kaleshwar and Jwaleshwar temples are located little far off. Baneshwar Mandir also attracts many tourist as it located on a small island in the Narmada River. Vindhyavasini Maheshwari temple is said to be one of the Shakti Peeths of Goddess Kali, which is flocked by devotees in thousands during the Navaratras.

However, Maheshwar is a captivating place with the beautiful ghats, palace and temples – a mini Varanasi.