Maheshwari silk blend saris., and the city is a cultural blend of history and religion.

A temple town with a glorious history, reflected in the present magnificent buildings and structures of splendour. As old as the Indus Valley civilization, Maheshwar means ‘ Abode of Lord Shiva’. True to its name, multitude of Hindu temples can be found in this quaint town found on the bank of the Narmada River.

History of Maheshwar

Charming Maheshwar, once known as Mashimati, has a 4 000 year old history, and is mentioned in the Hindu epic, Vedas. Akhbar once extended his reign to this antique town in the early 1600s. The end of the Mughal rule in 1741 soon paved the way to the glorious years under the Holkar dynasty. Maharani Ahilya Bai of the Holkars made Maheshwar the capital in 1766 and her astute rule brought the state peace and prosperity that left mark which are still visible in the present times.

Tourism in Maheshwar

The Maheshwar Fort, also called the Ahilya Fort is a must visit tour destination. It is now a heritage hotel, run by the descendants of the Holkar dynasty and the Prince is known to join guests and spotted by the public. Though it is a magnificent hotel, this simple looking yet unbelievably grand monument has public areas where one may learn the glories of the Holkar Dynasty which was solely responsible for the prominence of this humble pilgrim town. The fort stands tall along the river Narmada, with the ghats (broad steps, act as riverbank, leading to rivers) popular with visitors. The imposing front gate warmly welcomes visitors to view the museum within. A life sized statue of Queen Ahilya Bai can be seen in the fort grounds. The intricate art and carvings on the wall are beyond description. The earth coloured fort takes on rainbow hues at night when the different coloured lights illuminate the grand building.

The Ghats

The ghats of Maheshwar, named after the previous dynasties - Peshwa, Ahilya and many more-  are the prominent travel destination for pilgrims and tourists to learn another facet of the Hindu religion. Ritual scenes of devotees praying and taking a quick dip into the peaceful river Narmada is a common sight along the ghats. A more somebre sight are the stone memorials of widows who had been burnt alive- by choice or compulsion- in the husbands’ funeral pyre, a ritual called sati, now banned in India. History records that the daughter of the great Maharani Ahilya Bai chose the same path despite her mother’s pleas to consider otherwise.

The numerous temples dotting the ghats are towers with historic tales of Maheshwar. While the Krishna temple is one of most popular temple with all visitors to Maheshwar, the  others include Kaleshwara, Rajarajeshewara and Ahileshwara.