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| Ahilya Dwar leading to Raj Wada |
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| Front View at rajwada |
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| Holkar Palace |
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| Raj Gadde |
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| Sculptures on Ahilyabai's Chhatri |
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| Maheshwari Saris |
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| Maheshwar Fort |
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| Statue of Ahilyabai near entrance at Raj Wada |
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| Carvings on the panels |
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| Carvings on the fort walls |
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| Chhatri of Vithoji |
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| Chhatri's sanctum |
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| Ahilyeshwar Temple near Chhatri of Ahilyabai |
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| Elephant figures on friezes of the fort walls |
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| Stone artwork on the walls of Ahilyabai Chhatri |
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| A holy shrine inside the fort |
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| Ahilyabai cremation place near Mahila Ghat |
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| Artisticaly designed windows of the fort |
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| Baneshwar Temple in the river bed |
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| Ek Mukhi Datta Temple nea |
After completing our trip to Omkareshwar we proceeded
towards Ujjain. On the way we halted at Maheshwar to see the spectacular Maheshwar
fort built by the famous queen Ahilyabai Holkar. It is nearly 65 kms from
Omkareshwar. Rani Ahilyabai made Maheshwar as her capital city in 1767 and
ruled here till her demise in 1795. In 1818 Malhar Rao Holkar III shifted the
capital back to Indore. The Rajwada is seen just opposite the fort. The simple
building without any pomp and splendor reveals the austere and pious life of
Rani Ahilya Bai who devoted most of her income in renovating temples and
building choultries and digging wells in pilgrimage towns like Benares,Haridwar,Dwaraka, Puri, Dwaraka,Pushkar, Nasik,Pune ,Badrinath and Kanchi. More than half of her
palace has been converted into a four-star hotel with traditional outlook and
ultramodern facilities. The outer courtyard looks quite simple with a statue of
Lord Krishna in the middle. The tall statue of Ahilyabai is seen in the inner
courtyard in standing position holding a sacred Shiva Linga in her hands. In
the prayer hall we saw many wooden frames on which hundreds of Shiva Lings made
of earth are set up. Daily she used to do Abhishkam to thousands of these Shiva
Lingas along with Brahmins praying for the welfare of her people. We also saw many idols and sacred stones
(called Bana Lingas) collected by her from the river bed of the Narmada.
In the court hall we
saw the painted pictures of the royal family members. The royal palanquin,
shields and weapons used by royal personages are also displayed. The marble
statue of the queen seated on a cushioned bed shows the simplicity and
unassuming behavior coupled with religious devotion. She faced many calamities
at a very young age losing her husband, her son and son-in-law and her own
daughter, Krishna bai, who commited Sati. Yet she carried out her
responsibilities as queen with utmost sincerity and dedication. The rooms on upstairs were used as royal residence and the rooms on the ground floor once used as royal court have been converted into a museum. We did not see the
portion of the palace which is now used a grand hotel.
Later we went to see
the fort which is a massive stone construction with many steps leading to a
cluster of buildings on the banks of Narmada. Just at the foot of the stairs on
the right side we saw the chatri or cenotaph of Vitoji Rao Holkar. On the panels of the chhatri, we find many
beautiful carvings of royal figures and caparisoned elephants. Facing the
entrance of the chhatri of Vitoji is
another gateway leading to another enclosure where we can see Ahilyeshwar
Shivalaya, the chhatri of Ahilyabai constructed by her daughter, Krishna Bai,
in a very artistic manner with many floral motifs. It resembles a holy temple
with Shiva’s shrine inside. Just near this chatri we can see Raja Rajeshwari’s
temple. From the enclosure that houses two chatris another gateway leads to
another flight of stairs leading to the main ghat of Maheshwar which has nearly
two kms of stone-paved way with twenty eight ghats. Ahilya Bai installed many
Shiva lIngas all aong the way near every ghat.
Some enclosures for ladies are set up for changing clothes after their holy
dip in the river.
Later we went by boat to see the temple of Baneshwar Mahadev
built on a rock in the river by Anand Raj Paramar in fifth century. But the
waters are too marshy and we were not able to reach there.
Next we went to see
the shop where the famous Maheshwari saris are sold. Rani Ahilya Bai during her
reign encouraged the weavers from Malwa and Surath to produce this kind of silk
and cotton sari with Zari borders for wearing by royal members. These soft and
light saris come with distinctive designs of stripes, checks and floral borders
in colors like grape green, magenta, purple, deep brown, golden yellow, mustard
yellow, and deep pink shades. Three alternating stripes of different colors
with two white stripes are woven in such a way that they can be worn from
either side. The prices range from 1800 to 6000/- approximately. Mostly organic
and vegetable dyes are used. Kurtas and other dress items are also available
here. It is better to buy saris here as no additional tax is imposed at the
place of manufacture. The Rehwa Society, an N.G.O. founded by Holkar royal
family helps the weavers and working members of these centers.
We did not have time
to see Sahasrajun temple and Ek Mukhi Dutta temple near Sahasra Dhara Jalkote.
One should spend at least two days here to enjoy the serene atmosphere and
visit the surrounding holy shrines. Maheshwar Fort is the prime attraction
where many film shootings were also done as it is an artistic marvel nestled in
beautiful surroundings on the banks of the holy river, Narmada.
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23rd December, 2017 Somaseshu Gutala
