Friday, December 22, 2017

About my visit to Maheshwar (Madhya Pradesh)



Ahilya Dwar leading to Raj Wada


Front View at rajwada
       

Holkar Palace

Raj Gadde 
Sculptures on Ahilyabai's Chhatri




Maheshwari Saris
   


Maheshwar Fort
                       
Statue of Ahilyabai near entrance at Raj Wada
                       
Carvings on the panels
                                               
Carvings on the fort walls

                               
Chhatri of Vithoji

                       
Chhatri's sanctum


Ahilyeshwar Temple near Chhatri of Ahilyabai

Elephant figures on friezes of the fort walls

Stone artwork on the walls of Ahilyabai Chhatri



A holy shrine inside the fort

Ahilyabai cremation place near Mahila Ghat

Artisticaly designed windows of the fort
Baneshwar Temple in the river bed

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


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