Temples in Maheshwar

Maheshwar sits on the Narmada about 90 kilometres south of Indore, and most of what a visitor sees was built or restored under Rani Ahilyabai Holkar, who made it her capital in the eighteenth century. The fort and its long stone ghats run straight down to the river, with temples set along the steps. Ahilyabai is remembered across India for rebuilding temples and ghats at the great tirthas — and in Maheshwar that devotion is visible in a single sweep of riverfront. The town is also known for the Maheshwari handloom weaving she established, still practised in the lanes above the ghats.

Best time to visit: October to March. Mahashivratri and Narmada Jayanti are the principal occasions on the ghats.