Last Updated on: 6th December 2025, 08:41 am
Some of India’s most scenic traditional towns remain well off the backpacker trail, largely ignored by social media hype. Madhya Pradesh’s Maheshwar is one such town. And you can even think of it as a cleaner, calmer, and much less touristy version of Varanasi. It’s also more compact, as the top things to do in Maheshwar can be explored over the course of a day or two.
Scholars have linked Maheshwar with the ancient city of Mahishmati, which was mentioned in both the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Others doubt the association, however, instead linking it with nearby Omkareshwar, another holy town situated along the Narmada River.
In any case, most of what we see at Maheshwar today dates to the 18th century when it was the seat of the Holkar Dynasty. Previously, the Holkars, a largely autonomous kingdom of the mighty Maratha Empire, had ruled out of Indore’s Rajwada Palace.
But when Ahilyabai Holkar took the throne in 1767, she moved the capital here and commissioned most of Maheshwar’s most notable landmarks.
While situated right in the heart of India – a region where few tourists venture – Maheshwar is just an hour from the historical town of Mandu. We’ll be covering how to get there from Mandu or Indore at the end of the article, along with Maheswhar’s best places to stay.
Maheshwar Fort & Palace
While you don’t necessarily need to start your tour of Maheshwar with a visit to its hilltop fort and palace, we’ll be beginning our guide here, as it’s a good way to introduce the town’s most significant historical figure.
As mentioned above, before 1767, the Holkars had ruled out of Indore. But when Ahilyabai Holkar took control of the Holkar Dynasty, she moved the capital here to Maheshwar.
Throughout her 30-year reign, she lived on the upper floor of the hilltop palace while administrative duties were carried out on the floor below.
Queens were rather rare in India, but Ahilyabai took the throne following the death of her husband, son and father-in-law. And today she’s fondly remembered throughout India, largely due to the construction projects she initiated well outside of the Holkar domain.
Ahilyabai had taken the throne just six decades after Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s death in 1707. And the shockwaves of his destructive iconoclasm were still being felt throughout the country.
To reverse some of his damage, Ahilyabai funded restoration projects in states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and of course, here in Madhya Pradesh.
Visitors can access the palace either by walking uphill through the town center or from behind Ahilyeshwar Temple, situated along the river.
Maheshwar has long been a popular center for weaving and handicrafts, and today the palace area is home to the Rehwa Society, an NGO that employs over 100 weavers.
Other sections of the fortress, meanwhile, have since been converted to a luxury hotel.
The Ghats
One of the top things to do in Maheshwar is to simply walk along the ghats, or steps that lead down to a sacred body of water. Situated alongside the Narmada River, Maheshwar’s promenade stretches out to about 1.5 km.
And along it, you’ll encounter numerous small temples as well as chhatris (cenotaphs) dedicated to various members of the Holkar Dynasty.
If you’ve noticed how Maheshwar looks similar to Varanasi (albeit much cleaner!), one reason is that Ahilyabai Holkar initiated a lot of construction there as well.
For example, Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Ahilya Ghat and Manikarnika Ghat were commissioned or renovated by her.
But today, there are lots of unpleasant things that visitors to Varanasi have to deal with – namely poor sanitation and rampant scams.
While I did encounter one scammer in Maheshwar (more on that below), the average person I met was very kind and hospitable, and I was largely able to explore the town with ease.
One of the most common things you’ll find when exploring the ghats of Maheshwar are sculptures of Nandi the Bull, Shiva’s animal mount. They almost always face stone Shiva lingas, the most common representation of Lord Shiva.
As you can guess, Maheshwar is closely associated with Shiva, with the town’s name even being one of his epithets.
According to legend, the source of the Narmada River is Shiva’s sweat. In Hindu mythology, the Narmada is also sometimes described as Shiva’s daughter. And it’s considered one of India’s seven sacred rivers.
Today, many pilgrims in India perform a circumambulation of the entire Narmada, a long and arduous 3500 km-long route. It can take around six to eight months to complete, with many even doing the whole thing barefoot!
Maheshwar’s ghats look great at any time of day, but photographers should try coming at least once in the early morning or evening to see them during golden hour.
Ahilyeshwar Temple
At the eastern end of the ghats, you’ll find the elaborate main entrance of Ahilyeshwar Temple, a beautiful stone structure constructed over the course of 34 years. Construction was largely overseen by Ahilyabai Holkar’s daughter.
Entrance is free, so don’t hesitate to stop by multiple times under different lighting conditions.
Even before stepping inside, there are plenty of intricate details to admire. For example, you’ll see some of India’s finest examples of overhanging windows known as jharokas. And many of the windows feature ornate latticed stone screens.
The temple exemplifies the architecture of the Maratha Empire, of which the Holkars were a part. It also features elements of Nagara and Rajput styles.
Upon stepping inside, to the right you’ll see the chhatri of Vithoji, a member of the Holkar Dynasty. I’d previously encountered numerous Holkar chhatris in Indore, but the ones here are a lot cleaner and better maintained.
Be sure to walk around the base of the cenotaph to admire its intricate carvings of elephants.
You can also spot plenty of more carved scenes throughout the rest of the complex. In addition to vegetal motifs, you’ll find depictions of what appear to be marriages and even a wrestling match.
The heart of the temple complex is Ahilyabai’s own chhatri which was constructed by her descendants. This is the one part of the temple complex for which you’ll have to take off your shoes.
As with the other Holkar cenotaphs, the main shrine features a sculpture of Nandi the bull. And there are plenty of additional details to seek out around the outer courtyard.
You can appreciate the central structure’s symmetry from the corner of the courtyard. And keep your eyes peeled for various sculptures, some depicting divinities and others depicting members of the Holkar Dynasty, presumably.
And don’t forget to step out onto the balcony for a spectacular view of the ghats and the Narmada River.
You can exit Ahilyeshwar Temple the way you came or come out the other end. From there, you can walk uphill, a route that will ultimately take you to the palace.
While not covered here, Maheshwar has a plethora of other temple complexes to explore, though they mostly lack the unique look and feel of Ahilyeshwar.
The Boat Ride
As mentioned, most of the people I encountered in Maheshwar were friendly and hospitable. But I did have a strange and unpleasant experience immediately upon my arrival.
Upon checking into my hotel, I decided to go for a quick walk to check out the ghats. But shortly after stepping outside, an older man approached me and began speaking in rapid Hindi.
I told him I didn’t understand and kept on walking, but he proceeded to follow me.
He handed me a small card with some landmarks featured on it, and I realized that he wanted to be my tour guide. Despite showing him a translated message explaining that I wasn’t interested, he still wouldn’t leave me alone.
Eventually, I arrived at the river and the strange man was still on my tail. And when he realized that I wasn’t going to pay him, he became belligerent, demanding money for his ‘efforts.’
Fortunately, some domestic travelers saw what was going on and told him to leave me alone. He still wouldn’t, so they told me to follow them to the other side of the ghats.
And the next thing I knew, they motioned for me to get on a boat!
The two men were brothers from Gujarat, and their wives were already sitting in the boat waiting for them. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to mind that a random foreigner had crashed their private tour.
And despite offering to pay multiple times, the family refused to accept my money. I felt like I’d just experienced the worst and the best of India within a single hour!
But what can you expect from a boat tour?
After passing a small island temple (which we’d later return to), our first stop was the river rapids known as Sahastra Dara, or ‘A Thousand Streams.’ They’re located about 7 km west of the town center.
Upon getting out of the boat, we arrived at a scenic area with paved walkways and various viewing platforms.
We walked for a couple of minutes until we reached a small tent where a guy was selling chai, and we sat and relaxed for twenty minutes or so while looking out at the water.
Back in the boat, our next destination was Baneshwar Temple, the small island temple situated right in the middle of the river. Like most temples in Maheshwar, it’s dedicated to Lord Shiva. And it may even date back to the 5th century AD.
Unsurprisingly, it was later renovated in the 18th century by Ahilyabai Holkar. And then again much more recently.
To commemorate the 2006 marriage of a descendant of the Holkars, the temple was restored in 2008 by artists from Rajasthan.
Given how Baneshwar Temple is just one small room, we only spent a couple of minutes here before we made the return trip to the ghats of Maheshwar.
According to the kiosk, the boat tour should cost around Rs 1000-1200 (different options are available). But as the signage is all in Hindi, I’m not sure if that’s per person or per boat. As mentioned, the Gujarati family I joined the tour with wouldn’t let me pay.
If you’re interested in going on such a tour, most people in Maheshwar don’t speak English, but you should eventually encounter a friendly and helpful person who does. And hopefully they can help you figure out what to do.
Otherwise, you could also view the rapids by taking a taxi west of town to a viewing area situated along the west bank.
Additional Info
Maheshwar can be reached directly by bus from Indore. Buses depart from Sarwate Bus Stand near Indore’s railway station.
The ride takes a little under three hours, and you shouldn’t expect to pay more than a few hundred rupees for the journey.
When traveling from Maheshwar to Indore, you can find the ‘Maheshwar Bus Stand’ to the north of town, just off of Highway 38. Local buses should leave regularly, but it would be wise to confirm with your hotel in advance.
In my case, I didn’t see any bus waiting upon arrival, but one eventually showed up, let people on, and then immediately departed.
For those coming from Mandu, note that there’s oddly no direct transport between the two towns. As such, the best option would be to hire a private driver. Expect to pay around Rs 1000-1600 depending on your haggling skills.
When in Mandu, I recommend asking the owner of Chalain Food Hub, located next to the bicycle rental shop. He gave me a good deal and we left right on schedule.
As is common in towns that don’t attract many foreign tourists, Maheshwar’s hotels are a bit pricier than what you’ll find further north.
As a budget traveler, I found Hotel Shivalay Palace to be the best value. The rooms were spacious with a private bathroom and the internet worked well. Furthermore, the staff spoke fluent English.
It’s not located near the river, but considering how small Maheshwar is, it was only a fifteen-minute walk or so to get there.
Moving on to Indore, the hotel was within walking distance of the bus stand.
If you’re not on a budget and are looking for a really special experience, you could stay at the Ahilya Fort itself. A highly-rated midrange option near the fort, meanwhile, is Labboo’z Café and Lodge.
Maheshwar’s main attractions can be visited within a day, though relying on public transport there and back from Indore in one day would be very difficult and stressful. So if a day tour is your only option, consider this Heritage and History Tour from Indore.
Other tours, meanwhile, even include Maheshwar with the highlights of Mandu. While it’s possible to see the highlights of Mandu in a single day, the town’s magic can only really be appreciated by taking things slow over the course of a few days or more.
Nevertheless, if you simply don’t have the time, this tour can take you to the highlights of both towns.