Weekend getaways from Indore: Road Trip to Mandu, Maheshwar and Omkareshwar

A commercial centre, an education hub and a foodies’ paradise – Indore has it all. Madhya Pradesh’s largest city has gracefully embraced modern world developments while still holding on to its history. Indore enjoyed a respectable position as the capital of the Malwa Kingdom during the 16^th century before the focus shifted to Maheshwar, a quick drive away from the city. Discover more such stories from the bygone era on an interesting heritage trail that is a treat for lovers of architecture and history, as well as those seeking a spiritual getaway. This post will give you ideas for weekend getaways from Indore.

Weekend getaways from Indore: Route map

Mandu: An Architectural delight

Barely 100 km from Indore, Madhya Pradesh’s countryside greets you to the architectural wonders of Mandu. This 6^th century township in the Malwa region has been ruled by the Paramaras, Khiljis, Bahadur Shah, Mughals and the Marathas. The architecture is an amalgamation of several styles, right from Pashtun to Afghan, Islamic and Hindu.

Roopmati’s Pavilion inside Mandu’s heritage complex stands witness to timeless love. Baz Bahadur built Roopmati’s Pavilion at the behest of his queen. Her condition to marry him was that she should be able to see the Narmada River and offer her prayers every day. The pavilion was built at the highest point in the heritage complex from where Rani Roopmati could view the river. Below the pavilion, Baz Bahadur built a reservoir called Rewa Kund that supplied water to the structure. The 16^th century Baaz Bahadur Palace is equally stunning with its large courtyards where the king enjoyed songs and dance performances.

Rani Roopmati Pavillion – Mandu

The Hindola Mahal was the audience chamber and is prominent for its peculiar style of sloping walls that give the illusion of them swinging. The Hoshanga Tomb was India’s first marble mausoleum and a prototype to build the Taj Mahal. Shah Jehan sent his architects to Mandu to study this structure and there is an inscription outside the tomb to back this claim. Look out for the inspiring architecture at the Jami Mosque, built on the lines of the Umayyed Mosque of Damascus in Syria.

Hoshanga Tomb – Mandu

Mandu’s star attraction is the Jahaz Mahal. This 15^th century architectural marvel stands on a strip of land between two lakes, Munj Talao and Kapur Talao. It gives the illusion of a floating ship in the sea. Ghiyas-ud-din Khilji built this magnificent monument to house his harem of about 15000 women.

Jahaz Mahal – Mandu – Weekend getaways from Indore

Travel tips for Mandu:

• It’ll be a lot easier to explore Mandu if you have your own vehicle. Alternatively rent a rickshaw or bicycle.
• Try the Malwa thali here that consists of Daal bafla (a ball of wheat flour) served with lentil curry, stir fried potato (aloo sabji), garlic and coriander chutney and and laddoo

Malwa regional Thali

Maheshwar: A Lesson in history

From Mandu, head west towards Maheshwar. The historic town was the erstwhile capital of the Malwa Kingdom. While the region saw several kings, this township flourished the most under the rule of a queen – Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar. At the height of her rule, Devi Ahilya controlled half of Madhya Pradesh. She moved the capital from Indore to Maheshwar and built the Ahilya Fort on the banks of the Narmada River. Her tenure as the ruler is considered the most prosperous period for the Malwa kingdom. Devi Ahilya built several schools and colleges and donated generously to construct temples, dharamshalas and baoris (wells) across India.

A section of Devi Ahilya Bai’s residence has been opened to tourists, mainly the durbar hall where the queen conducted meetings with the administration and the aangan (courtyard). The fort has been converted into a luxury heritage hotel. If you’re willing to splurge, there can be no better place than to stay at the Ahilya Fort Heritage Hotel – the erstwhile residence of the Holkars. Book here.

Ahilya Fort

A short walk towards the Ahilya fort by the banks of the Narmada greets visitors to intricately carved chhatris of the Holkar rulers. Evenings by the ghat are calm and peaceful. Devotees come here to take a dip in the river; others sit along the stairway to watch the sunset. There are small temples and shrines dotting the entire stretch of the ghat. Boatmen offer to take tourists for a leisurely ride in the Narmada and promise beautiful views of the Ahilya Fort from the other side.

Travel tips for Maheshwar:

• Maheshwari sarees are worth the buy.
• Drop by at the Rehwa Society inside Ahilya Fort to appreciate the art of making hand-loom sarees.

Maheshwar Ghat

Omkareshwar: A spiritual retreat

Much like Varanasi, Omkareshwar ticks all the boxes – temple town, spiritual vibe, sacred river, busy ghats and colourful by-lanes. Roughly a two hour drive from Indore, Omkareshwar is a great getaway for those seeking a spiritual break. The temple town finds its mention in the holy scriptures. Historically, the region has been ruled by the kingdom of Malwa, Chauhans and the Marathas.

Omkareshwar town by the Narmada

Omkareshwar is an important place of worship for the Hindus. The river island is shaped like an ‘Om’ on the banks of the Narmada River. Streets here are abuzz with shops selling religious photos, stone idols and offerings like flowers and coconuts with loud devotional songs playing in the background.

Pilgrims cross the river using the suspension foot-bridge or rent a boat for a leisurely ride. The Mamleshwar temple on the south side of the main sanctum sanctorum is said to house the Mamleshwar Jyotirlinga, and hence pilgrims consider it auspicious to pay their visits there. You must also make time to see the evening arti at Omkareshwar that is a serene experience.

Omkareshwar island

For the ardent devout, a 6 kilometre parikrama of the island leads you to discover many 11^th century temple ruins and archways built by the kings from the bygone era. Do visit the Mandhata Palace of the Holkars that sits atop a hill enjoying an aerial view of Omkareshwar town.

Travel tip for Omkareshwar

• We stayed at the Hotel MPT Temple View along the Omkareshwar ghat overlooking the Narmada River. It is one of the better resorts in the town. Book here.

Jhula Pul – Omkareshwar

(A version of this story was first published for Air Vistara’s in-flight magazine – December 2019 issue)

Read other heritage stories:

• Photo essay on Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
• A quick itinerary for Hampi
• The unfinished Bhojpur temple near Bhopal
• What to do in Ahmadabad in a few hours?

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