Majestic Malwa

Monsoon is always a good time to visit the central Indian highlands. This is the time of the year when the rolling hills in the region are painted with mossy green and the dark clouds bring the temperature down. This monsoon we decided to visit the Malwa Plateau – the famous highland nestled at the foothills of Vindhya Mountains.

Monsoon Greenery - View from Choral Dam

Malwa is rich in history. It’s the region where the great king Vikramaditya reigned. It’s the birthplace of poet Kalidasa. Later in modern times Malwa rose to prominence once again through the patronage of Rajmata Ahilya Devi, who ruled from Maheshwar near Indore.

We planned for an extended weekend trip of 3 days around Indore covering Choral Dam, Patalpaani waterfall, Omkareswar & Maheshwar.

Choral Dam 

Our trip started with a surprise. Our Jet Airways flight to Indore happened to be their first flight in CCU-IDR route. So we got a grand reception at the boarding gates, we were greeted with chocolates and some beautifully decorated yellow roses, the flowers were really gorgeous. After a couple of hour’s flight when we landed at IDR airport the aircraft was given a salute with water cannons, which were a sight to behold.

We had our car waiting for us at the airport, and drove straight towards Choral Dam & resort which is located near MHOW, around 40 kilometers from Indore.

Local Fishermen at Choral Dam

MHOW cantonment is a treat to watch. It’s a typical squeaky clean cantonment town, with great buildings and history associated with it. We reached Choral resort within an hour. MPTDC has set up a nice sprawling resort by the banks of Choral Dam. The dam has been constructed over the Choral River. During monsoon the lake with dark clouds hovering over the water and wooded hills on the background looked absolutely enticing.

The afternoon was spent with some aimless walk around the lake. Local fishermen were pretty busy looking for their catch on the lake. We saw a lot of them, sailing with their country boat on the vast lake. Boating is also a popular option at Choral. We could see weekend crowd enjoying their ride at the placid waters. A colorful sunset marked the end of our day at Choral.

Sunset at Choral Dam

Experiencing a heritage Railway at PatalPani

The next morning our first destination was Patalpaani waterfall. Our added attraction to visit Patalpaani waterfall was to also see the famous meter gauge train chugging along the Vindhya Mountains. The meter gauge track was an engineering marvel from pre independence era. It connected Indore at Malwa plateau with the plains of Maharashtra at Khandwa, crossing the mighty Vindhyas. The route between Patalpaani and Kalakund is the most scenic section of this route where the track winds its way uphill through the ghat section. As a bonus the passengers also get a glimpse of the mighty Patalpaani waterfall from the train.

During monsoon Patalpaani waterfall was at its full glory. At Patalpaani, Choral River, leaps from a height of 300 meters to form this waterfall, and then meanders its way through a narrow ravine in the woods.

Pataalpani Waterfall at Monsoon

As we were enjoying the waterfall, the MHOW – Sanawad meter gauge passenger also arrived and slowly chugged along the ghats. With the plunge of Patalpaani at one side, and the rustic meter gauge train on the other side, it was the most magical picture one could draw in nature’s canvas.   

Sanawad Passenger at Pataalpani

Omkareswar Jyotirlinga

Soon after the train left we started our journey towards Omkareswar. Omkareswar is a busy pilgrimage town on the banks of river Narmada. The famous Jyotirlinga is situated in an OM shaped island in the middle of Narmada, which can be reached via a hanging bridge on foot. The view of majestic Narmada flanked by Vindhya hills on either side, from that bridge is magical.

The Scenic Omkareswar Jyotirlinga

The temple can also be reached via mechanized boat taken from any of the ghats by the banks of Narmada. The boats in this region are pretty colorful and looked pretty enticing in the middle of clear blue Narmada water. The main temple is centuries old but with the ornate carvings in its wall, still looks as majestic as ever.

It was a Sunday, so the place was brimming with pilgrims all over nearby places. There was a long queue in front of the sanctum sanatorium, and it looked standing on that queue might take few hours. So we decided to take VIP tickets sold at a premium, and visited the deity. Not the ideal way to visit the almighty but when you do not have enough time that was possibly the only way out.

Colorful boats dot the Narmada River

The town itself with holy cows, saffron flags, and omnipresent pilgrims looked totally imbued with faith. There is a magic in these kind of place, as it slowly grows on you, and the same happened with us as well. As we spent more and more time at Omkareswar we started to like the madness of the place. But we had to return back to Choral, which is almost a couple of hours drive, so decided to return back well before the sun down.

Next Day - Towards Maheshwar

The next day our destination was Maheshwar, to experience the majestic fort built on the banks of Narmada by Rajmata Ahilyabai.

From Choral we once again had to cross the Vindhya Mountain, this time through the famous Vanchu point, which provided a mesmerizing view of the rolling hills and the plains below.

Vindhya Mountain from Vanchu Point Maheswar

Compared to Omkareswar, Maheshwar is a sleepy town, centered on the Ahilyabai Fort.

The fort is grand. The fort along with the ghat in front of it has to be the most scenic waterfront in whole India. It oozes heritage. The fort itself is extremely well maintained, with strong walls, & intricately carved temples & pillars. The grandeur of the palace and the temple inside it reminds people of the golden era of the Holkar dynasty, led by Rajmata Ahilyabai.

Ahilyabai Fort as seen from the ghat

Ahileshwar temple dedicated to lord Shiva is the main temple complex inside the fort. It’s still an active temple, used by both the local people and the royal family who lives inside the fort complex. The temple with its intricately carved granite walls, is an epitome of the Maratha architecture.

The Legacy of Maheshwar

The majestic fort, and the beautiful ghat with its well-designed stairs going down to the languid Narmada in front of it, creates a picturesque setting. A boat ride along the Narmada to look at the daily chores on the ghats couldn’t have been missed. The boat ride along Narmada offered us the best lookout points to enjoy the majestic beauty of the Ahilyabai fort. Lots of devotees were taking a holy deep in the sacred waters of Narmada. The chants of the devotees, the cool breeze of Narmada and the grandeur of the mediaeval fort on the backdrop created a surreal effect.

The fort as seen from Narmada at Maheshwar

Maheshwar is also famous for the Maheswari Silk sarees. A lot of families here still earn their livelihood by weaving this piece of art. Most of them are completely handmade and the motifs on the Sarees are inspired by the carvings made on the majestic walls of the Ahileshwar temple and Ahilyabai fort.

The tradition of Saree weaving was patronized by Rajmata Ahilyabai, which helped Maheshwar become one of the famous seats for silk sarees in India.

We visited one such weaver’s house and bought us a handmade silk cotton Saree as a memory of visiting this rich historic place. 

Temple Carvings Maheswar - which inspires Maheswari Weavers 

We had our flight to Kolkata from Indore that afternoon, so even though we wanted to stay a few hours more, and enjoy a Sandhyarati on the banks of Narmada, we had to give that a miss. So we started our journey back towards home, leaving behind the rich legacy of Malwa. This region with its great blend of natural beauty and rich history, is certainly an important place in our ‘Incredible India’.