During our discussion over a quick lunch, we decided to skip
Omkareshwar and
Maheshwar and head straight to
Mandu due to time constraint.
Without wasting any more time, we headed towards
Mandu and the closest route
was via
Maheshwar. Around 3:40 pm, we reached a cross road leading to
Omkareshwar and realised that
Mandu was about 150 km from here. Thinking again,
we modified our plan and drove towards Omkareshwar as we were aware we wouldn't
be able to make it to
Mandu before sunset. We reached the village of
Omkareshwar within ten minutes and were greeted by the narrow lanes of this
temple town. Navigating through these lanes, we reached the southern bank of
river Narmada. While we were on a look out for a place to park our vehicle, we
were surrounded by numerous priests (read them as touts/agents) who offered to
take us to a direct darshan of the Lord Omkareshwar. We managed to find a
parking spot finally through one of the agent inside a compound for Rs 50/-.
 |
| Omkareshwar Temple Ghat |
Omkareshwar is one of the 12 Jyothirlinga shrines dedicated
to Lord Shiva. It is situated on an island resembling the holy symbol OM on the
banks of the triveni sangam (holy confluence) of rivers Narmada, Kaveri and
invisible Saraswathi. There are two ways to reach the temple from the southern
bank of river Narmada, either a walk via hanging bridge or a boat ride. We
zeroed in on the boat ride as our little one enjoys being in, around and
surrounded by water! After a hard bargaining negotiation, our agent he agreed
to show us three places for Rs 200/- which were the confluence of the
rivers/dam, the Omkareshwara temple and the Vishnu temple. Our boat man first
took us close to the dam and told us about that place being the confluence of
the rivers which we realised later to be untrue. The point of confluence lies
behind the dam and can be reached by walk from main temple. Later we were
dropped at the bank of Omkareshwar temple. He informed us that the temple would
open by 4:30 pm for darshan and here again while we waited in queue for
darshan, we were approached by many priests/agents offering direct darshan at a
cost. We had a tough time avoiding them. We stood in the queue for, say 20
minutes before we had the darshan of Lord Omkareshwar.
 |
| Omkareshwar Dam across River Narmada |
 |
| Lord Omkareshwar Jyothirlinga |
The main temple of Omkareshwara is multi-storeyed, with each
storey housing one Shivalinga dedicated to the various forms of Lord Shiva. The
temple has some beautiful sculptures which are spread across the temple
complex. Thanks to Madhya Pradesh government, this place is very cleanly
maintained despite being a pilgrimage center. Here on while returning to our
boat, we found a cave temple dedicated to Guru Shankaracharya. This sacred cave
is the place where Shankaracharya met his guru Govindphada. We reached the
boat, and rode towards the Vishnu temple. We had to see this huge idol of Lord
Vishnu from the boat only and later were dropped near the Gomukh Ghat. Gomukh
ghat is a ghat on the southern bank of river Narmada and a flight of steps here
lead us to the temple complex of Mamleshwar. This temple is considered to be
the oldest temple here and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. We managed to make a
quick visit to all the temples in the complex and stopped by to have a cup of
tea. In between our exit from the temple and sipping hot tea, we had picked up
a book about Omkareshwar written in Hindi. As we sipped tea, we brushed through
the book only to find many other interesting places worth a visit here and
around. At the tea stall, we inquired about a few places given in the book and
were informed that most of those structures were located on the hillock behind
the main temple. Though we were contemplating and initially quite hesitant to ascend
the hill, by heart because of our tired legs, we desperately wanted to visit
this place and finally put a step forward. Our hearts finally winning won over
legs. Unknowingly we were along the divine OM Parikrama or the Narmada
Parikrama, a circuitous path regarded as sacred when completed by pilgrims. We
crossed the hanging bridge and started our ascent by the steps laid to the top
of the hill with the beautiful sun setting, in the back ground. We had to hurry
up and rush through a few temples and structures before it fell completely
dark. We only wished we would have made it here much earlier, so we could enjoy
the sheer beauty of this place. All the structures and temples built here are
attributed to the reign of the Paramara dynasty.
 |
| Inside Shankaracharya Cave |
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| Dwarapalas of Mamleshwar Temple |
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| Mamleshwar Temple Complex |
 |
| Calmly Flowing Narmada |
Gauri/Gori Somnath temple ( Locally known
as Mama-Bhanja temple)
This is a beautiful two storeyed temple belonging to the
11th century AD housing a huge Shivalinga. It is built of red sandstone and is
associated with various interesting legends. There is also a beautiful Nandi idol
opposite to the temple. A little further is the Patali Hanuman temple dedicated
to Lord Hanuman who is seen in a reclining posture.
 |
| Gori Somnath Temple |
Sita Mata Temple
This 11th century temple, now mostly in ruins is dedicated to Goddess Sita
(Lord Rama's consort).
 |
| Goddess Sita |
 |
| Sita Matha Temple |
Chand - Suraj Dwar (Moon - Sun Fort Gateway)
This is a very beautiful fort gateway and on either sides of the gateway are
carved images of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna. A carving of Lord
Ganesha is also seen here.
 |
| Mahishasura Mardhini |
 |
| Lord Ganesha |
 |
| Chand Suraj Dwar |
Siddhnath Barahdwari Siddeshwar Temple
The main reason for our ascent to this hillock was the picture of Siddhnath
temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The sun had set by the time we reached this
temple. Even in the dark the temple looked equally beautiful, consisting of 72
pillars (18 pillars in each direction). All the pillars seemed to be very well
executed.
 |
| Siddhnath Barahdwari Temple |
Bhima Darwaja (Bhima Gate)
Another gateway to this fort is the Bhima Darwaja where a huge idol of Bhima
(one of the five Pandava brothers from Mahabharata) is seen.
 |
| Bhima |
Finally we reached the main temple of Omkareshwar where the
parikrama ends and got another chance of darshan of the Lord, this time among a
relatively lesser crowd. Since it is the Parikrama path, the pathway was well
laid and well-lit all along.
 |
| Carvings on the Ceiling of Omkareshwar Temple |
 |
| Omkareshwar At Night |
 |
| Raj Mahal Omkareshwar |
Distance from nearby major town - 75 km from
Indore.
Accommodation - Being a pilgrimage center, there
are many options for finding accommodation. Narmada resort being one among the
better ones is maintained by MPSTDC.
Where to eat - Many road side eateries offer Poha, Jalebi, Samosa
and other snacks.
References
1. RBS Visitors Guide India - ''Madhya Pradesh"
2. Omkareshwar Mahathva - A Local Guide
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