The first sight of river Narmada approached. As I saw the river the Indian Ocean song reverberated through my ears
Maa Rewa, tharo paani nirmal, khal khal behto jaayo re…. Maa Rewa
Amarkanth se niklo o Rewa… Jan Jan kar riyo thari sewa….
Sewa se sab paawen mewa… aisa Ved Puran Batayo re….. Maa Rewa
The sight was magical in the town of Maheshwar which redefines laid back. A sleepy old fort along the banks of a lazily meandering Narmada is the city of Maheshwar. The forts and the ghats of the river blending into one another in a symphony. No hustle bustle, no hurry, nothing to distract except of course the usual plethora of beggars and the unrelenting barking of stray dogs.
One of the best ways to soak in the city is to take the most leisurely possible boat ride (the ones where the boatman takes along the river in a lazy manner), view the city from the boat and experience sunset. Magical. The hardest of heart would fall in love and the loving hearts would fall in love again and again and then again.
The fort unfortunately is not too well maintained. Inside there are lots of crowds and hawkers capable of ruining your vacation. Still the fort retains the earthy aura of the Holkars and Devi Ahilya Bai who ruled the city. There is a luxury up market hotel inside the fort precinct for the super rich to enjoy the splendors. If you got the dough, book it.
Once you are in the fort don’t forget to see the weavers in action using the brilliantly colored yarn spinning the famous Maheshwari sarees.
Alas, Narmada is supposed to flow through the center of India, and unfortunately this was the southern most of this road trip. The wandering itch though remains to cross the Narmada and go all the way to the southern end of India. That shall have to wait for light of another day.
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