Maheshwar is one of the most enchanting places in India, not far from the city of Indore and others built not by a king but by a queen. At the end of the 18th century, the Maharani of Indore, Ahilya, was a widow and the regent of her young son. Over the years, she exercised her power with generosity, intelligence, and an unparalleled steadfastness. She constructed 92 temples from the north to the south of India, each of which she visited. She then built Maheshwar, an enormous fort on the banks of the sacred Narmada river. A ravishing palace and her funeral temple are found inside its walls.
A Hindu alter in some random corner, much like the hundred others to be found at Maheshwar and throughout India.
A few statues at the entrance of the funeral temple of the Queen Ahilya. She is represented by the seated woman with her hands raised. The queen was cremated after her death, there remain few representations of her.
The fort of Maheshwar, seen from the other side of the river. The palace is in white and sits high above the walls with the temple to the right.
Facing Maheshwar in the middle of the sacred Narmada river is a small temple, one of the most venerated sites in India, it is considered the navel of the Earth.
Another imposing view of the fortress of Maheshwar, with Hindu chapels and the charming belvedere of the small palace of Queen Ahilya.
Pilgrims have just disembarked, making their way to the great temple of Queen Ahilya.
Workers in saris enter and exit through the outer wall of the Maheshwar fort, carrying on their heads heavy sacks, just as they have done for thousands of years.
Pilgrims arrive in boats at the small temple rising from the middle of the sacred river.
While the pilgrims say their prayers in the great temple, a peasant fishes in tranquility on the sacred river.