Situated on the banks of river Narmada, Maheshwar appeals to both the pilgrim as well as the tourist in you. If you happen to drive through the main road of Maheshwar, which also serves as a state highway, you may come across several mesmerizing sights of the holy River Narmada, its rich history, and the reflection of the Maratha and Malwa empires that ruled over years.
As this glorious city sits on the banks of the holy river Narmada and finds mentioned in the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. At the dawn of Indian civilization, it was known as Mahishmati, the capital of King Kartivarjun. This holy town was revived to its ancient position of importance by the Holkar queen Rani Ahilyabai of Indore. The town also holds the distinction of being the capital of Rajmata Ahilya Devi Holkar’s empire during the 18th century.
After the death of Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb in 1707, the area of Indore, Maheshwar, and nearby Omkareshwar was acquired by Malhar Rao Holkar, the founder of the Holkar dynasty and a prominent cavalry commander in the Maratha Confederacy. He was then succeeded by his widowed daughter-in-law, Rajmata Devi Ahilyabai Holkar. The pious queen was known for her charitable and religious work.
The famed fortress, long and well-documented history, rich traditions and beautiful temples in this treasure trove calms the soul. Alongside these attractions, man-made creations please the eyes of every visitor. It is also said to be the place where Adi Shankaracharya is said to have defeated Mandan Misra in philosophical dialectics in the 8th century AD.
Mandana Misra was a perfect ritualist with more than half of his life dedicated to learning and preaching and mimasa. Adi Shankara being young and inexperienced, Mandana himself reasoned that it would be unfair to debate with a youngster in his twenties and allowed Shankara to choose his judge. Shankara was quick to decide that none but Mandana Misra’s wife herself can be the most appropriate judge for the debate. The debate commenced and continued for months reaching a point where Mandana Misra was almost ready to accept defeat. Ubhaya Bharati, wife of Mandana Misra then interfered and declared that to defeat a man in debate the opponent should also defeat his wife.