Omkareshwar

Since childhood, I have been that blessed soul whose parents took her to various places. As a result, when someone asks me to travel with them within India, most of the time my answer is:”Ohh! I have been there!”. They don’t like me anymore. :p

Anyway, after completing 6 of the holy Jyotirlingas out of 12, it was time to visit Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is 80 kilometres away from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. I have been to so many holy places but the scenic beauty of this one amazed me.

On one fine Saturday morning, we started around 11am from Indore and reached there by 1.15pm. The road was through hills. From the car parking, we had to walk around 700meters to reach the main temple. It is situated high above from the banks of Narmada. Blue water of Narmada is flowing in the middle of the hillocks. On the top of one hillocks, the holy temple is situated. You can avail the option of boat riding on Narmda. It was a beautiful sight.

To enter the main temple, you have to walk through a bridge. One dam can be spotted from the bridge.

There are two ways to get inside the temple. The general line is a long queue and there are a number of steps. For the older people and others, there is a VIP queue. After standing in the general queue, My mother and I realized that it was going to take some time. So we opted for VIP queue for Rs.300/-. That queue was short and it took about 20 minutes to get inside the temple. The real struggle started there. It was hell crowded. There was no space left to stand. Although the temple premises is big and construction was going on at that time, the room was very small and there are steps inside it. Everyone was pushing each other. Somehow we managed to view the Shivalinga hardly for 5 seconds. After travelling for 14 hours from Pune and 2 hours from Indore, all we got was a glance for 5 seconds. We took a lung full of oxygen after coming out. No photography was allowed inside. The temple premises, the river and the river banks were clean. It is normal to find beggars in such places in India.

• 

  Omkareshwar Temple

• 

  Omkareshwar Temple on the banks of Narmada

• 

  Artifact on the Temple wall

• 

  Artifact on the Temple wall

• 

  Crowded queue

As Maa wanted to visit, after getting out of the temple, we headed towards another temple, Mamaleshwar Temple. It was around 300 meters away but the steps were big. If you have breathing problem, it might cause trouble to catch breathe. This temple is not as well maintained as Omkareshwar. There were posters alerting people from pickpockets and monkeys. When we came out, it was 2.30 pm. On the way we spotted find food stalls and shops to buy things for worshiping. 

Mamaleshwar Temple

I am still amazed by the beauty of the Narmada and its banks. It was beyond my expectations. Even if you are atheist, I would suggest this place to admire scenic beauty.

That big fat face is of mine and my mother is here. In the background you can see Omkareshwar Temple