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BHPian Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: PUNE
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| Malwa trails and tales! So, here comes my first travelogue on this forum!Please excuse me if there are mistakes, factual errors, missing details etc. I plan to be as elaborate as possible, however, some things might be missing (partly due to the fact that the journey in question was done in the first week of November 2015). Note: The name of the thread is my attempt (albeit a very poor one) at making an interesting name. The plan: This journey was in my mind since a long time. Ever since I had visited Indore on a business trip, I had fallen in love with the food and the city! Being a history buff, and a Maharashtrian, I was fascinated by Maratha history since childhood. Like any Maharashtrian, I was brought up idolizing Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Peshwas. The Malwa plateau is a treasure trove of Maratha history, dotted with places and monuments that mark the exploits and achievements of the Marathas. Hence, I put forth a plan to my newly appointed High Command, about a road trip to the Malwa Plateau. It was enthusiastically received, but was pending final approval, to be decided by the start of the Diwali holidays in the college where my wife had joined as a teacher. The journey was to be undertaken by me, my better half and my father. The initial plan was to do the trip after celebrating Diwali at our native place. However, the peak tourist rush was something that we were uncomfortable about, since all places are extremely crowded and prices are also on the higher side. Fortunately for us, the higher ups in Pune University were in a cheerful mood when deciding the holiday period, and the Diwali holidays for all Science colleges in Pune University were to start from 20th October! So, the final plan was to be as below: 3rd November: Pune-Mandu (overnight in Mandu) 4th November: Mandu sightseeing(Overnight in Mandu) 5th November: Mandu-Indore (Overnight in Indore) 6th November: Indore-Ujjain-Indore (Overnight in Indore) 7th November: Indore-Raverkhedi-Omkareshwar-Maheshwar (Overnight in Maheshwar) 8th November: Maheshwar(Overnight in Maheshwar) 9th November: Maheshwar-Jalgaon (Native place for Diwali) 13th November: Back to Pune after Diwali. The car: Our Skoda Octavia L&K 1.9 diesel. At the time of the journey she was 7.5 years young. I had not clicked a picture of the odometer and trip-meter for the entire journey, hence no pictures can be posted for those. The journey begins: We always prefer early starts when it comes to road trips, and accordingly, we had packed for the trip ahead the previous night. My dad is also a car enthusiast, and my love for cars and driving comes from him. We both share a passion for automobiles, and the only argument that we ever have is for who gets to drive. Well, D-day arrived, and we started on the dot at 5:30 am from Pune. We took the Ahmednagar highway. It is slightly longer distance wise (about 25 odd kilometers, as compared to the Nashik highway) but is in very good condition as compared to the Nashik highway. We took the following route: Pune-Ahmednagar-Shirdi-Manmad-Dhule-Mandu Total distance covered was around 562 kms. We reached Mandu by 4:00 in the evening. The biggest advantage that we had was that we were traveling a week before Diwali, and hence there was very less traffic on the road. The drive was really nice, except for some very annoying rumblers on the highway near Dhule up-to the MH-MP border. Mandu: Mandu, or Mandav, as it is known, is a hill station in the Malwa region. It is a fortified ancient city, made famous by the story of Roopmati and Baj-Bahadur. Its origins predate this period though, and it was originally a fortified stronghold of the Parmar Rajputs. It subsequently was ruled by Afghans (who built most of the monuments we see there today), Mughals, Marathas, British. Mandu, as informed by our guide, is also the highest point in the Malwa region (please correct me if this is not correct). Accommodation in Mandu is available for all budgets and tastes. We chose to stay in 'Malwa resort', owned and operated by the MP Tourism Development Corporation. I had done the bookings in advance in Pune, and we were actually very surprised to see the upkeep of the resort. It was maintained in very good condition, and options for stay ranged from deluxe cottages to premium cottages, and Swiss executive tents! We had selected the Swiss tents, and it was indeed a delightful experience. These tents are spacious,air-conditioned (though not required in November in Mandu) along with attached bathrooms. It is indeed a great choice if anyone is traveling as a family. We had booked two tents, and were actually the only people inhabiting the tents during those two days! We were informed by the staff that the rush starts from the 4th day of Diwali. We had indeed chosen the right time to visit! Photos of the resort and Mandu: Nicely maintained resort by MPTDC! ![]() Clean and green surroundings! ![]() Swiss tent. Beware of monkeys that lurk around on the premises. It is possible that monkeys keep jumping on your tent, making you feel nervous. But, as per the staff, the tent is monkey-proof! ![]() Some more images from Mandu: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In Mandu, you can see the Baobab tree, which was brought over from Madagascar during the Afghan period. Mandu is the only place in the country where you can see this tree. You also have vendors selling the fruit of the tree. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take pictures of the tree and the fruits ![]() Once Mandu was covered, we returned to the resort and had a relaxed evening to ourselves. The next morning, we checked out from the resort and drove down to Indore. Indore is around 90-95 kms from Mandu. Indore: Indore is the commercial centre of Madhya Pradesh. I had first visited Indore on business, and simply fell in love with the food there!This time around, we spent the evening of the 5th visiting the Rajwada and then gorging on the food in Sarafa bazaar. The Rajwada is centrally located and surrounded by the old city on all sides. You have typical small alleyways dotted with all kinds of shops snaking around the Rajwada in all directions. It is built akin to the Shaniwarwada in Pune (except the Shaniwarwada is fortified, the Rajwada in Indore isn't). When visiting the Rajwada, please make sure to visit the Holkar family temple located just next to it. It is an extremely simple and beautiful place, and it is extremely calm and quiet. The hustle and bustle outside is not felt inside. You are transported to a completely different world there, making this place a must-visit. I did not click any photos whatsoever this time around, as was completely busy in the food in the Sarafa. You can enjoy a wide variety of foods, but the most sought after are Makke ka kis, Garadu (in winters), Jalebi, Joshi's dahi wada (the jugglery skills of Mr.Joshi are a visual treat), coconut (khobra) pattis, kachori, shikanji (mind you, this is no nimbu pani/jaljira type shikanji, This is a full blown mix of thick rabri and dry fruits), etc. You also get gulabjamuns, chaat items, pav bhaji, pizzas and other assorted items in Sarafa. And the best part is that the food stalls are open till 2 AM! So finally with our tummy's full, we decided to head back to our hotel and call it a day! We had stayed at Shreemaya Residency, which is a well known place amongst Indoreites, renowned for, you guessed it, its food! The place is a little expensive, but is very clean, located centrally and the food is just amazing(strictly vegetarian). The photos below are from an earlier trip to Indore, as I did not click any on this trip. But I feel the pictures will give an idea about the place we visited (please excuse the quality though, as the photos are from an older point and shoot camera). Scenes from the Sarafa bazaar! ![]() Delicious jalebis! ![]() Indore Rajwada: ![]() Rajwada: ![]() Rajwada: ![]() Rajwada: ![]() Chhattris: ![]() Another one from the beautiful Chhatris: ![]() So, the next morning we had a scrumptious breakfast, and headed out to our first stop of the day, Ujjain. Ujjain: Ujjain is a very ancient city (known as Avantika in ancient times), and home to many temples. Since our main intention in visiting Ujjain was darshan, we started around 9 am from Indore. The road to Ujjain was in a very good state at the time, and we covered the 60 odd km distance in around 55 minutes. We first headed to the Mahankaleshwar temple for darshan. It was a big headache to find a decent parking spot around the temple, but we finally stumbled upon the official temple trust parking lot. It was relatively empty, and we headed for darshan directly. The darshan was peaceful, as there wasn't a lot of rush. Once the darshan was done, we headed out to take darshan of a couple of more temples on foot. Most of the temples are located around the Mahankaleshwar temple, and can be easily reached on foot. Darshan over, we then headed out to the Jantar Mantar, which was built by Maharaja Jai Singh the second of Jaipur. This one is much smaller as compared to the one in Jaipur (which I haven't seen yet. My wife has, hence got the comparison). The place itself is off the tourist radar, as there was not a single soul in sight (maybe due to the off-season). We finally came across a government employee who worked there, and he gave us some good information and insight into the instruments that have been built there. It was really disheartening to see that a lot of people do not prefer to visit this place. We then headed to the Kalbhairav temple, but took a wrong turn and were temporarily lost in a maze of small alleyways. It was a pain to maneuver the Octavia in those narrow lanes. We finally were guided by a good samaritan, and found our way out. We then headed to the Kalbhairav temple. This temple is visited by a lot of people, and there was already a rush at the temple. The presiding deity here is offered liquor as a form of prasad! We took darshan, and then returned back to Indore. This day ended with a visit to the 'Chhappan Dukan' area of the city, which is another foodie's paradise. This time around, we ended the day with some amazing shikanji and panipuris. Photos of Ujjain below: A quick snap of one of the many ghats on the Kshipra river. The Sinhasta (Simhasta) mela was slated to happen some time after we visited. The government has lain pipelines to carry water from the Narmada river to the Kshipra, so that there is water in the Kshipra all year round (First river linking in India?): ![]() One of the instruments at the Ujjain Jantar-Mantar: ![]() The next morning we again had an amazing breakfast and then checked out from the hotel. Today we headed out to Raverkhedi and then to Omkareshwar. Raverkhedi: Raverkhedi, or Raver, is situated on the banks of the Narmada river. This is the place where the great Maratha Peshwa 'Bajirao 1st' breathed his last amongst his soldiers. He was enroute to Delhi, which had been attacked and pillaged by Nadirshah, the emperor of Iran. On receiving the news from Delhi, the Peshwa decided to help, inspite of the enmity between the Marathas and the Mughals. He was taken ill enroute due to the extreme heat, and passed away on 28th April 1740 due to 'heat stroke'. It was a tragedy indeed, that the Peshwa, who was one of the greatest generals in the history of the world, passed way at such a young age of 40! His military exploits and victories are legendary, and in his short career of 20 years, he fought 41 battles, and never lost a single battle, making him one of the greatest and most successful military commanders in world history! His battle tactics have found mention in many books, including books written by the great British general Montgomery, and are still taught across many military academies in the world. He is credited with expanding the Maratha power beyond Maharashtra, and the influence of his actions can be seen today across central India, where cities such as Vadodra, Indore, Gwalior, Jhansi, Dhar became influential centres under their Maratha rulers. I can go on and on about this great son of India, but since that will lead the thread off-topic, will stop here. It will be abundantly clear from my writings above as to why I wanted to visit Raverkhedi. However, the irony is that not many people know of his final resting place, and we had to rely on google maps to chart a route to our destination (god bless technology). Even many people whom we had asked in Indore were clueless about our destination. Anyways, google pointed us first in the direction of Khandwa road. The total distance to Raverkhedi was shown at 91 kms from Indore. You have to take the Khandwa road to reach Sanawad. It is a slightly busy road closer to Indore, and then the traffic thins out as you head away from the city. There are a few twisties thrown in, which enhance the driving experience on this stretch. But you have to be careful, as most of the road is only 2-lane. It also passes through quaint villages, and you finally reach the Narmada river at Mortakka. By the time we reached Mortakka, it was already close to 10:30 am. We spotted a place called 'Gopal Midway', located right on the highway. It was quite crowded, and since we already had had our breakfast, we moved on to Raverkhedi directly. The first marker was Sanavad. From Sanavad, you have to take the road to Khargone upto Bedia. Then we need to take a turn to Pipalgaon. Fortunately, if you ask anyone in Bedia as to how to get to Raver, they will guide you. Once you get on the Pipalgaon road, you will see a sign erected by the MP government (bless them) pointing you in the right direction. ![]() Once you take a right, you are on the road to Raver (except, well, there was no road. It was basically a dirt track). As soon as we turned right, we left tarmac for good. All we had for company for the next 8 km to our destination was a dirt track wide enough for one car! Add to that the horrible state it was in, it was, simply put, our Octavia's worst nightmare! It has a very low ground clearance of 134 mm, and even slightly uneven asphalted roads can give me the creeps in this car. We were supposed to negotiate every crater and bump on this road, which was devoid of any traffic (only for some distance, afterwards you had an assortment of two wheelers, tractors etc to deal with on the narrow road). The going was tough for us (it was extremely hot, there was a lot of dust everywhere) and even tougher for our car. We even came upon a section that was under construction, with the dirt track being completely dug up by an earth mover! Fortunately for us, the JCB operator was operating his machine, and graciously offered to help us by leveling a portion so that our car could pass! This obstacle cleared, we strode ahead, the indomitable spirit of the Peshwa guiding us and egging us on to reach our destination! We finally reached Raver village, and upon asking, were told that the samadhi was actually a kilometre ahead, on the banks of the Narmada. We could take our car for half the distance, the remaining being covered on foot. We finally arrived at the Samadhi at around 12:45 PM, with the final 8 kilometres on the dirt track taking a good 40-50 minutes to cover. I am hopeful that there is a road now in place, and many more people can visit this place in comfort. We were quite tired due to the heat and dust and the long and slow drive, but the adventure we had was something that will stay with the 3 of us for the rest of our lives! We felt that we had been handed a very important life-lesson indeed, by experiencing firsthand that the tough get going when the going gets tough! I felt that reaching our destination in the vehicle we had and the road we had to negotiate was the best possible offering we could lay at the Samadhi of the Peshwa! A small glimpse of the road we took: ![]() The monument, built by the Scindias of Gwalior: ![]() An information board (which was in a very bad state) is the only piece of information at the site: ![]() We stayed at the Samadhi for around half an hour, and started our return journey. Since we now had an idea of the road, we covered the 8 km distance in about 35 minutes, and heaved a sigh of relief once we touched asphalt! The journey back to Mortakka was quite uneventful, and we reached Mortakka by 2:30. We halted for lunch at 'Gopal Midway', and after a quick lunch, headed out to Omkareshwar. Omkareshwar: Omkareshwar is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, dedicated to lord Shiva. It is also known as Omkar-mandhata, after the island on which the temple is situated. The road from Mortakka to Omkareshwar was in a very good condition, and it was smooth sailing till the actual town itself. It can be a bit difficult to navigate the narrow roads once you reach the town though. On reaching the temple, we found a place for parking at one of the many privately run parking spaces, and paid through our nose for the parking facility. Since there are always a lot of people coming to take darshan, the parking places are always full, and you just have to park wherever you can find a place, and pay whatever the locals ask! After getting a good parking place, we quickly went for darshan, only to find that the sanctum sanctorum was closed. People were waiting for darshan in a queue, and we also decided to wait. The crowd was also pretty thin ,hence the wait itself was not that difficult. Once the temple was opened, we had a very nice and pleasant darshan, and returned back to our car immediately afterwards. I did not manage to click a single photograph in Omkareshwar, and the famous 'OM' created by the river was also not visible, due to the water being stored in a newly built dam. We then left Omkareshwar, and headed to our final destination for day - Maheshwar. The 65 km drive was one of the best I have had. The road was in excellent condition, traffic was sparse, and we witnessed a glorious sunset enroute Maheshwar. We reached our hotel late in the evening, and after a quick dinner of 'Khichdi and kadhi', went for a stroll to the ghats on the Narmada. Maheshwar: Maheshwar is a famous town in Madhya Pradesh, due to its beautiful ghats on the river Narmada. It was the capital of Ahilyabai Holkar, and has been forever associated with her piety and devotion to lord Shiva. My father had been to Maheshwar before, and was absolutely in love with this place. It was due to his insistence that we had planned to spend 2 nights here. Once we started exploring this place did we realize why he was so insistent! We were just awestruck with the beauty of the Narmada at this place. Its wide expanse and gentle waters will calm even the most troubled soul! The beautiful ghats built on its banks only complement the serenity of the place. Since we were here prior to Diwali, there was absolutely no rush here. The town was calm and peaceful, the ghats were not overcrowded with tourists, and the general pace of life here was extremely relaxed. Also, we came to know that the Mr. Bhansali had finished shooting some sequences of Bajirao-Mastani only a couple of days back. Also, the wedding of the son of Maharaja Richard Holkar was slated to happen in the next 15-20 days, and the fort was abuzz with preparations for the same. The first night, when we reached Maheshwar, we took a stroll to the ghats, which were located at a walking distance from our hotel. We reached in time for the Narmada arti. This is a small arti performed by locals in honour of the river Narmada. It is nowhere as spectacular as the Ganga arti in various places, nor is it meant to be a visual spectacle. It is a very calming ritual, being followed diligently by the people here. Once the arti is completed, the prasad is distributed, and also shared with the fish that come close to the ghats in the evening. There are hundreds of fish, quite large in size, which come to the ghats for the prasad every evening. We spent quite some time that night, just looking at the fish and enjoying the calm of the river! Finally, we returned to our hotel and called it a day. The second day started with a typically amazing MP breakfast of poha and jalebis! We then headed out to explore Maheshwar. We first headed to the ghats, and were completely blown away by the beauty! Instead of trying to use words, I will let the pictures do the talking: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() After we were done with the ghats, we enquired about the boat rides that take tourists to temples on the Narmada. Since it was not quite crowded, we were hoping that we can get a good deal on the boat rides. But alas! The boat rides were closed for 3-4 days, the reason being that every boat was hired during the shoot of Bajrao-Mastani, and having made a good buck, the boatmen had decided to take a couple of days off before the tourist rush! Looks like we got our reason to visit Maheshwar again ![]() We then headed to the fort, which has a state-run weaving centre. Maheshwar is famous for the Maheshwar silk weaves, and my better half was more than looking forward to this part of the trip! We explored the fort, took darshan at the small temple inside, and were also lucky enough to meet Maharaja Richard Holkar, who was busy with the preparations for the impending wedding. We ran into him within the fort compound, as he was trying to get some coverage for his mobile! The fort has been converted into a 5 star hotel, and is mostly booked by foreigners. Its beauty lies in its simplicity though! You cannot expect the grandeur of the palaces and forts of Rajasthan here, as this was the abode of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, and her simplicity is evident in the architecture as well. Also, the construction is mostly in stone, and has an imposing elegance to it. After a while, we left the fort and returned to our hotel for lunch. Post lunch, we headed to the main market in Maheshwar, as shopping was on the agenda. We explored a couple of stores, and finally my wife found saris that matched her tastes in one store. The afternoon was spent doing shopping, and finally it was time to return to our hotel! On reaching, we were informed by the receptionist that the owner had his own store in the hotel premises itself (we had seen it initially but thought that it might be more expensive than the market) , and we can get good deals as well (since my father had stayed at the same hotel on his previous trip, he was on good terms with the owner). We agreed to his request, and went to the hotel store as well. After some more shopping (which my wife thoroughly enjoyed), we went back to our rooms for some rest. The evening was spent again on the ghats, and we called it a day early, as we had to leave the next day. The next morning we had an early breakfast (again the same delicious poha and jalebis) and started towards our native place (Jalgaon). Thus, this was the end of our Malwa trail, which left us very much eager to return to this amazing part of our country! Last edited by aah78 : 6th February 2018 at 21:08. Reason: Extra smileys deleted. EDIT: Fixed typos, spacing. |
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Team-BHP Support ![]() | Re: Malwa trails and tales! Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing! |
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BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pune, Melbourne
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| Re: Malwa trails and tales! Excellent Travelogue mate!! The Narmada Ghats and the temples of Maheshwar is a sight to behold. Good to see you visiting Peshwa Bajirao's Samadhi and detailing the exact location. Many Thanks. |
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Team-BHP Support ![]() ![]() | Re: Malwa trails and tales! Lovely travelogue. Very well put together! I thoroughly enjoyed reading & viewing the pictures. This is not a regular "touristy" destination & it's really nice to read a rare write-up in the Travelogues section about such places that generally overlooked by travelers. Thank you! ![]() |
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BHPian Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: PUNE
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Senior - BHPian ![]() | Re: Malwa trails and tales! Excellent travelogue mate and some superb pics too. I was surprised to see sparse crowd in most of the pics. ![]() I had gone to Indore in last week of Dec and covered Mandu, Maheshwar, Omkareshwar and Ujjain. The roads all the way till Indore were simply good except for those stupid rumbler speed breakers. The pics of Sarafa bazaar made an ache to my stomach as I remember gorging on the sweets and spicy stuff. Did you visit 56 dukaan also? If not, don't worry you did not miss anything. I am sure you must have bought the spicy farsaan of Indore. ![]() There is also a Tibetian market where we bought a leather jacket for my son. Surprisingly the prices in the market were fixed and non negotiable. |
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BHPian Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: PUNE
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| Re: Malwa trails and tales! Excellent travelogue. I visited Mandu around 13 years ago in 2004. The road from Mandu to Indore was a nightmare at that time. I am sure it has improved a lot by now. The mention of ‘Chhappan(56)’ has brought smile on my face. The food in Chhappan can give serious competition to Purani Delhi food. Mandu Fort at that time was not so well maintained and we couldn’t even find guide. But a lot of water has flown under the bridge since then. The smaller town/site of Dhar and Orchha are also worth visiting. How I wish you had clicked more pictures of majestic Narmada. How is the road condition in MP now? After UP and Bihar, MP had one of the worst roads in India. What a shame it is, considering the beauty of MP. |
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BHPian Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: PUNE
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Senior - BHPian ![]() | Re: Malwa trails and tales! Quote:
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| Re: Malwa trails and tales! Congratulations on your first travelogue at Team-BHP! It was a pleasure to read this very informative travelogue on some of the forgotten places of the bygone era. Keep travelling and keep writing. ![]() Best, |
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BHPian Join Date: Oct 2017 Location: PUNE
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