Friday, May 4, 2012

Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh


Omkareshwar, a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is one of the 12 revered Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. It is on an island called Mandhata or Shivapuri in the Narmada river. The shape of the island is said to be like the symbol.


The prominent white shikhara that now soars above the Shree Omkar Mandhata temple is a relatively new addition to the dense cluster of buildings. Below it, the ornate pillars in the assembly hall, or mandapa, are more representative of the temple's antiquity.
We reached Omkareshwar on the holiest of holy days dedicated to Lord Shiva – Mahashivratri hence did not visit the temple for darshan as the crowds were phenomenal. We managed to get decent accomodation about 20kms away and visited Omkareshwar next morning. The crowds had thinned but still were enough to keep us satisfied with paying our respects from a distance.
Will take you on a photowalk through the streets of Omkareshwar leading to the temple and its surroundings to give you a glimpse of the festive atmosphere that was there.


Street cafes.











The ghat outside the temple on the banks of Narmada river.


The bridge to cross the river and go to the temple.


A sadhu on the banks of Narmada river across the temple.



Hot sev being mixed with poha for breakfast


Hot jalebis being fried


The devotees!


All God's creations welcome!


Parking lot for bikes


Hot pakodas being fried.

Getting there:

Air : The Airports closest to Omkareshwar are at Indore (77 km) and Ujjain (133 km).
Rail : Nearest Railway Station is at Omkareshwar Road (12 km) on the Ratlam-Khandwa section of the Western Railway which is not a mainline. The other nearest railway station connected to Delhi and Mumbai is at Indore (77 km).
Road : Omkareshwar is connected to major towns and cities of Madhya Pradesh. There are regular bus services from Ujjain (133 km), Indore (77 km), Khandwa (61 km.) and Omkareshwar Road (12 km). 



42 comments:

  1. Nice post.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2012/05/skyline.html

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  2. Typical scenes so representative of crowded Indian bazaars specially in smaller towns !

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  3. ...enjoyed the journey to Omkareshwar through your nice post, Deepak:) Thanks:)

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  4. Nice post...I really envy you...you visit so many places... :-)Really lucky

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  5. Wish we could have got a glimpse of the temple premises at least. Do post it if you have it in your archives. I have yet to go there.

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    1. Sorry Zephyr. Did not go to the temple. Maybe some other time when I go with my family!

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  6. Wow! Visiting a Jyotirlinga on Shivaratri!! Amazing! I was here in the last week of Jan, exactly a month before your visit. I saw exactly the same minus crowd :) Did you go for the Parikrama? I loved the sight of Sangam of Narmada and Kaveri.

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    1. Did not cross the bridge Kusum. Maybe some other time.

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  7. Wonderful post, terriric photos, great narration and a delightful visit to your country! Thank you!

    S

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    1. Thank you so much Sylvia. Glad you enjoyed it.

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  8. that indeed is a festive atmosphere!! my brother visits all holy places. will suggest him this place. thanks for the info and those lovely photographs (food looks great).

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    1. Thank you Debajyoti. Am sure your brother will enjoy the visit.

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  9. Hi Magiceye,
    Check this out.
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  10. Wonderful tour of the place.

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  11. Very nice photographs. Got the real feel of the place.

    Here is a surprise waiting for you- http://mymindtales.blogspot.com/2012/05/big-thank-you.html

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  12. Nice post. Being Mahashivratri, you could not have visited places around that place as could be conveniently done on normal days. The river that flows on the backside is named as Kaveri though factually Narmada slits and both the streams rejoin at the end of the Hill. A dam was coming up there. It was like revisiting the place through your post. Thank you.

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  13. A very delightful walk. Visited this place in 1982 but didnt catch so many things from the place that time. The street-shops were absolutely fabulous and got a feel of window-shopping myself.

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  14. This photo-tour really takes us there. :)
    Wow! an island in the shape of an Om? That's interesting. Now I wish I could see a picture of that.

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  15. prominent white shikhara there is one like this in Auckland.

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  16. Good one...
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  17. Fantastic photographs, beautiful places. I am greeting

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    Replies
    1. Visited your blog but unable to comment there. Liked your blog but wish you posted more pictures of the cycling route.

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  18. Happy weekend, Magic eye.
    Here's something for you - http://dnambiar-travelblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/awesome-travel-bloggers.html

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