The last blog I updated was about Mandu. My visit to Mandu was a part of the Indore trip, basically. Next day of the Mandu trip, we planned to visit Omkareshwar, a small island introducing an enshrined Shiva temple.
India is a synonym of picturesque, historical beauties and Madhya Pradesh is a state here with lots of must watch places. The ancient temple of Omkareshwar, situated in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, is a well-known pilgrimage of Hindus. The temple of Lord Shiva there is counted among 12 Jyotirlingas and is believed to be very sacred and divine. If you are one among those impatient travelers who find it boring to travel a long way via road, you will find the way to Omkareshwar an exception. Check out the points below that why you are recommended to visit this religious place at least once if you want to discover the real beauty of India –
How To Reach Omkareshwar From Ujjain?
The best way to reach Omkareshwar is to reach Indore via train and then hire a cab for Omkareshwar. The distance between Indore and Omkareshwar is about 90 Km and it takes about 2.5 hours to reach there. The entire road towards the place is enjoyable and interesting. Unlike the central region of the state, the highway that leads to the place (highway 27) is covered with beautiful tall trees on both sides with high mountainous regions showcasing the untouched natural treasure. Broad highway, teakwood trees, tricky ghats on the road and natural environment together offers the feeling of relaxation and pleasure. We didn’t miss the chance of clicking random pictures of outside from our cab. As a result, we got a valuable picture of sunrise at 7 Am. Further, when we were about to enter the Omkareshwar region, we saw a lovely bridge over a canal of the river Narmada.
Hanging Bridge To Omkareshwar Temple
In the city, the temple has been designed as a complex of various buildings rather than a single unit. It is situated on an island named as Mandhata. An excellent and eye catchy bridge has been build over the river Narmada to reach the temple. The bridge is called as ‘jhula pul’ as it seems to be ‘swinging’. The whole bridge is swinging with the help of a strong network of wires and this bridge is also an attraction for the travelers here.
As the Narmada river divides Omkareshwar into two parts, devotees need to cross the river for ‘darshan’ of Lord Shiva in Omkareshwar temple. There are two ways to reach the temple; through the bridge or by crossing the river on boats. We preferred to go through the bridge as it was really an interesting thing to there.
Gomukh Ghat Omkareshwar For Bathing
River Narmada is known as a sacred river all around the country and devotees worship the river as a mother-like Goddess. That’s why; they don’t miss the chance of taking holy dive (dubki) in the river. For this purpose, the gomukh ghat is considered as a holy and clean ghat and we were amazed to see such crystal clear and pure water there. We took bath at that ghat and enjoyed the view of amazing swinging bridge from this place. Also, the entire exterior of the Omkareshwar temple is visible from the ghat; so, you can have the images of the outer view of the temple from this part. You will find various, decorated and well-painted boats here with boatmen compelling to hire them for carrying you towards the temple. You can hire them if you don’t want to go through the swinging bridge.
Inside The Omkareshwar Temple
Just after crossing the swinging bridge completely, we could see a series of small vendors selling ‘prasad’ and flowers. We bought items from those shops to worship the Lord. There are good arrangements for devotees inside the temple; for instances, shoe stands, priests for conducting special poojas, and a small shopping zone also to buy small gifts for your relatives and friends. The interior architecture of the temple is noteworthy and looks so ancient. The main designing covers beautiful stone sculptures on walls and pillars. Even the ceiling of the temple is beautifully carved with flower sculptures.
About ‘Darshan’ Of Lord Shiva
Although we faced a little problem inside the temple when we were in the queue for Darshan of the Lord because of the crowd still, we felt happy when we found the chance of having Darshan of the Lord from nearer and also we were allowed to offer water on the ‘shivalinga’. The exit of the temple leads towards small shops of keychains, necklaces, lockets, bracelets, pictures of lord Shiva. You should take care of children in the crowd and always hold their hand as they may be confused in the entrance and exit here. You will find photographers inside and outside the temple even at the Gomukh Ghat who would click your pictures and give it to you instantly at a reasonable price. It’s a good idea to have some hard copies of photos apart from the soft copies in your cell phones as the memory of this beautiful, religious place.
Omkareshwar Temple Timings
Darshan starts at 5 AM to 3:50 PM & 4:15 PM to 9:30 PM.
Mangal Aarti timings : 5 AM to 5:30 AM
Mamleshwar Temple Omkareshwar
After coming back from the Omkareshwar temple; it is believed that visiting the Mamleshwar temple (also known as Amreshwar Temple) is important. Without going to this temple, your Omkareshwar pilgrim will be incomplete. You will find various attractive shops throughout the way to Mamleshwar temple, which is situated in the walking distance from the Omkareshwar temple. This is a small yet a sacred temple; the exterior of the temple is ancient enough to tell you the historical importance of the place. Here again you will get the chance of ‘darshan’ of Lord Shiva.
Facility Of Food In Omkareshwar
There are lots of small stalls in Omkareshwar to beat your hunger but the best place to experience delicious food is the Gopal restaurant situated on the highway when you would be coming back to Indore. If you are not planning to go on highway 27 where the restaurant is situated, you can try some other food zones in Omkareshwar where daal baati is a famous dish. To keep yourself hydrated and energetic, you can enjoy drinking sugarcane juice and lemon water etc. for which you will find stalls easily.
So, this is all about my wonderful Omkareshwar trip that include the places to visit in Omkareshwar. Hope, you have got so many ideas of making your Indore trip interesting through my blog. The next blog I will bring to you is about my Ujjain trip which we covered while traveling to Indore from Jabalpur. So, just wait for my next blog to know interesting things about the city of temples i.e. Ujjain.
