Your host at Ahilya Fort is Prince Shivaji Rao Holkar, son of the last Maharajah of Indore. The Prince ensures that the pace of life at Ahilya Fort is leisurely, in keeping with his wish to offer his guests an oasis of calm and repose. The ramparts of the fort were built in the 16th century, by the renowned Mughal emperor Akbar. The fort  has 1 two bedroom suite, 8 double bedrooms rooms, each with its private attached bathroom,and two splendid tents. All rooms are air cooled in the traditional manner, with natural evaporative coolers perfumed by khas vetiver. The verandah’s look out to the temples dedicated to various avatars of Lord Shiva, as well as crematory cenotaphs of the rulers of Indore.

Ahilya Fort with IndianExplorations.com

The Ahilya fort is set by the River Narmada which is calm and peaceful. A cup of tea on the boat as the sunsets leads you into the magical evenings of Maheshwar. Temples and boats, colourful women and austere holy men, as the sun follows the East-West course of the Narmada; the list goes on and on, but all at a leisurely pace.

 Lunch is served in a cool covered courtyard, often a cold soup followed by pasta or light vegetarian food from Central India, cocktails are on the ramparts overlooking the river and dinner is served in the garden, and can be lightly spiced Indian cuisine, or a more substantial royal “thali” dinner, with recipes from The Cooking of the Maharajahs, written by your host.

Ahilya Fort with IndianExplorations.com

Ahilya Fort is an excellent base for local excursions. 60 kilometres away is Mandu, a 15th century marvel of early Islamic architecture, set amongst forests and ravines at the edge of the Malwa plateau. The architect of the Taj Mahal drew inspiration from the tomb of Mandu’s ruler Hoshang Shah. Today Mandu is an abandoned town, but its many buildings are in good repair and well worth a visit.

Don’t miss a boat ride on the Narmada to visit the temple at Omkareshwar which is the home of one of India’s most famous Shiva temples, located on an island in the middle of the river, 50 kilometers upstream from Maheshwar.  And last but not the least spend a couple of hours  learning about hand loom weaving, an ancient craft in Maheshwar, revived by the Holkars and now a famous and thriving cottage industry.