Omkareshwar

Mandhata island sits in the Narmada where the river divides and rejoins, and its outline is traditionally read as forming the Devanagari character for Om, which is where the name comes from. The Omkareshwar temple on it is one of the twelve jyotirlingas, reached by a footbridge or by boat, with a second temple, Mamleshwar, on the south bank that some hold to share the same status. A parikrama path of about seven kilometres circles the island past ghats, small shrines and the eleventh-century Siddhanath temple. A dam upstream has raised water levels and altered the ghats.

Background

The temple stands in Khandwa district and is dedicated to Shiva. Its name refers to the Lord of Omkara, the Om sound, while Mamleshwar, the temple on the southern mainland bank, translates as "Immortal Lord". Tradition held that there were once 64 jyotirlingas, of which 12 count as the holiest, and the other one in Madhya Pradesh, Mahakaleshwar, lies about 140 km to the north. The Paramara Kings of Malwa are said to have built the temple in the 11th century CE, and the Holkar rulers rebuilt it in the 18th century. Mandhata island is 4 km long and covers 2.6 square kilometres, and the site is about 16 km from Barwaha.

Source: Wikipedia, "Omkareshwar Temple"

The main sights

• The island temple - the jyotirlinga shrine on Mandhata.
• The parikrama - a seven-kilometre circuit path around the island.
• Siddhanath temple - an eleventh-century shrine on the island.
• The confluence - the river dividing and rejoining around the island.

When to go

October to March; Shivratri and Kartik Purnima bring large crowds. Monsoon raises the river and can restrict boats and parts of the parikrama. Summer is hot.

Things to know

Queues for darshan run long at festivals. Priests and touts on the approach press hard for payments. Dam construction upstream has changed the river level and submerged some older steps.

Nearby

Maheshwar lies west; Indore is northwest.

Key facts