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From October through March, Maheshwar is pleasantly warm and dry.
Fly Jet Airways to Indore from Delhi (11/2 hours) or Mumbai (11/4 hours). From there, it is a 21/2-hour taxi ride to Maheshwar.
Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh; 91-11/4155-1575; ahilyafort.com; doubles from $520, including meals, beverages, and excursions; two-night minimum.
Set on a high plateau 25 bumpy miles from Ahilya Fort is the abandoned sixth-century city of Mandu, built by the Muslim ruler Hoshang Shah and famed for the fine state of preservation of its many structures (said, as so many things are, to have provided inspiration for Shah Jahan in the building of the Taj Mahal).
This sacred island in the Narmada River 34 miles upstream from Ahilya Fort is the site of an important Shiva temple, the Mandhatta Jyotirling, and is close to a center of Shiva lingam manufacturing. It is also a gathering place for the wandering mendicants known as sadhus. The best way to reach Omkareshwar is by boat, but be forewarned: it’s a slow boat—eight hours one way.
Prized additions to an Indian bride’s trousseau for centuries, the intricately woven gossamer saris of Maheshwar were saved from disappearing when Richard Holkar and then-wife Shalini Devi (Sally) first came to rural Maheshwar in the late 1960’s and set about reviving the local craft and improving weavers’ lives. The Rehwa Society sells its gorgeous hand-loomed saris, scarves, shawls, and yard goods—at startlingly reasonable prices—from a small shop at Ahilya Fort. It also provides free tours of the adjacent weaving workshops.
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