A little more than a thousand kilometers away, leaving the hustle and bustle of Benares, in the heart of Madhya Pradesh lies another Lord Shiva temple town and another handloom hub – Maheshwar.

In Maheshwar, a song from the River of Dreams album, by Billy Joel tells a story. It is complex and probably most people would have different stories that they think the album tells. For me, it perfectly matched the sleepy town of Maheshwar in central India.

Walking along the banks of the river Narmada, one can see the crystal clean water. Wave after wave rise to greet the ghats (stone steps leading to the river) in a well-orchestrated symphony.

Located on one side, rising majestically is a row of temples. Hundreds of stone steps lead to the monuments which rise like sentinels above the riverbank. The architecture is simple. There is no gold, no silver, no tinsel, miniature paintings, inlay work, Belgian mirrors, and marble that adorns the royal palaces and temples across the country is conspicuous by their absence. As far as the eye can see it is grey stone.
During ancient times, Maheshwar was called Mahishamati, one of the twin capitals of the Avanti kingdom, and King Kartivirarjun, who dammed the river with his thousand arms, He is mentioned both in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In 1601, Maheshwar came under Akbar’s rule and in 1741 the kingdom passed over to the Holkar dynasty.

River Narmada is the focus of the town — the people, their lives, and genealogies are wrapped around this river, which is considered a ‘virgin’. All along the ghats are temples dedicated to Shiva.

Brightly painted boats ferry devotees. Cattle and people populate the ghats like centuries bygone. Elegant honey-colored temples with shikara towers, chattris, or the cenotaphs of the Holkar maharajas stand out against the backdrop of the craggy fort. The town looks like a sepia-toned picture of medieval times — cows in the middle of the street, colorful bangles stacked in neat rows, bedraggled kids running after cycle tires, and ascetics in orange robes on roadsides.

And these stones are privy to the story of a woman, a young queen who charted a new life for the people of Maheshwar.

Jawaharlal Nehru wrote about ‘The reign of Ahilyabai, of Indore’ in The Discovery of India: “The reign... lasted for thirty years. This has become almost legendary as a period during which perfect order and good government prevailed and the people prospered.” Even the Nizam of Hyderabad is said to have praised Rani Ahilyabai Holkar saying that ‘no woman and no ruler are like her’. It was she who promoted the fine-woven silk saris from the Madhya Pradesh towns of Maheshwar and Chanderi.
Dreams of saree lovers come true here, on the bank of river Narmada. Narmada is a Sanskrit word meaning “the Giver of Pleasure”. Maheshwari saree originated on the banks of river Narmada and has given immense pleasure to generations of women.

The young queen, after her morning prayers, would sit on the ramparts of her palace so she could meet her ‘praja’ (people) and listen to their problems.

The more she heard, the more determined she became that no one in her kingdom would be denied a decent livelihood. But how was this to be achieved? What could she do to ensure that her people had a source of income not just for a season or for year but forever? At that time, 167 kms from Maheshwar was a town called Burhanpur, known for its rich tradition of handloom weaving. It was from here, and from the town next door, Mandu, that Ahilyabai brought skilled weavers. She made them set up looms in her kingdom to teach the art of weaving to the women and men of Maheshwar. Her people acquired the skill fast enough but what they needed now were beautiful patterns that would win the hearts of consumers for all time to come. Ahilya mulled over this morning and evening as she watched the Narmada flow beneath her palace, blue and clear, creating thousands of patterns with its waves. Narmada or Rehwa, as the river is known locally, is regarded as the ‘Mother’ because its fertile banks feed people throughout the year. It was from Rehwa and from her deep faith that Ahilya finally drew inspiration.

The patterns created by the boisterous waves of the Rehwa were first etched on the stone steps and the walls of her palace.

Then Ahilyabai began to construct temples along the banks of the river. And on their pillars, walls, chhatris (domed pavilions), doors, and jharokhas (overhanging balconies) were engraved stone flowers, animals, birds, waves (the Narmada lehar), and many other intricate designs. Even today one has to pick up a Maheshwari saree and the designs woven on the pallu or the border can be found etched on some stone slab partially immersed in the mighty Narmada, narrating the story of this visionary queen.

The beauty of the Maheshwari saree is that each kind of Saree under this style has a name or a term of its own, which marks its distinctness.

The sarees are either plain in the center with exquisitely designed borders or have checks and stripes in different variations. There are 5 major categories, which are namely ‘Chandrakala, Baingani Chandrakala, Chandratara, Beli, and Parbi. The Chandrakala and Baingani Chandrakala are the plain kinds, whereas the Chandratara, Beli, and Parbi fall under the striped or checked technique. They are all designs that are a part of an ancient tradition. In the weft and warp of the gossamer Maheshwari saree, there are pages of history.
The incredibly light Maheshwari saris come in jewel tones and rich colors of blue, mauve, dark pink, and greens with goldthread zari borders.

A part of the Ahilya Fort has now been turned into a heritage hotel by Richard Holkar, a descendant of Ahilyabai, with 14 rooms set in a courtyard garden with balconies facing the Narmada.

Under the shade of old neem trees, is the rhythmic click-clack of looms and skilled hands churning out masterpieces. This is the Rehwa unit in the fort, started by Richard Holkar and his former wife Sally, to resurrect the Maheshwari saree. It is not the saree and the borders that are time-consuming; it is the ornate pallu that takes almost eight days of hard work. The silk is used in the warp and the cotton in the weft; cotton yarn comes from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, silk from Bangalore, and tussar from Bhagalpur.
The classic Maheshwari is a silk/cotton with a narrow zari border and is characterized by its simplicity & understated elegance.
Maheshwari sarees gets its name from Maheshwar, where it is made.
Indori is another name used for the traditional design pattern in Maheshwari sarees.
It is originally a 9-yard sari called Kasta sari or Nauvari. Nauvari is like the Maharashtrian style draping with the pleats tucked in the back and pallu draped around the shoulders. The most comfortable one for the queen to ride horses or get into the war field, the Kasta sari is believed to be designed for that.

Maheshwari saris normally use more linear patterns and fewer motifs. These sarees are characterized by a narrow-colored border embellished with zari, and small checks, narrow stripes, or solid color in the body.

The specialty of Maheshwari sarees is its reversible border, also known as bugdi, which can be worn on both sides. The use of zari and kinari is also unique to Maheshwari sarees. These sarees are embellished with leaves and flowers on the border, in karnphool pattern.
Authentic Maheshwari’s have designs that are inspired by the grand temples, palaces, and forts of Madhya Pradesh. Based on the design of the border, there are the following types of Maheshwari saris: Maheshwar bugdi kinar, zari patti, rui phool kinar, phool kinar, chatai kinar, V kinar, kahar kinar, bajuband kinar, etc.
Popular designs include the mat pattern, which is also known as the chattai pattern, along with Chameli ka phool — all of which may be traced back to the detailing on the walls of Maheshwar Fort. Through its evolution, the eent (brick) pattern and the heera (diamond) patterns have survived the test of time, and still have a strong presence in these sarees.
The main difference between Chanderi and Maheshwari saris is Maheshwari’s geometrical motifs. Though both have a plain body, the Chanderi saris have buti weaved in the body and the Maheshwari’s don’t and the Maheshwari saris have checks and stripes in the body Chanderi’s don’t.
Maheshwari sarees were patronized by the royal families of Baroda, Indore, Gwalior, and Nagpur.

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