Ahilya on the Narmada

It sits high on the sacred Narmada river, as throngs bathe in the holy waters and seek blessings from the deities above. Ahilya Fort Heritage Hotel is Maheshwar's gem, with much to offer its guests

Text & Photographs: Farzana Contractor

Ahilya Fort, with the Narmada flowing by was built by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar who ruled here from 1765 to 1796 and built her private residences, offices and durbar (audience) halls within the fort. The Ahilya Wada with a tall and imposing figure of the Rani has innumerable local visitors go and bow in reverence even today, and then click photographs standing under the stone statue. Richard Holkar, her descendant and son of the last Maharaja of Indore converted the fort into a charming resort, known the world over as the Ahilya Fort Hotel.

I love staying at fort hotels in our country. And have, as a matter of fact, stayed at quite a few. You are thrown back into a bygone era, a rich past which you may have read about and always yearned to explore. You find yourself surrounded by ramparts, thick stone walls, steep stairs, courtyards and fountains, massive gates made to withstand hostile armies, with sharp metal buttons hammered in to prevent an ‘elephant charge’ to ram it down! Ah, the architectural nuggets that went into the making of these forts, one can write volumes.

I was now at one such, Ahilya, a fort with a view. A magnificent one. I was standing high above, looking down at the sacred Narmada river, allowing its peace to sweep over me. It was a rather broad river, I thought. I hadn’t envisaged that. And I was here at the peak of summer, which only meant after the monsoon, the river would really swell. Would be even more of a beautiful sight to be here in November, when the weather would also be nice and cold… I continued to think, when the blistering sun got me out of my reverie and chased me indoors.

Well, I was here on work and office schedules determine my travel plans, not climatic conditions, so be it! I had been meaning to visit Maheshwar ever since Richard Holkar had talked to me about it in 2000, when we had launched UpperCrust and he, Ahilya, his impressive fort hotel. I was shooting him at the Sea Lounge at The Taj Mahal in Bombay and he was regaling my colleague and I with stories from Ahilya.  Seems we are both celebrating our silver anniversaries this year, a happy coincidence.

At the outset, let me tell you, the place is charming. Rustic, organic, honest, cosy and exuding warmth. It’s personal. You immediately relax and feel at home. It doesn’t take long to find your bearings at the fort. You are encouraged to go explore every nook and cranny.

I like the way every area has been utilised. It’s not easy, mind you, converting forts into hotels. It takes special skill to restore it, make it structurally sound. To create bedrooms, add washrooms (plumbing can be a nightmare), connect the various public spaces, and make a kitchen! Marrying ancient grandeur with modern luxury can be a task. Richard, who is an extremely creative man, put a lot of himself into this project, those many years ago. He is passionate about his ‘baby’ and has a deep emotional bond with every aspect of it. He has spent the last 50 years in pursuit of the betterment of his beloved Maheshwar, as well. If he is not travelling overseas, he is always here, living in his special quarters at Ahilya. He cherishes his legacy and looks after the place with great care and attention. It’s a pity he was away abroad, right when I was there, would have been lovely to catch up, learn about nuances that only he would possess.

The Ahilya Fort Hotel has 19 rooms, situated across six sections of the fort. Each is different from the other, but all have the necessary amenities and comforts built into it. The alleys meander, you go up and down steps, around a corner, past the rampart to reach the various rooms. It is this aspect that makes staying at forts built 100s of years ago so very interesting. You couldn’t tell but there are three acres of Ahilya to explore. Courtyards, gardens with fountains, a swimming pool nestling between two thick walls, surrounded by greenery. Right besides the pool, a petanque court, where the garden game is played with 18th century cannon balls. It is much like croquet, except here you lift and throw the ball from inside a circle, not hit them with a wooden mallet. Unfortunately, I did not have a go at it.

If you are the spa kind, you will not be disappointed, you have Lingarchan, the treatment room, where you can enjoy local, traditional Nimadi massages, village style.

There is also a vegetable patch from where the organically grown produce lands up at your dining table. Next to it is Burj, a tower that you climb up which offers you a spectacular view of the Narmada as far as the eye can see.

What is really lovely are the gardens of Ahilya. I believe it was Richard again who planned it and then allowed it to just grow. So you have old trees and tall creepers clinging on to them, a niche here with unique artifacts and an arbour there, laden with flowers. Small cosy seatings, of two or four or six. Enough space to offer privacy to those who may seek it, to spend some time quietly reading a book or just staring out at the Narmada in quiet contemplation.

The ‘flower pots’ that are here and there are a joy to stumble upon. These are huge ancient copper utensils, no doubt repurposed. Formerly, they may have been used for cooking or for storage. What is nice is they are not elaborate fancy flower arrangements, just something plucked from their own garden and probably put together by someone adept, assigned to the task. Happy sights, indeed.

A tiny, square water tank is what attracted my attention next at my exploratory walk. There was water trickling in from somewhere, through a maze-like tile into this shallow pool, creating soft music that moving water makes. I started to shoot various elements of it, when suddenly I felt someone was watching me and I looked around. Hmm, no one there. And just then, as suddenly, I saw a pair of fearful eyes peering at me. Oh the poor dear, it was a frog, clinging on to the side, almost standing on its toes with just its head out of the water. I found it cute and was touched that it decided to communicate with me. Did it know perhaps, that back home I was working on making a mosaic frog? I guess this memory is what I will take back with me. It is strange, but so true about which travel story captivates you!

By the way, there is the feisty Kunta at the resort who will  guide you on whatever you need to be guided upon; food, library, gift shop, rooms, boat ride, shopping, whatever – she is the major domo here. She has been around with the Holkars for 45 years. And been at the fort since
its inception.

There is no restaurant at Ahilya Fort, nor a menu with innumerable choices. The meal choices are fixed, but not the locations, and there you have options! But the food is just what and how you would like it. Indian food is cooked home-style. Masalas used sparingly, vegetables kept simple. And the best part, it’s served in a thali, all plated or ‘vatied’  and brought to the table. No fuss, no wasting time. Assorted vegetables, pulses, dal, rice, yogurt and pickle, all there. Looking delicate, wholesome and very inviting. To give you an idea, the lunch that was served to us was: jeera rice, Rashid Kothi Dal, Paneer Rogan Josh, Hyderabadi Gourd, Coconut Okra, Browned Mutton, dahi, chappatis and papad, with vermicelli simmered in milk to round up the dessert. Incidentally, much of the food that is cooked in the kitchen of Ahilya, are from recipes of a book that Richard had published years ago. An asterisk marked on the daily printed menu has a footnote which says, ‘Recipe from Cooking of the Maharajas, written by your host Maharaj SR Holkar (Richard Holkar). Richard’s official title is Maharaj Shivaji Rao Holkar.

The Continental food which we had for dinner was also excellent. Starting with Chilled Ginger and Pumpkin Soup (perfect for that sultry night), Onion Tart, Angelo Pasta, Quinoa Salad, Maheshwari Fries (ate two plates, where did those potatoes come from!), Cucumber, Yogurt and Mint Salad. What followed was a surprise, a wooden platter full of cheese, all from Kashmir.  Dessert was Orange Cake.

After a meal like that a stroll was a must, so Team UpperCrust decided to wander out of the massive fort gate into the quiet night and imbibe some of the local feel. Makes you fall in love with India all over again. We are a quaint nation outside our cities. Earlier in the evening, we got the same feeling when we went on a boat ride down the Narmada chasing the sunset.

Quaint, old-fashioned, charming were the adjectives rolling in my mind, as we skipped down the stone steps, past the Ahilya Temple, refurbished on instructions by Yeshwant Holkar, Richard’s son, who I believe now plays an active role in running Ahilya Fort. The temple itself is rather imposing and you get glimpses of it from various parts of the fort, including the tent room, situated just next to it. But its best view has to be from when you are in the boat and watching it go out of sight.

The river bank is always active, not just with people going for boat rides but dunking in for a swim. There were hundreds of happy visitors, cooling off in the waters of Narmada under the shadow of the fort. At night the place turned into a mela of sorts, with swings and merry-go-rounds, for children to enjoy, with psychedelic lights, complete!

But what I would like the reader or the visitor to not miss is the impressive work of art that is around as you go down the ancient stone steps to the river bank. Stone carvings, everywhere you turn, intricate, beautiful. Also the markings of the flood lines, indicating how high the river rose in which year. Like in 2021, it was the highest, submerging a great deal of the lower steps, which must have given rather a scare to the locals.

Maheshwar is magical, we recommend you go check it out.