Mandleshwar - History

History

This Information is uploaded by Vasu Birla (SPITM student) in 2012. Mandleshwar has a great history. The great scholar Mandan Mishra lived here and had a debate with Jagadguru Adi Shankarsacharya. If you visit here you can see Gupteshwar Mahadev Temple where this great debate was held, which changed the history of India. There are many old temples containing history and art in themselves, including Chhappan-Dev, Shree Ram Temple, Shree Datta Temple, Ganga-Zira, and Kaashi Vishweshwar Temple. Vasudevanand Sarswati (a great saint) lived here for a long period. Dhawal-kunda, Hathani, Sahastradhra, Ramkund are some other places of historical importance. It is said that Swami Vivekanand lived here for some days when he was going to Raipur. Still the marks of British time are present here; SDM, DSP Office, fort, and ghat tell us the story of that time. It was also the headquarter of the Nimar Agency and cantonment under the British from 1819 to 1864. It fell to the Marathas in the 18th century and in 1740 was granted by Malhar Rao Holkar to a Brahman, Vyankatram Shastri. In 1823 it became the headquarters of the District of Nimar, which until 1864 was managed by the agent to the governor general at Indore.

The town is an important retail marketing and trade centre. Mandleshwar is not even a Tehsil place but still it has a district court and district jail. Mandleshwar is just 8 km. from Maheshwar, which was the capital of Holkar states. Mandleshwar in Central India is on the bank of the Narmada River at a narrow point wherein the monsoon the stream often rises 60 feet above its normal level becoming a roaring torrent.

The Narmada is one of the most holy rivers of India and at Mandleshwar there are many beautiful tanks temples and ghats. Katargaon is situated nearby. Maheshwar Tehsil majority of Patidar and Narmdiya Brahmin (NDs) caste. 'Mandleshwar' has a flight of 123 steps leading down to the river and expanding below into a wide ghat. This ghat is called as Ram Ghat, where a chain of temples including Ram Temple, Hanuman Temple and Dattatraya Temple and Ratneshwar temple are located. These temples are really beautiful. One of the beautiful Ram Temple is built some 75 years ago at Hanuman Gadhi in Mandleshwar, which is worth seeing. The town is becoming an educational hub now; it has degree colleges, quality schools, and pharmacy colleges. The place has a great place in the infrastructure projects in Khargone district. There are also a dam (Maheshwar Hydel Power Corporarion). Vinoba Bhave, the great political saint of India, also came here during his Bhudan Yatra. Indira Gandhi visited here in 1971 to inaugurate the water supply system plant run by PHED Madhya Pradesh government.