If you are getting a mini-Varanasi vibe, that is not entirely by accident. Maheshwar was the capital of Queen Ahilyabai - that is her statue you saw towards the beginning of the video . She was the one who sponsored much of the temple construction around the Ganges in Varanasi , including the present day Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Hence you can see the similarity in the architecture. If you see the temples around Dashashwamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat and Ahilyabai Ghat in Varanasi, you will notice a striking similarity in temple architecture with what you are seeing here. This is indeed a hidden gem - Thanks Gabe for affording us a closer look.

Gabriel, You have accidentally stumbled upon Queen Akalyabhai’s house, who is one of the greatest queens who ruled that part of India. The saddest part is that there is no one there to explain that. What to say? ☹

@truthteller2991

8 ай бұрын

Yes. Despite being queen she was very modest and lived in a simple home. M.P tourism was incompetent in this. They do not have english boards site markers. Guided tour is offered and I think it would have made sense to hire a local guide as there are many spots from fort where view of Narmada are excellent.

@Just_forfun9140

8 ай бұрын

​@@truthteller2991All of India needs an outgoing tourism department, India is missing billions of lost tourism $ or Euros each year, great loss.

@truthteller2991

8 ай бұрын

@@Just_forfun9140 i don't think tourism department should outgoing aggressive because there is danger of crowd which can be difficult to handle but it should maintain standard. The influx of tourists can overwhelm already poor infrastructure- water,sewage systems, waste management facilities, and transportation (take recent example pf Italy) and increase cost of living for locals . Right now India has another priorities to look to generate revenue. I am only speaking for off grid tourist spots like this. Add: you cant compare MP with Rajasthan,Kerala or Goa whose revenue is mainly tourism and so they spend on tourism infra . These states have reason to stick to tourism because of constraints of various factors such as land topography,climate,size . M.P is a big state and has potential to generate alternate revenue sources and not necessary rely on tourism industry which is shaky and depends on several external factors also. It has not yet industrialized because central governtmet hd major projects in states like Tamilnadu , AP etc in 60s and it was left to its fate .if states like AP,Telangana ,Karnatata and Tamilnadu dont rely on tourism solely same can be done for MP so that per capita is increased.

@KabobHope

8 ай бұрын

She sounds fascinating. Thanks for pointing that out.

@KENNETHFRANCISRODRIGUES

8 ай бұрын

What a fascinating place. It is magical. I am reading about Maharani Holkar thanks to your video. You are really an ambassador of Indian culture Gabriel ❤

This should be a UNESCO heritage site. Magnificent!

The Narmada river is considered to be holy like the Ganga and there are many temples along the river. In fact many people do a pilgrimage called the Narmada Parikrama where they circumambulate the entire length of the river (go around clockwise) on foot. It's a distance of around 3,500 km and some people even do it barefoot.

Ahilya Bai was the Queen of the Holkar Dynasty. She is the rebuilder of the Kasi Viswanath temple in Varanasi.

Meaning of the word "Maheshwar" is a name of god "Shiva"

There are hundreds of such places all over India But they are not maintained properly Hope in future this change as Indian economy grows & Indian people disposable income grows Still it will take at least 1or 2 decade Being Indian myself from Haryana I was not aware of this place Thank you Gabriel for showing all This 🙏🏼

@ErvuJukl

8 ай бұрын

Are you living in Cuba now?

I cannot understand how these gems of Indian architecture,stunning with their stone-carved ornaments,could have come into being.I bow deeply to the masters who created these works.The pleasant and clean town with the sacred river thrilled me.Thanks,Gabriel!👍

@0arjun077

8 ай бұрын

From Vastushastra and Agamas, the ancient scriptures for Temple building, engineering and architectures. Written by enlightened sages.

@janakotrcova2790

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for your feedback and for the search tip.Cheers.@@0arjun077

My thoughts have always seemed India is very mysterious. I don’t understand their religion or their culture but yet you have made it so very interesting to experience being there. I love all of the colorful clothing that dresses up the country.😊❤

Gabe you're a great explorer of the unknown to most of us travelers and non-travelers. Thanks

I know about Maheshwar, it was shown in Padman film with Akshay Kumar and Radhika Apte. Then also I saw Maheshwar in an excellent Gujarati film called Reva. Madhya Pradesh is highly underrated as a tourist destination. It is calmer and more peaceful than Uttar Pradesh and people in MP are also more polite than UP people.

Another excellent video. Maheshwar is famous for handloom (weaving clothes without using electricity) clothes, especially sarees. So you can notice a large number of handloom stores in Maheshwar

The temple is so beautiful Gabe and the music you selected was perfect - amazing sitar. Thanks.

I was intrigued by the fact that there was a female ruler in Maheswar, so I looked her up on Wikipedia: "Among Ahilya Bai's accomplishments was the transformation of Indore from a small village to a prosperous and beautiful city; her own capital, however, was in the nearby Maheshwar, a town on the banks of Narmada River. She also commissioned several infrastructure projects in Malwa, sponsored festivals and gave donations for regular worship in many Hindu temples. Outside Malwa, she built numerous Hindu temples, Ghats, wells, tanks and rest-houses throughout the Indian subcontinent, stretching from the Himalayas to pilgrimage centres in southern India." Ahilyabai Holkar must have been a truly amazing woman. She ruled successfully for 30 years. I guess her influence/spirit still lingers on and that is why the palace area seems to exude such a high degree of serenity. Maybe it is her heritage that energizes Indore to become the cleanest city in India. Judging by the amount of visitors she seems to be very well known in India.

@kracks9852

8 ай бұрын

Outside of madhya pradesh most people do not know this place which is a shame. I myself just came to know of this place through gabe's video. Our government really needs to work hard to sponsor such places to wider public.

Om Namoh Shivay! Fascinating Madhya Pradesh. The editing keeps getting better and better. Loveky music ❤

He is back! Great stuff! One day of no video.. I had serious withdrawal symptoms! Lol.. Definitely worth a day or two wait.. What a lovely video!! Truly amazing!

Wow what an experience. That massive structure by the river , the home of the Queen , looks more like a temple !. Awesome structure, must have taken decades to build. And the engineering of the structure is mind blowing . Unbelievable stone carvings , ! Wow . Thanks Gab for showing us this marvel 😊😊😊😊😊🎉🎉🎉🎉

Wonderful video! The ability to go into small-town India, explore and appreciate - Gabe's speciality!

Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar is famous for her contruction activities across India. She rebuilt many of the holy temples that been destroyed the Turkic invaders. For example, she rebuilt the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, the Vishnupad Temple in Bodhgaya and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. She also helped rebuild the Ghats of Varanasi and that can explain why you feel Maheshwar and Varanasi share similar aesthetics.

WOW! That temple complex... As an Indian, thanks for introducing so many wonderful places to me of my own country!

This is among your best work

Thanks Gabriel, for me India is #1 In Old Temples Outstanding Man Work. Wow What a Carving Genius!

@ErvuJukl

8 ай бұрын

I enjoy the old temples of Slovenia

@0arjun077

8 ай бұрын

Try Hoysaleswara and Chennakeshava Temples

Indian sugarcane juice with a little bit of ginger and a twist of lemon. Love that.

India is always unbelievable brother....I left there march to Indonesia and definitely will be back soon . Thanks for the vids and cheers 🤙🏻🕉️

Wow I have discovered many new places in India from this KZread channel

Just the best when you come home from traveling yourself back to cold winter Europe and you can simply continue to travel through India with 10 new videos to watch from my favorite travel vlogger!

Probably the first one watching this video. Being an Indian I had no idea about this city. Thanks for sharing 🙏

@ErvuJukl

8 ай бұрын

Unfortunately there are many things that you don't know about Sahib.

@hindimovieadmirer6025

2 ай бұрын

Wow... then you're missing something great!! Do plan a tour covering Indore-> Mandu-> Maheshwar-> Omkareshwar-> Khandwa-> Bhopal(for Bhojpur Temple). Start from Indore Railway st. or Airport. Visit city for its lovely special food. Then next day take a taxi and start the said tour. Next stay at Mandu (there is so much to see). Next day Maheshwar... and so on. Maheshwar is also famous for its handloom. Maheshwari sarees and dress materials are to be purchased from any shop there. Khandwa is city of Kishore Kumar singer whose shrine you should visit. Take train to Bhopal. Last point Bhopal is capital city of MP. City of 9 lakes and forest zones. Ratapani tiger reserve is just corner of city. Bhim baithka is place near Bhopal where cave houses of nearly one hundred thousand years old people can be seen. A UNESCO site.Near by is Bhojpur (15 kms from city) where you can see a huge Shiv temple built by Raja Bhoj of Malwa 1100 years back. It's a massive great structure and near by a stone dam on river also built by Raja Bhoj which is still strong. Must visit. Take your flight or train back home from Bhopal. Thanks.

Absolutely exquisite! Just put Maheshwar on my list! Merry Christmas Gabriel and thanks for all you do to bring your travels to us.

Nice find Maheswar, beautiful temple architecture, art. See online images of Orchha also in MP. Madhya Pradesh still has ancient beautiful temples, wonder how many more were there before invasions.

@dwarasamudra8889

8 ай бұрын

Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra have some geographic advantages, like hills, which helped protect some temples better. However, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana and Punjab are completely flat open plains and that's why hardly any Temple could survive the invasions there.

Hi Gabriel. I love my Yoga and its possible origins in India. However I am learning so much about the different religions in India from you. Thankyou for your knowledge and information 😊

@satishchandraGK

8 ай бұрын

possible origins?😇

@JG-qy6fe

8 ай бұрын

@ kathleen Amusing how u like yoga and use yoga but dont want to give credit to Indian Yogis to have discovered and to have preserved, dissemenate for free. Typical colonial, commercial profit oriented mindset.

@katleenmstut4622

8 ай бұрын

@@JG-qy6fe I wasn’t doubting where Yoga originated. I just didn’t want to make a statement without knowing the full facts. Please don’t judge. You don’t know me. Cheers

@SK-xw4gu

7 ай бұрын

@@katleenmstut4622 This is stuff that could have been easily looked up. Ignorance is no excuse. You rightly say "you don't know me and don't judge me" but, unfortunately, we have nothing else to judge you on.

For ancient architecture try Hosaleswara Temple, Chennakeshava Temple of the state Karnataka.

@jacksoncornbreadmcbride6763

8 ай бұрын

Temple this, temple that, this is boring. Please go to AZ another CC country

@0arjun077

8 ай бұрын

​ Don't watch the things you find boring@@jacksoncornbreadmcbride6763

Thanks for sharing with us that beautiful area 👍😁

What an amazing place!

Unique Palace, the details in those walls are increible, very impressive 👏 🙏 ♥️

Must visit UNESCO sites of Hoysala in Karnataka - Belur, Halebidu, Somnathapura

you love travelling to madhya pradesh in india if i am not wrong last time you travelled orchha.

Very good morning from Hong Kong.Starting off the day by watching your vid..Alright,alright,alright.

at around 25:29 in the video looks like a blond foreign lady in red pants comming towards you on the upper platform. After 10 min. in the video you see her. 😊 They add lemon, salt etc in sugarcane sometimes.

superb video!!! i love when you are super impressed and humbled by a place like maheshwar!! so cool when you talk a bit then are quiet and let the place tell it's story!

Off the beaten track. Love it.

Hi Gabreil, glad youre still having fun in India. Tou ahould become Indian and live there, youll love it

@gogadev

8 ай бұрын

Bro left already.

The comparison with Varanasi seems particularly apt as that’s where I am right now. Yesterday we took an auto rickshaw to Sarnath and back, a beautiful spot but the ride there and back left me with a terrible headache from the incessant car horns and the bone jarring ride. Maheshwar looks so much calmer. On to Ahmedabad this afternoon.

@mummy5490

8 ай бұрын

100% true, varanasi is extremely crowded, after ahemdabad, you should visit surat, western central and southern India is calmer as compared to varanasi side

Don't miss out Nashik, Shirdi , Triambekeshwar.

After a hard stressful day, its nice to come home and have a meal and watch you.

You should have put the camera down and had a talk to her Gabe! Gorgeous and wandering around Maheshwar on her own. She looked cool

Never expected a foreigner visiting Maheshwar. I accidentally visited that place when I went their on my way from Indore to Omkareshwar. I still have memories from that place one of the best locations in MP to discover the beauty of Indian architecture.

Gabriel vlog! 🎉

Another Awesome Adventure Gabriel Thank You🙂👍

That's a blissful scene right there by that river. Cleaner than the Ganga and less hectic than Varanasi.

Hi Gabriel, I watch your videos from England and I like what you do, I do have one concern though which I wanted to let you know about. I notice that when you are walking and narrating on camera through those busy streets you have a lot of trust with vehicles of all types passing from behind you. The problem I forsee is if there was a accident your travel insurance might not payout if they say you were distracted by filming? Travel insurance firms check social media now as a matter of course these days with payments. Try and have the vehicles coming towards you more often so you can have a better view mate. Good luck with the rest of your journey, take care, Gareth

@mummy5490

8 ай бұрын

Nope, in busy streets like near temple, you won't find ppl with speeding bikes nd cars, Accident mostly happens in Highway

Merry Christmas Gabriel thanks for sharing

It pays to go off the beaten path. Beautiful palace and river setting. Spectacular craftsmanship that survived the test of time.

Superb Coverage of these lesser known places & spots having amazing temples with beautiful architecture & carvings. Classical scenes of Simple life on the river bank. Another Amazing video.

You are a great story teller rather than a great traveller or explorer

Hey, fellow Maheshwarian here! Thanks for sharing our little piece of paradise with the world! ❤️😊

That was really amazing. 🙏🔱

So many times I wanted to say to you, “Oh Gabe, just go for a beer and a snack now!” Using your travels in India to inspire my questions for my Grandma quizzes. The grandkids love them!

And i love the birdsong!

amazing, thanks for all the videos. i watched most of them

Those carvings are so detailed and intact.

Have you stayed in a Dharamshala because you ' ll get an Indian vibe like none other in there as you make do with just the basics

Please create a playlist of all your great music selections! 🎶🙏

Closest thing to being there.

Wow even in villages off the tourist trail Engish seems to be the second language.

Looks like they deliberately used different rocks for different places in the complex. The structure is well thought out.

What awesome vlogs! These little known places are gems for us Indians too. Thanks for educating the world through your travels

What a find! Thanks mate.

Amazing video Gabriel thank you, loved the old temples 🙏🕉

WOW. What an awesomely incredible life you've had thru life with you and your videos Gabriel. Thank you ever so much. 😎 What collage are you going to teach at the end when you retire from traveling professor? Cheers

Awesome👍🏻👍🏻 never heard about this A temple like this is not even in the top 1000 things to see in india given other popular choices by foreigners

@priyanaik0510

8 ай бұрын

@Privateuser9999 Maheshwar is off the beaten path. A very spectacular, spiritual, calming place. Usually we Hindus go there on religious pilgrimage or just for relaxation.But the temples & carvings are spectacular & well preserved. The fortress & Queen ahilyabai's humble home are most visited by indians. The handlooms from this city are famous throughout india. This city is one of India's best kept secrets.

@Privateuser9999

8 ай бұрын

@@priyanaik0510 thank you. I never knew that. GT is doing a good job showing the extent of the looting and plundering of Indian temples by foreign invaders and also off path locations

Another excellent video! Gabriel, I have to admit you're very brave with your nutritional/hydration intake. I have spent over 2 years traveling in India/Nepal and I definitely make different choices. I'm impressed! Stay healthy!!!

Gabriel, I'm surprised you didn't stop and talk to the beautiful foreign traveler you passed by.

Yeah man , nice one

Love the intro music! Good vibe!

Hi Gabriel, fascinating day of walking around the city of Maheshwar, not an overwhelming place but it has some beautiful architecture. I often wonder if these buildings got sandblasted or got some type of restoration that could destroy the carvings even though they are still in incredible condition even in their present state. This type of work would need a certain type of craftsman who may not even be available to perform this work anymore.

Beautiful Maheshwar! Dhanyavad. ❤ 🙏

What a lovely place -

I too had made a video on Maheshwar a few years back. It’s a great place

Can some one olease explain how this temple was constructed because my mind cannot comprehend.

All over the place Gabriel. Really shows the size of the country. Have you ever been up to Ayodhya??

@GabrielTravelerVideos

8 ай бұрын

Haven't been to Ayodhya yet, looks interesting.

@tyronsimpson2143

8 ай бұрын

Maheshwar also looks and reminds me of Matara fort. Don't know if you have there yet or Vrindavin near by? But your travels just go to prove it more or less takes a life time to see the whole of India

Narmada is one of few Indian river which is NOT originated from Himalaya but still is full of water throughout the year.

Excellent video and information. You could not see the manufacturing of handloom Hatkaragha sarees in Maheshwar. You must have enjoyed watching the sunset and boating in the river at many places before. It is a good thing that archeology remains your priority. Best wishes for your further journey. Waiting for the upcoming video.

consider visiting Malda and Gour next time. There's ruins of the ancient Sen and Pal dynasties of Bengal, along structures built post Muslim occupation.

@dwarasamudra8889

8 ай бұрын

Yeah, the Bengal Sultanate destroyed most of the Pala and Sena era temples there. In Pandua, the Adina Mosque was built using the ruins of Sena era Hindu Temple.

Seems unlikely those are Jain. First of all the city is named for Shiva and Wiki says Jains make up less than 1%. Such gorgeous carvings all over the city! So beautiful!

@ErvuJukl

8 ай бұрын

Islam

@0arjun077

8 ай бұрын

Well these religions coexisted in ancient times. In a Hindu temple you can see Buddha as well as Mahavira of Jainism, similarly in Jain Temple you can see Krishna etc, also in Buddist temple you can see Ganesha etc. in Ancient India all these were different schools of thought and spirituality coexisted and had debated with each other and evolved together.

Queen Ahilyabai is most bravest nd kindest queen, She not only defeated muslim invaders but rebuild various destroyed temple including destroyed varanasi, Varanasi was almost destroyed , she only rebuild it nd that's why you will find common infrastructure She is NO.1 Queen of India

@truthteller2991

8 ай бұрын

She did not wage wars or defeated invaders because she did not had to . Because by that time Maratha empire was its glory and powerful empire. She belonged to Holkars of Indore. Holkars were generals under Peshwa . So Holkars were in Indore, Scindias in Gwalior, Gaikwad in Baroda etc all during the Maratha Empire. Later they were under nominal head under Peshwa but independent rulers. Ahilya devi is regarded great because she was modest and just ruler . She was an ardent Shiva devotee and understood that India has suffered destruction in culturally and had fixed significant percentage dedicated to restoration from her treasury and tax colletion all around the country. Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain,Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi,Somnath Temple, in Gujarat,Omkareshwar Temple, and even deep south in Rameshwar were her restoration efforts. and ensured they adhered to traditional architectural styles and employed skilled artisans to preserve the temples' cultural significance

@mummy5490

8 ай бұрын

@@truthteller2991 then how she lost her husband? Clarify

@truthteller2991

8 ай бұрын

@@mummy5490 how is that related to her waging war? She lost her husband in Kumher fort battle.

Amazing India thank you Gabriel 😊

Long distance letter. ✉️ Dear Gabriel I'm writing to thank GTV and Ministry of Silly Walks. As a former clown wearing oversized shoes for most of my life I had developed a serious walking condition known as "goofy". My wife and children have endured many years of embarrassment and shame in public by this condition of mine. But thanks to the charitable contributions from GTV and Ministry of Silly Walks I was able to receive the necessary treatments to be able to "walk a normal" life again. I now feel like I can travel the world one step at a time. Thank you. Merry Christmas! R. McDonald Oak Brook, Illinois 🇺🇲 #AT40📻

A true traveler of the frontier kind. Bless.

Was looking for this video since you showed a picture in Ujjain. Mesmerising, and worth the wait. There are many places most of Indian are not aware of, and this is one. Maharani Ahilayabai is well known though.

exquisite aesthetic

Bro visit 🇳🇵 nepal

@tyronsimpson2143

8 ай бұрын

He has done ✔️. I got good impressions and information from his videos he made. He has done a good few trecks in Nepal .And I followed in his footsteps. Been 3 times I have since 2017. On my next return I want to treck Kailash. Jai Shambhu 🔱 🔱 🔱 . Love from Manchester England

@garyrigby21

8 ай бұрын

i visited Nepal in 2005 but i prefer India

@achintanandi5092

8 ай бұрын

Nepal is beautiful! Loved it in 2018!

Less know places across the tourist path but how majestic!

Go to Sahastradhara. Cool looking waterfall nearby.

Very interesting place, and no harassments!

Superb place 😍

A very good Evening 👍

Thanks!

@GabrielTravelerVideos

8 ай бұрын

Thanks. ✌️

Gabriel loves India ,,, I think he will be retiring at India later in his life !?

@ErvuJukl

8 ай бұрын

He will live in temple of Gabe

looks like one of the cleanest towns in India

@rishavlala709

8 ай бұрын

Lol most towns are clean in India except a few trashy bits that for some reason western tourists are obsessed with, barring a few like Gabriel.

@garyrigby21

8 ай бұрын

@@rishavlala709 I've been to India twice now and yes it's a big mix of everything the smaller towns and off the beaten track places seem cleaner than the big cities

@truthteller2991

8 ай бұрын

@@garyrigby21 you are right in observation and there is a reason for it which @rishavlala709 misses out. Most citeis in state of M.P are in cleanest city drive. Indore being the cleanest city in India and Bhopal (captial ) is 2nd . State of M.P has target of cleanest state in India in next 5 years and thats why you see towns and cities are cleaner to other states.

@kapow4

8 ай бұрын

@@rishavlala709 Most towns in india are not clean. Look at those villages and towns in Himachal Pradesh that Gabriel visited, they were so dirty but if people like you are in the majority who think that there are only 'few trashy bits' then there is no hope😂

@exchangeyo

8 ай бұрын

@@rishavlala709 3rd world person like you with your 3rd world thinking of throwing rubbish everywhere resulting in a 3rd world India decade after decade without fail😊

Angkor Wat in Cambodia has similar details in stonework around buildings. You'd appreciate that area as well. Great people, food, scenery etc. Worth a visit. I'd return.

@arvindgoudar1586

8 ай бұрын

Angkor Wat temples are massive but lack the exquisite detail in carvings which you would find in Indian temples. The carvings in Indian temples tend to be more three dimensional and very intricate.

@0arjun077

8 ай бұрын

Try Hoysaleswara and Chennakeshava Temples. Ankorwat is awesome and one of the best built Hindu temples outside India. The Hindu prince who left India established the Kingdom there and build the temple. All the architecture knowledge etc came from India and the scriptures like Vastushastra and Agamas