Vishnu Temple, Omkareshwar

Getting there

• By air

  Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport at Indore is about 77 km from Omkareshwar. Private taxis run from Indore.

• By train

  Sanawad station is about 12 km away. Khandwa Junction, about 72 km away, has express trains from across India.

• By road

  Mortakka bus stand is about 12 km away, with buses to Indore, Ujjain, Khargone and Khandwa. Once in Omkareshwar, ask for the Vishnupuri area.

Why devotees come here

This Vishnu temple gives its name to Vishnupuri, one of the three puris, or quarters, of Omkareshwar town on the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. Most pilgrims come for the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga. A darshan of Vishnu here fits easily into the same trip.

Omkareshwar takes its name from Om, the sound spoken before every prayer. The temple trust describes the town as three puris. Brahmapuri has a temple of Brahma on the southern bank of the Narmada. Vishnupuri has a temple of Vishnu. Shivpuri, on Mandhata island, holds the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga, fourth of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva.

So this is the temple that gives Vishnupuri its name. In a town known across India for Shiva, it keeps Vishnu at the heart of one of its three quarters. A visit here, along with the Jyotirlinga, honours that old picture of the town.

Vishnu is honoured in other Omkareshwar temples too. Vrihadeshwar Temple, near Mamleshwar, has statues of the 24 avatars of Vishnu. The Annapurna Temple complex holds a 35-foot statue of Krishna in his Virat form, as the Bhagavad Gita describes it.

Tips for your visit

• The island and the mainland are linked by the old Jhula Pul footbridge and the newer Mamleshwar Setu, and boats also cross.
• Plan the Vishnu temple, Mamleshwar and the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga together, as all three are in the same small town.
• The Omkareshwar temple trust lends free wheelchairs at the Yatri Suvidha Kendra near Jhula Pul, for up to 2 hours.
• During Shivratri, the Shravan month and fairs, the Omkareshwar trust says normal rules may not apply, so check its site before you go.

Questions people ask