Omkareshwar is an island village that extends to the southern bank of the Narmada River and has great religious significance to the Hindu people of India. The island is said to have the shape of Hindu symbol for 'Om' when viewed from above and is also considered to split two religious rivers that actually join about 1 km up river of the island, behind a new dam that has been built right behind the island detracting from the scenic views of the town. The island is also the site of 1 of 12 jyotirlinga, which are important pilgrimage points for Hindu's worshiping Shiva (destroyer of evils) who is believed to be the greatest Hindu god. Despite the religious significance, the temple was surprisingly small, simple and undecorated; unlike the many temples of south India that had the huge ornate Dravidian towers.
All of the places I have visited through central India have been very dry due to drought and the fact that it is the beginning of Indian summer, just before the monsoon season. Due to the dry conditions the island was not as impressive as it is when it is green and the river is full.
We took a boat tour around the island, which was interesting because we had to hop out of the boat at a couple points in order to allow the crew to push or tow the boat upstream and we even helped pull the boat up river at one point. The river was exceptionally low and if we had waited one more day, we wouldn't have even been able to boat around the island entire island without beaching the boat on the rocks.
The island also has several Ashrams, which are religious communities where people live or visit to learn or worship. While I was returning from photographing my last sunset in Omkareshwar, I stopped and spoke to a couple of men that lived at the Ashram on top of the island. They invited me to visit the next day, but unfortunately I was leaving early the next morning and didn't have a chance to visit with them again.
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