On the eastern shore of the Narmada above the marble gorge stands a complex of six or seven temples raised by the Beohar dynasty between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Lametha Ghat lies on the eastern shore of the Narmada a few kilometres upstream of the marble gorge at Bhedaghat, and can be approached either from the Dhuandhar side or by the Tilwara and medical college bypass. The Vaishnav and Shaiva temples here were constructed by the Beohar dynasty between roughly the 16th and 18th centuries CE, and the group of six or seven temples with its dharmshala on the river bank is known collectively as the Shankarji Maharaj Mandir Parisar, after Shiv-Bhaskar, the principal temple.
The individual temples include the hill-top Radhika-Madhav temple, also called Radha-Krishna or Radha-Govind, Shiv-Bhaskar or Shiv-Surya, Lambodar-Siddhivinayak, Ram-Janki, Mekalsuta-Reva, Kadambari-Sharda, Batuk-Bhairav and Marutinandan-Anjaneya. There is also a shanikund here, held to be of particular benefit to those affected by Shani. Local belief holds that last rites performed at this ghat carry the same significance as those at Gaya.
The earthquake of 1997 left some of these buildings dilapidated while others have since been repaired or renovated. The temples belong to a family-owned and family-operated private trust, the Sri Radhakrishna Charitable Private Trust, with local custodianship under the family priest. Recent tiling and landscaping on the river bank, carried out by the Narmada Valley Development Authority and by MP Tourism, has made the ghat considerably easier to visit.
Also known as Shiv-Surya, this is the main temple of the group, and the reason the whole complex is collectively called the Shankarji Maharaj Mandir Parisar.
The hill-top temple of the complex, referred to variously as Radha-Krishna or Radha-Govind. Its raised position gives it the best outlook over the river.
Lambodar-Siddhivinayak, Ram-Janki, Mekalsuta-Reva, Kadambari-Sharda, Batuk-Bhairav and Marutinandan-Anjaneya make up the rest of the group, each a separate Beohar foundation within the same enclosure.
A shanikund here is held to benefit those affected by Shani. The river bank itself has recently been tiled and landscaped, and the view of the Narmada from the temples at dusk is the thing most visitors remember.
This is a living religious site, not a monument, and it should be visited on those terms. It is also quiet, which is part of why people come.
October to March is the comfortable season, and the hour before sunset is the one to aim for, when the light on the river from the temple terraces is at its best. The monsoon raises the Narmada and leaves the bank slippery. Festival days bring larger numbers of worshippers, which changes the atmosphere from quiet to busy.
Everything travellers ask us most often. Still unsure? Message us on WhatsApp and a real MP Holidays expert will reply.