A rock inscription records that this ninth or tenth century temple was repaired in 1622 by one of Akbar's representatives.
Kaleshwar Mahadev is a very old temple at Maheshwar, standing on the eastern side of the confluence of the Maheshwari and the Narmada. Its construction is calculated to the ninth or tenth century, which makes it one of the oldest surviving structures in the town.
A rock inscription at the temple records a later chapter: it was renovated in 1622, during the rule of the Mughal emperor Akbar, by one of his representatives named Devdas Mandloi. The confluence on which it stands is itself regarded as a place of pilgrimage, known as the Kalagni tirtha, and the temple takes its standing from that as much as from its age.
The temple dates from the ninth or tenth century and the age shows in the masonry. It is plainer than the Holkar-period temples in the town, and that difference is the point of looking carefully at it.
An inscription records the 1622 renovation under Akbar's rule by his representative Devdas Mandloi. It is the kind of documentary detail that most Maheshwar temples do not carry, and worth asking to be shown.
The meeting of the Maheshwari and the Narmada here is considered a pilgrimage site in its own right, named Kalagni. The temple stands on its eastern bank, with Jaleshwar Mahadev opposite.
The temple is at the eastern side of the confluence and is reached on foot. It pairs naturally with Jaleshwar Mahadev on the opposite bank.
October to March is the best season at Maheshwar, with settled river levels and comfortable walking weather. Morning is the quietest and the best time for photographing the old stonework. In the monsoon the confluence runs high and access along the bank is restricted.
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