It is said that once, sage Naradar during his visit to the Vindyas, sang the praise of mount Meru to Mount Vindhya. On hearing this, Mount Vindhya prayed to Lord Siva to gain in importance. Lord Siva blessed him & appeared here as Omkareshwarar & Amaleshwarar and gave the boon of grwoing, but without hindering Siva devotees. But the Vindhyas did not stop growing, and even obstructed the sun and the moon. Sage Agasthyar subdued its growth by saying it should not grow till he gets back there. He never went back & hence the growth was arrested.The Omkareshwar temple built in the Nagara style is characterized by a lofty shikhara.
The temple stands on a one mile long, half mile wide island formed by the fork of the Narmada. The soft stone of which it was constructed has lent its pliable surface to a rare degree of detailed work, of which the frieze figures on the upper portion is the most striking. Also intricately carved is the stone roof of the temple. Encircling the shrine are verandahs with columns which are carved in circles, polygons and squares.
24 Avtars:
A cluster of Hindu and Jain temples. Though damaged by Mohammed of Ghazni (11th century), these temples have remained intact to a large extent.
A good example of early Brhmanic architecture, it has a frieze of elephants carved upon a stone slab in the outer perimeter.
(12 Nights/13 Days)