April 2012

Pachmarhi, the name ignited curiosity! What does this mean, what sort of tourist destination it would be, and how enchanting it will be? With these thoughts in mind, we boarded the Jabalpur express superfast train from Nizamuddin Railway station at 1420 hours. The train passes through major stations like Mathura, Agra, Muraina, Chambal, Gwalior, Jhansi, Itarsi etc. While speeding through Chambal, a brief spell on the train’s foot board offered a great view of the famous Chambal ravines known for harboring dacoits. The gush of winds splashing on the face was quite refreshing; I believe this is the reason why people stand on the foot board and enjoy natural cool winds even if it is unsafe to travel that way! The best part was when the train crossed the Chambal River through a fascinating decades old high pillared iron bridge. We alighted at Pipariya, the nearest station to reach Pachmarhi, early morning at around 0600 hrs. We took a brief halt at nearby Tourist Motel for a quick recharge.

Pachmarhi is about 54 km i.e. 90 minutes drive from Pipariya. We hired local taxi and headed straight to our final destination. The roads were as good as silky smooth surface with negligible traffic offering eyeful view of the world famous Satpura Jungles; which hitherto we only read about in our school days as a poem in text book. The thrill of the vast, dense, mysterious Jungle where many animals including Tigers abode is beyond expression. The roller coaster drive through the low hilly terrain was equally mesmerizing and riveting. On the way, we also saw Baari Aam lake where the movie Ashoka was shot. All through 54 km, we were so involved with the scenic beauty of Satpura that 90 minutes felt like 9 minutes. We stayed at Hotel Highland (MP Tourism). The hotel is right on the state highway well laid out in open widespread landscaped gardens, nestled in the green surroundings of high trees, shrubs, flowers, and fauna  offering comfort and peace of mind in true sense. After the check-in and slight rest, it was time to explore Pachmarhi on day1.

We hired Gypsy and headed straight to Pandav Caves, our first destination in Pachmarhi. Pachmarhi derived its name from five Pandav brothers ie Pach (five) Marhi (shelter). Caves are excavated on a sandstone rock of the low hills housing five caves or shelter of the Pandav siblings. It is an ancient protected monument. The top of the hill offers a spectacular 360 degree view of the ambience around, specially the gorgeous well maintained garden at the base. The lush green garden with blooming flowers of diverse variety is quite inviting and refreshing. A small fish shaped pond with lotus blooming in its muddy water is quite alluring. Next to the entry/exit gate, one can relish the local multi colored syrup soaked yummy ice candy (Baraf ka Gola); our childhood days favorite candy!

Before we headed for our next destination, I could observe that Pachmarhi is primarily an army cantonment area with few thousands odd population. So with just about 12,000 people including army, humans are hard to spot. Roads are good but empty; bazaars are there but devoid of shoppers. But then, all the more, this is the charm of calm Pachmarhi. One of the local, who I chatted while sitting outside Company Bagh, told me that Pachmarhi is the most peaceful tourist spot. 100% crime free less crowded and virtually with no traffic on the road except for the Gypsy cars ferrying tourists, army vehicles and few local motorists. He was absolutely right as that’s what I also sensed and saw myself. By now, it was time for lunch. We had a hearty meal in open settings under an enormously branched out tree on the sidelines of a lake. A fine experience indeed, especially when the sun was blazing hot but natural shade of the trees around provided the calm and comfort as one would need while eating out.

Our next destination was Handi Khoh, an impressively deep ravine.  Standing on the small extended platform for the deep and far view was quite awesome. One must look down to realize the true depth (300 feet) of the ravine with steep and massive sides at both ends. Handi Khoh is surrounded by the jungle trees. Few vendors at the spot sell sling shots (Gulel); enjoy the fresh lime water as well.  After this, it was time for Har Har Mahadev! We headed straight to the holy place of Mahadeo and Gupt Mahadeo. From the taxi stand, one can have a clear panoramic view of the far away Chauragarh, another holy shrine of Lord Mahadeo at the summit of the Satpura range. One has to climb 1300 steps to reach on the top of Chauragarh.  Mahadeo has a holy shrine where idol of Lord Shiva is placed inside a huge cave. The cave has water dripping from all sides, a naturally cool and dark place. We offered prayers to the almighty. Emerging out of the cave, we crossed a small bridge over a small stream for another almighty cave situated just opposite the Mahadeo cave. Beware of monkeys menace here, plenty of them all around.  Next, we head to Gupt Mahadeo, about 250 meters away from Mahadeo through the dense jungle on both sides. As you near the spot, one can see all red life size idol of Lord Hanuman standing tall at the entrance of the cave. A very narrow path of about shoulder width 40 feet inside; where only one person can pass in a straight line queue leading us to Gupt Mahadeo. People with claustrophobia tendencies must avoid going inside the cave. Idols of Lord Ganesha and Shivlinga are enshrined inside the cave. We again offered prayers and came out as one can’t stay put inside for much as many more devotees are waiting outside for their turn. Only 5 people can go inside, so batches move turn by turn. By this time it was 6pm and we headed back to our Hotel. While walking up to the taxi stand, we spotted a mongoose climbing on the tree branches. On the road at a particular spot, the Gypsy driver suddenly stopped and informed us that this is the point from where you can have the spectacular panoramic view of the Green Valley. Driver told us that this valley remains green all through the year, quite amazing. The view was breathtaking indeed, a vast and dense jungle spread across acres of land. We were back in our hotel; day one was over with sweet memories but for us it was thoughts of exciting times ahead of the day two playing in our minds.

Day two was a clear sunny day and it was time to visit Bison Lodge converted into a Museum. We passed through Pachmarhi Military Station and a lake, reaching Bison Lodge in a few minutes. The lodge houses a well kept museum of Satpura’s rich Jungle life and its history. The museum had life sized real skinned animal statues of Lion, Tiger, Elephant, Bison, Crocodile, Birds, Gazelle, Mongoose, Turtle, Snakes and much more. It was great delight for children as I can see their excitement and curiosity at the mere sight of the life size animal figures.  The museum prominently displays maps and plaques of Satpura range and various Pachmarhi attractions, very informative for travelers like us. Museum visit was quite enriching which armed us with more knowledge about the place. Sun was scorching and it was a perfect time to go under a fall! Bee Fall calling. The terrain to reach the fall is very tough and rough. It is on the steep decline while going to the fall and strenuously uphill climb when returning. The steps are as high as 1.5 feet trying your knees and calf muscles. As we walked down, the first sign of water stream flowing down to Bee Fall was to be seen and experienced. We sat here for a few moments, posed for pictures and proceed to the actual fall. Trekking downhill, we reached the famous Bee Fall of Pachmarhi. The fall was splendid indeed nestled in the shades of jungle trees, rocks and large sized loose fallen boulder of all shapes and sizes. We could not even wait for the fall to fall on us! The water was pure, cold hitting the body with jet speed. There were many tourists enjoying the refreshing bath in the rush of the fall. It was good but the base periphery of the fall was so small that very few people could enjoy the bath at one time. Also the base had large sharp stones underneath the water which can hurt badly in the dash of excitement. One needs to be utmost careful to enjoy unhurt. I climbed up on the rock with many others already there for a better feel of the flowing fall. As obvious, it was too slippery to be firm on the watery rock. Despite all these odds, Bee Fall was extreme fun. Unified happiness of assortment of people from all over country was to be seen to believe, amazing indeed! After all the fun, the vendor at the base dished out the evergreen tasty piping hot two minute Maggi noodles with Tea! I must say that it was a fitting finale of the Bee Fall.  Maggi noodles ignited our hunger pang for more! By the time we reached up, it was time for a quick lunch break. We stopped by at lush green Company Gardens. We quickly wrapped up the lunch to head to our next destination; the adventure sports! At a distance, on the side of the road, there was a huge piece of open land where tourists were paragliding with the force of a surging Gypsy pull. My better half decided to live the moment and got ready with the gear along with an accomplice. And there she goes into the sky lifted by the thrust of air filled vibrantly colorful parachute pulled by the speeding Gypsy.  I could see her joy of flying from the base down below capturing the cherished moments for the family album. As they landed, the powerful Gypsy ferried them back to the base station with supersonic speed. The thrill of flying brought bliss and glee to their faces. As the Paragliding session folded up, we headed to another delightful place called Dhoopgarh; the sunset and sunrise point at an altitude of 1352 meters from the sea level.  As sun was about to set, we decided to skip another spot Reechgarh, the place known to be a natural amphitheatre nestled in the rocks where voices echo loud and clear.  We entered the Satpura Tiger Reserve on our way to Dhoopgarh. The uphill Gypsy drive was quite rocking and enjoyable. As we reached the high point of Dhoopgarh, through the imposing rocks, we felt the rejuvenating pulsating freshness in the air of the wide open plateau. We first went to the sunrise point which presented us a fantastic view of the steep valley from the top. It was dense jungle spread all over the valley.  After the sunrise point, we headed to sunset point on the opposite side. Here there is a small gallery with large photo frames displaying the pictures of major tourist attractions in and around Pachmarhi. As we came out to sunset point, it was good to see an arena kind of seating arrangement for the tourist to sit, relax and witness live the experience of sun going down the mountains of Satpura range. There were many excitedly waiting for the gradual sunset process. As the sun started going down, the color of the sky turned into bright burning amber with tinge of red in the skyline. This was an incredible and unforgettable moment, the sun never look so beautiful from naked eyes. And as the sun went down, the colorful settings which were red and orangey turned darker! The sun is now duty bound to the other side of the world; nature’s elements were at its best indeed. As the nature’s splendid show got over, it was perfect setting for a hot cup of tea. Tea never tasted so good. We returned to our Gypsy for the downhill drive. The downhill drive was more enjoyable than the uphill one as it turned dark and the caravan of vehicles exited one by one. The drive on the serpentine roads in the dark was thrilling. The trailing vehicles headlights were flashing through the rocks like torches in motion, appearing and disappearing like on and off in the Jungle Mountains.

It was the last day of our stay in Pachmarhi, the day three. So we woke up early, packed up all the personal effects lying in the hotel room and decided to visit the sacred cave of Jatashankar. It was at a walking distance from our hotel. The walk up to the cave was quite captivating as we passed through the low lying hills perfect for the rock climbing on both side of the roadway. Although Jatashankar cave is in the midst of the huge fallen boulders but the approach has proper steps leading down to the sacred cave. There is Shiva engraved in purple on a large piece of rock. There is life size Lord Hanuman statue, shining vermilion red and standing tall on the other side as well. The Jatashankar cave is naturally cool and also has a stream passing through at the bottom. Believe it or not, inside the cave we saw a naturally formed Sheshnaag (snake hood) and also a crocodile shaped stone formation.  We offered our prayers and came out to visit other parts of the Jatashankar. The place is on a descend divided by two huge rocks on the left and right and when one looks up, you experience a cinematic effect of the sky view with sun rays making their way to the base of the caves.  One of the rock’s high sides had about 8 beehives. There is another narrow cave passing through Lord Hanuman’s temple which houses a life size idol of Bajrangbali. One of the interesting things we saw and experienced were the floating stones. We were informed by the priest that these are the same stone which were used to construct the floating bridge to reach Ravana’s Lanka. I picked the stones in my hand to see how they feel. I must say that they were real stones but with floating properties, another charisma of the nature! I must say that Jatashankar is a marvelous place and a must visit for all the devotees and travelers.  By this hour, it was time for breakfast so we proceeded to savor the Idli and Dosa at a nearby restaurant. With this, our excursion ended at a good note etched with life- long memories of Pachmarhi in our heart,soul and mind. While going back to Pipariya to catch our train, we stopped by at Denva river view point. It was a fantastic sight as the river was running almost 100 meters deep down. Monkeys were in abundance here as well. After this final sight, we boarded the Jabalpur superfast express train at 2020 hrs and reached New Delhi at 1110 hrs the next day.

Overall it was a stimulating, interesting, invigorating and rejuvenating trip! Pachmarhi has everything on offer for everyone on a leisure trip. I would call it an all-in-one destination where one can enjoy the Nature, River, Lakes, Falls, Museums, Jungles, Mountains, Caves, Religious fervor, Sunset, Sunrise, Jungle safari, adventure sports like Trekking, Rock climbing, Paragliding etc. It is advisable to carry a back-pack full of liquids, light snacks and a first aid kit as there are very limited options almost at all the attractions. Also since the place is measly inhabited, there are not much of loaded shops and eateries. Majority of the shops shut in the afternoon for few hours and also down shutters early in the evening. Moreover, the place is an Army cantonment area so strict rule and regulations prohibits mushrooming of vendors and shops here and there. In fact that is the reason Pachmarhi has retained its nature’s element in original shape and superior health; which is good considering the fact that the tentacles of commercialization are fast spreading contagiously, the world over. I am immensely happy that Pachmarhi remains Pachmarhi, unfazed & unaffected!

Loved Pachmarhi (MP Gazab hai-MP is amazing TV ad has lived up to its promise)

  © Anil Bisht

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Twitter handle: @anilbisht

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