Pachmarhi: Green getaway in the heart of India

‘Trees are the earth’s endless effort to speak to the listening heaven’, so said Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Thakur once, and if there is one place on earth where your heart utters the same emotions, it is in Pachmarhi, the only hill-station in the heart of India, Madhya Pradesh.

Nature’s beauty is manifested in all corners of this little hill town. From the cascading waterfalls, to the green shades embracing the numerous mountains, the twisted and turned pathways cut into the valley and the natural amphitheatres where bears still spend some entertaining hours, Pachmarhi offers to tourists a sanatorium of tranquility in nature’s lap.

Discovered by chance by a captain of the British Army James Forsyth in 1857, this saucer shaped valley soon became a favorite haunt of the officers in the colonial past. Thankfully, the man-made structures in this green town are not distasteful at all and only add to the beauty. The churches and the cemeteries, and the numerous thatched roofs of colonial homes seem to mingle well with the peaks and troughs of the valley.

Pachmarhi also holds within its borders the tales of civilizations of a distant past. Scattered around the town are numerous rock cave paintings that are centuries old. There are animal painting and painting of tribal men, a detailed depiction of a musician playing his harp and a battle scene of men on horses; it is like a treasure trove for the students of history.  And graduating to a different era, there are also the famous Pandav caves named after the Pandav prince of the Mahabharata who seemed to have found shelter in the caves while roaming the land. In fact, Pachmarhi gets its name from these Pandav caves, so it is said.

Must visit

Here is a list of few places of natural and architectural beauty that you can admire at Pachmarhi.

• Forsyth Point – The place from where Pachmarhi was discovered by Captain Forsyth.
• Handi Khoh – A ravine shaped like a saucepan, hence the name Handi in Hindi language, it has a 300ft high precipice and spectacularly steep sides.
• Bee Fall – Provides drinking water to the town and is very popular
• Big Fall and Apsara Vihar (Fairy Pool) – Like its local names, this angelic location is ideal for a picnic and also to watch some spectacular species of natural world.
  

  Apsara Vihar, Courtesy Vikram Pratap Singh via Flickr

• Duchess Fall – The decent to this particular fall is steep but the end destination spectacular.
• Saunder’s pool – A little distance from duchess fall, it is ideal for a refreshing swim.
• Mahadeo – A stunning setting for a Lord Shiva hill shrine with a very beautiful shiva linga.
• Jata Shankar – It is a sacred cave formed by loose boulders that resembles the locks of Lord Shiva.
• Dhoopgarh – A popular sunset point, it also is a good location to view the entire region atop a hill.
• Pandav Caves – The protected monuments that once provided sanctuary to the Pandav Princes.
• Reechhgarh – An amphitheatre created naturally, it is entered through a cave like path and is still frequented by bears.
• Catholic Church- Built in 1892 it is a historical monument today with stained glass windows dating back to that era.
• Christ Church - 
  

  Christ Church. Courtesy east med wanderer via Flickr

• Satpura National Park – Close to Pachmarhi this park is home to bison tiger, leopard, bear, four-horned deer, blue-bull and a rich variety of birds.
• Bison Lodge – The oldest home in town it is today a museum of the flora and fauna found in the area.

Best Time to Visit

Pachmarhi is a veritable green paradise all year round and you can actually visit it even in the hot summer months of India. But off season winter months too offer peaceful and idyllic setting for a holiday.  

Location

Pachmarhi is 210 Km from Bhopal city, the capital of Madhya Pradesh and it is advisable to hire private taxis to reach the hill station from here as the state run buses are almost always crowded and bound to leave you weary. Bhopal is well connected by air and rail to all important cities of India.

 

Traveler’s tip

• During the month of Feb-March Pachmarhi celebrates the festival of Shivaratri like the rest of India and is populated with hoards of devotees. If you are there to getaway from crowd avoid this time.
• Because of the dense forest area, mobile signals are weak at most points.
• Wear comfortable footwear as there is lot of walking, climbing to do.
• Carry an extra pair of clothes to change after an instinctive dip in the pools or waterfalls.
• Look out for the spider webs inside the water bodies before you swim. It may not be fun anymore if the spider spots you.
• Most spots are still not very commercial and the raw natural beauty is still preserved. Therefore always carry essentials like water and snacks with you.

 

 

Tagged as: Eco-Travel, india, pachmarhi