Pachmarhi - India HillTop Trips - Splendid hills and Majestic retreats

Pachmarhi is a place for walks, along the short or long chakkars, along the predictable way or along lesser known routes where one can come across rock shelters such as those in the Maradeo hill covered with paintings depicting warfare, food gathering and hunting, some dating as far back as 1000 bc. Walks take one through forests and meadows, to hill tops such as Dhoopgarh, the highest point in the Satpuras where the sunsets are quite spectacular, or down gorges and valleys where water and shade have led to a luxuriant growth of vegetation in every conceivable shade of green. Few sounds are heard other than the chirping of birds or that of water trickling, flowing or thunderously cascading into falls that end in large azure pools.

Hill Resort | Elevation | Travel | Tourist places | Accommodation | Location | Pachmarhi Map

The Hill Resort

Among the few exceptional hill resorts in India, is Pachmarhi is Madhya Pradesh. It is not on the usual beat of hill station buffs and therefore, not over-developed. Though considered a hill station, it does not offer the predictable mountain fare of awesome heights and spectacular scenery, for the Satpuras are low lying weathered hills. Pachmarhi's appeal is low key. Peace, seclusion and a quiet unobtrusive beauty are its prime attractions.

Wanting to get away from it all is common enough but more often than not 'it all' follows one to the very place one seeks refuge in. This is particularly true of hill stations where the attraction lies to a large extent in the beautiful natural surroundings. But more significantly it is for the silence, serenity and solitude that hill stations offer that they are places of retreat and get away from the crowds and confusion of a city. Today, few such remain. Commercialism and hard sell having eroded all but the natural beauty, at times sparing not even that.

The Past

A derelict church and houses with a perceptible colonial ambience are vestiges of the British Raj. It was in fact Colonel Forsyth, a Bengal Lancer, who discovered Pachmarhi in 1857, and the point where he first sighted and fell in love with the area was named after him and earlier called Forsyth Point. Today this has been renamed Priyadarshini Point. This enthralling feeling of Forsyth was echoed by other Englishmen who, finding the town pleasant throughout the year, settled here and developed Pachmarhi into a cantonment which it still is today. Development has come by way of government aided projects which are geared more towards cottage industries.

Tribal Life

One can easily encounter the tribals, the Gonds and the Korkus, busy gathering firewood. These are the native in-habitants of the area who live in small huts or in almost primeval rock shelters. They are a happy people content with a simple lifestyle, fond of song, dance and the local brew mahua. Their distinct lifestyle manifests itself in a number of quaint customs like the memorial blocks they carve for their dead which are rather like wooden slates, each with a figure carved in relief representing the dead person riding a horse. This is surprising because horses are hardly visible in the area. Perhaps the horses signify a journey to the other world.

What To Do

There's something for everyone in Pachmarhi. The rocks which have eroded into fascinating shapes and sizes attract rock climbers, while a wildlife enthusiast may even spot a variety of deer and birds in the dense deep forests of sal, mahua, jamun and bamboo.

Elevation

Pachmarhi - 1067 metres.

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Location Details

Located in the Satpura ranges, Pachmarhi is an idyllic hill station in Madhya Pradesh. Pachmarhi is about 210 kilometres from Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

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How to Reach There and Distances

Pachmarhi is 210 km south-east of Bhopal, 244 km from Jabalpur and 47 km from Pipariya.

Air

The nearest airport is Bhopal, connected by regular flights with Delhi, Gwalior, Indore and Mumbai.

Rail

Pipariya (47 km), on the Mumbai-Howrah main railway line via Allahabad, is the most convenient railhead. Bhopal is also a mainline railway station with trains to most major destinations.

Road

Pachmarhi is connected by regular bus services with Bhopal, Hoshnagabad, Nagpur, Pipariya and Chhindwara. Taxis are available at Pipariya.

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Accommodation

Book Rooms and Resorts at Pachmarhi using yatra.com

The PWD hires out suites at the Old Hotel Block and very cheap rooms at the New Hotel Block. Cottages can also be hired from the Nandan Van (run by the special Area Development Authority).

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Places to see

Jata Shanker

A sacred cave under a mass of loose boulders in which the Jambu Dwip stream has it's sources. It is said that Lord Mahadeo reached the place by tunnel from Tilak Sindur to save himself from the demon king Bhasmasur. A rocky formation of this place resembles the matted locks of Lord Shiva, hence the name.

Chhota Mahadeo

Revered as a sacred spot, this is a narrow point in the valley with rocks overhanging a stream and a spring from where water cascades down.

Mahadeo

Mahadeo hill has a shrine with an idol of Lord Shiva and an impressive Shivlinga. On the east side of the hill is an excellent cave shelter with paintings.

Chauragarh

4 km from Mahadeo, it is one of Satpura's prominent landmarks, the summit crowned with emblems of Mahadeo worship.

Priyadarshini Point

Priyadarshini Point, the point from where Captain Forsyth, first caught a glimpse of Pachmarhi, is an oft visited spot. Lanjee Giri is of interest to rock-climbers as it offers some easy scalings near the summit. Jalwataran or Duchess Falls is another important site and one can trek to this picturesque water-fall which falls in three distinct cascades. Pandav Caves are frequented by the tourists. The Pandav brothers are believed to the spent a part of their exile in these famous caves from which Pachmarhi takes its name.

Handi Khoh

Pachmarhi's most impressive ravine has a 300 ft high precipice and dramatically steep sides. A solitary place, with water flowing far, far below with an incessant murmuring sound, Handi Khoh's, over hanging crags shelter gigantic, undisturbed beehives.

Apsara Vihar

A lovely little bathing pool, and easily accessible from Jai Stambh, this pool is an ideal picnic spot for families. The pool is shallow, deepening only towards the base of the fall which cascades gently into it's waters. The Apsara Vihar or Fairy Pool, is perhaps the most beautiful of pools in Pachmarhi. The descent is easy, the location ideal for a picnic and the pool shallow enough for a paddle. Some distance away the Rajat Parbat or the Big Falls, true to their name gush down from a height of over three hundred feet. Close to the Ramaya Kund, or Irene Pool, are the Duchess Falls, ideal for swimming. These are not quite so spectacular but the setting makes them one of Pachmarhi's most beautiful and picturesque waterfalls.

Perhaps the beauty and seclusion led people to believe that Pachmarhi was a preferred place of the gods, for the area around abounds in pilgrim spots. The Chota Mahadev, a narrow point in the hills; Maradeo, the second highest point in the Satpuras, which comes alive during the annual Shivratri celebrations; Chauragarh, where a pilgrim path leads to a sacred summit with several images of Shiva, and the Jata Shankar cave where Shiva is believed to have hidden himself from the demon king Bhasmasur. This is a sacred cave under a mass of loose boulders which resemble the matted locks of Lord Shiva, hence the name. Handi Khoh, today a deep ravine, was believed to be a huge lake which was guarded by a snake who terrorized all who came to visit the sacred spots in the vicinity. Shiva came to the rescue and succeeded in imprisoning him in solid rock. The flames of wrath ensuing from this divine battle dried up the waters of the lake and the empty space assumed the saucer-like shape of a handi or pot

Rajat Pratap

Those seeking adventure will find it in this 10 minute walk over rocks and boulders from Apsara Vihar to the top of Rajat Pratap, the `big fall'. A thrilling experience is looking straight down to the bottom of the fall which plunges down a 350 ft high precipice.

Raj Giri

Also known as Club Hill, this is a short, easy climb from Pachmarhi Club to a 300 ft high spot from where you get a panoramic view of Pachmarhi.

Lanjee Giri

This hill can be scaled from both east and west. For rock climbing enthusiasts, there are some easy scalings to be done near the summit. Near the western summit is an underground passage leading down the northern face.

Irene Pool

This pool was discovered by Irene Bose, wife of Justice Vivian Bose, and named after her. The approach to this bathing spot is from the car stop to Reech Garh. The route upstream leads to a cave, through which the stream goes underground and then over a khud in a series of falls.

Jalawataran (Duchess Fall)

3 km along the path from Belle View, branching off from the milestone for Bhrant Neer, is a route to the beautiful Duchess Fall. The descent is steep and the trek a strenuous one for almost all of the 4 km walk to the base of the first cascade of the fall. This waterfall, which tumbles down in 3 distinct cascades, is the most picturesque of all Pachmarhi's falls.

Sunder Kund (Saunder's Pool)

Crossing the stream below Duchess Fall and following a footpath about 2.5 km in a south-west direction, brings one to a huge rocky pool in the Jambu Dwip stream. This is an excellent place for swimming.

Around the city

Tamia

It is 79 km from Pachmarhi. It has a resthouse overlooking the Narmada Valley. The view of the Dudhi Plateau from 330 metres of sheer, overhanging cliffs is one of the most spectacular anywhere south of the Vindhyas.