India Tourism » Pachmarhi Travel

HILLSTATION TOUR - PANCHMARI
The Himalayas have always dominated our idea of mountains. Therefore, it is only natural that any holiday in the hills, in India, immediately draws your focus towards the magnificent mountain ranges up north. In a different league, but also equally soul satisfying, are the hills that define the heart of India. This time, we beckon you to experience a sojourn in Pachmarhi, the only hill station in Madhya Pradesh, nestled amid the Central Satpura ranges at an altitude of 1065m above sea level. This quaint little town is renowned for its peace and solitude. A less touristy spot, Pachmarhi is the place to head for if you want a ride into serenity. Once a favourite summertime getaway of the British, Pachmarhi still retains a colonial ambience.

Count in fabulous viewpoints, sweet birdsong, cascading waterfalls and ancient cave paintings, not to mention the calming silence that comes with the territory. The charm that cocoons Pachmarhi is accentuated by the slow pace of life here. If you’ve got adventure in your blood, Pachmarhi must figure in your travel itinerary. Drive down and see if the magic gets to you! Safe players may discourage you from taking a trip to Madhya Pradesh in June. Scorching heat, unrelenting sunshine, sultry nights—the discouragements will be many.

But let us urge you to throw everything in the air and drive on. Chances are that pleasant showers will keep you cool and in high spirits as you steer your sturdy car. The road from Indore to Bhopal (175 km) is a pleasurable one with good surfaces and little traffic. Congestion crops up before major cities but peters out after around 5 km. It’s only after Hoshangabad that the going gets rough, with huge craters and desperate truck drivers. It is prudent not to attempt speeding on this 80-km stretch as the broken surfaces appear without warning. Also, vehicles coming in the opposite direction swerve hard to avoid the potholes. But a careful driver, sitting at the wheel of a trusty vehicle.

The road from Pipariya to Pachmarhi (54 km) is again a pleasure. There are nice open corners with good road surfaces. But there are also a few blind corners where you need to keep the horn pressed throughout. Large luxury buses hurtle down at breakneck speed during peak holiday season. So exercise caution while driving.

If you’re driving after dark, there are chances you may encounter wild creatures on the road. While gaurs and foxes are most commonly sighted, even tigers do make appearances.

The views, as we mentioned earlier, are stupendous, especially from Matkuli to Pachmarhi. If you’re driving after dark, keep your eyes peeled for wild animals on the road. You might see gaurs and foxes. And if you’re really lucky, you may find a majestic cat the tiger crossing your path. You must, therefore, keep your camera handy.

In Pachmarhi, the roads are narrow but as smooth as a Persian carpet. Press the horn only when needed. The more time you spend outdoors, the more you can soak in this hill station’s beatific charm.

You’ll find that Pachmarhi is a shy little place, almost reluctant to engage the traveller. It opens itself up to you in degrees. A saucer-shaped valley, it was only ‘discovered’ in 1857 by a captain of the Bengal Lancers who was riding through the Satpura range. On his suggestion, it became the venue for an army sanatorium and that explains why Pachmarhi has remained low-key to date. It hasn’t witnessed the overt development and commercialisation that has destroyed almost all the country’s hill stations. While tiers of ugly cement edifices crown most other hill getaways, Pachmarhi simply sprawls languidly over several kilometres. Nothing is next door to anything else and the best way to enjoy the valley is to walk, cycle or slow drive from one spot to another.

Pachmarhi gets its name from five ancient dwellings excavated in a low sandstone hill that are believed to have been the home of the wandering Pandavas. You may not find too much of the history here, but it’s worth a dekko. The lake in Pachmarhi, though, is a lot like any other lake that you can paddle about in. Bison Lodge is the oldest house here (nearly 150 years) and is now a museum devoted to chronicling the abundant flora and fauna of the region.

Before you run away with the idea that Pachmarhi is little more than an old mofussil, let us say that its chief attraction lies in the gay abandon with which nature Goems to have let herself go. Thick jungles, fragrant blossoms, sparkling steams, chirruping birds, buzzing bees and gossamer butterflies as far as the eye can see this is vintage Kipling country! Have a romantic dinner under a glittering canopy of stars; live out your ‘Liril Girl’ fantasy under a waterfall: or gather a nosegay as you wander about the countryside. There’s nothing dull about Pachmarhi. It’s the cosiest, most intimate and rejuvenating hideaway a couple can retreat in.

For those who like to include some serious sightsing into their holiday, there are several Shiva temples. colonial churches with exquisite stained glass work. and cave shelters with prehistoric paintings to choose from. We would encourage you to bound down roughly hewn steps to reach a sacred cave dedicated to Lord Shiva. Positioned under a mass of loose boulders, Jatashankar is also the source of the Jambu Dweep stream. Billows of smoke rose through the narrow opening, assailing you with the smell of flowers, incense sticks, a fiercely burning havan kund, and pot being smoked by an odd medley of sadhus.

Madhya Pradesh, by the way, is strictly Shiva country and Pachmarhi more so than any other city in the state. Apart from Jatashankar, there’s Mahadeo, Chhota Mahadeo and Chauragarh. These can be done in one trip, as Mahadeo is the base for the 4-km trek to Chauragarh.

Also in Pachmarhi is the sacred Jatashankar cave, positioned under a mass of loose boulders. The source of the Jambu Dweep stream, this is where you can see an odd medley of sadhus