Trip to Pachmarhi - Satpura - A must Read Before you plan

Pachmarhi - Pack your bag for Memorable Trip to Satpura Hills!!

Pachmarhi is popularly known as Queen of Satpura and is positioned beautifully at the height of over 1060 meter amidst the Satpura range. The name Pachmarhi is said to be originated from the Hindi words Panch (Five) & Marhi (Caves). According to mythology and legends it is believed that Pandavas (The Five Brothers in the Mahabharata an Hindu epic - Yudhistira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva - the central characters) visited Pachmarhi during their exile and took shelters in these caves(This might be just a folklore). During the British era these beautiful locales in satpura hills were located by Captain James Forsyth in 1857 and since then It has been an army cantonment. At present it is part of Hoshangabad district in the state of Madhya Pradesh and is the most popular hill station in central India. Though one can visit Pachmarhi throughout the year but the best time to visit is October to Apr. Post monsoon is the best time to visit as its green all around with perfect weather.

The most popular destination in and around Pachmarhi are:

1.Rajat Prapat (Silver fall)

2. Jamuna Prapat (Bee Fall)

3.Bada Mahadev

4.Gupt Mahadev

5.Chauragarh

6. Dhupgarh (The highest peak of the Satpuras) - Sunset & sunrise Point

7.Handi Khoh (deep valley)

8.Denva Darshan – Echo Point

9.Green Valley

10.Priyadarshini Point

11.Apsara Falls (Fairy pool)

12.Jatashankar Cave Temple

13.Duchess Fall

14.Mount Rosa

15.Satpura National Park /Rock Painting/ Butterfly Garden

16.Satpura Tiger Reserve – Panarpani

17.Rajendra Giri (Sunset Point)

18.Bison Lodge - Museum

19.Reech Garh Cave

Travel Tips:  

    1) The best way to reach would be to travel via Indian railway as the nearest rail station is Pipariya (50 kms) which is located on the Mumbai-Howrah line and is well connected to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and Bangalore. It is recommended that  you hire local taxis at Pipariya station which may cost around 400-600 Rs ( Do bargain). A Tavera/Ertiga may cost 700-900 Rs. It will not take more than 1.5 Hrs to reach Pachmarhi from Pipariya

2)  If you are coming via Delhi/Bhopal you can opt for Bhopal Shatabdi (12002) – 8 Hrs from Delhi, NZM JBP SUP EXP(12191) & JBP Janshatabdi from  Bhopal to Pipariya in 2.5 Hours

3)   Buses are available from Bhopal, Nagpur, Jabalpur, Chhindwara, Pipariya and other places. A bus ride from Bhopal will take just 6-7 hours.

4)  If you want to save time then fly till Bhopal which is the nearest airport away 195 kms from Pachmarhi. All major airlines connect Bhopal to various cities in India.

5) Carry enough cash handy as you will hardly find ATMs in this area (Except Main Market) and most of the places would not accept card/digital money. Also carry general medicines and first aids which will be handy.

6) You can get good accommodation ranging from Rs. 1000- 5000 up to your budget even if you have not done booking in advance. I'll advice you to book offline to get the best deals.
7) To visit sights within forest area you have to take permit & guide that will cost you 900/ ( inclusive of 480 for guide) - To be purchased from Bison Lodge Museum

We planned a trip to these beautiful locales during the month of Oct and started our journey from Delhi's Nizamuddin railway station via Nizamuddin Jabalpur Superfast Express (12191) which started on time around 14:20 HRS and reached during early morning hours (around 5 AM) at Pipariya Station. We bargained from a local taxi that agreed to take us to one of the fine properties in Pachmarhi at a reasonable cost (400/Rs). It was dawn and we could feel the serene and tranquil atmosphere while passing through smooth lane which has satpura forest on both end. Few kilometers before Pachmarhi we stopped by Denva Darshan.This place is also known as Echo Point. That was also a fantastic place to grab beautiful sight and have some fun with voice exploration.

Denva Darshan Echo Point

Denva Darshan - Echo Point

 We reached our hotel by 7 and were glad to see the MPT Amaltas which was pretty much in the lap of nature. It took some time to get into our rooms and then it took about a couple of hours to refresh and having a hearty breakfast. I must say breakfast bouffe was delicious and fulsome.

MPT Amaltas

MPT Amaltas Restaurant - Cafe

Reception - MPT Amaltas

Now it was time to start the exploration and after consulting with my hotel owners I hired a gypsy (1400/Day - Fixed rate by Govt) and headed towards the forest zone. after a 10 minute ride we deboarded the gypsy and started trekking of 1.5 km towards silver fall. it took about half an hour amid hill forest area to reach our destination. In the midway we had some juice/lemonade.

Silver Fall & Apsara Vihar (Fairy Pool)

This majestic fall cascades from a height of 107 meters in one single drop and while sunshine is reflected it looks like silver lining and that is why it is known as silver fall ( In Hindi - Rajat Prapat). It was a beautiful sight and we could only marvel at the beauty of nature.

Silver Fall

After spending about half an hour there we moved to Apsara Vihar which is another majestic place created by green hills and small water cascades. Forest guard accompanying us told that a lot of british ladies used to visit this place during the British era who used to be as beautiful as fairies which might have caused this to be named "Apsara Vihar" ( Fairies Pool). There is a serene waterfall cascading from 30 feet height and forming a pool of cold water below and with smaller hills and greenery make the overall ambience a treat to eyes. Some of the best cave shelters and groups of shelters around Pachmarhi are found on the footpath to Apsara Vihar and the paintings (in white) include a group of archers with the typical bun and earrings.

Apsara Vihar

After enjoying our time around Apsara vihar we moved back from the forest zone and after coming down we took our lunch a t a local dhaba who served authentic indian food. Post lunch we relaxed for an hour and it was now 2:30 in afternoon and our driver cum guide advised that we move towards Bee Falls. 

Bee Falls (Jamuna Prapat)

It took a minor trekking to the hills but it was all worth of it. Bee Falls are wrapped by dense forests and lofty hill and create a magical view that leaves you mesmerized at the paradise of nature. The main fall can be witnessed after going down the hills ( Almost 400 steps ) and you get the mesmerising fall with absolute majestic environment. Kids in the group had a lot of fun in the little water bodies spread all around and we spent good two hours there. It is told that these forests are source of great quality of herbs and honey from Bee and that's why fall is known as Bee Falls. 

Bee Falls at Top

Bee Falls at Foot Hill

Bee Fall

Now it was approaching towards evening and we started for the peak of Satpura Ranges - Dhoopgarh. In the midway we also stopped at Rajendra Giri Sunset point. ( Rajendragiri sunset point is a spectacular sunset viewpoint in Pachmarhi, named after the first president of India - Dr Rajendra Prasad who was a frequent visitor to this spot.

Rajendra Giri Point- Garden

Rajendra Giri Sunset Point

After a ride of 10-15 minutes we were finally at the top of the Satpura Range and view was majestic. Due to weather condition we couldn't witness the mesmerising sunset however, just being there was an awesome experience. It is a must visit place if you are in Pachmarhi

On the way to Dhupgarh

Satpura Mountain Ranges around Dhupgarh

Sunrise Point - Dhupgarh

Sunrise Point - Dhupgarh

Sunset Point - Dhupgarh

After soaking in the majestic weather and spending about an hour we were back to main town and stayed for a while at Pachmarhi Lake and were able to catch some action with boat ride.

Pachmarhi Lake

Sunset at Lake

Now it was late in the evening and we decided to get back to our hotel rooms. We relaxed and took our meal before going for sweet dreams. We started next day early and decided to visit multiple temples spread across various caves in and around Satpura Caves.

Amba Mai, Mahadev Hill, Jatashankar, Gupt Mahadev and Bada Mahadev

We started the day in our gypsy and reached at Amba Mai Temple within 10 minutes. A place so calm and peaceful and beside here were  remains of Begum Mahal.

Amba Mai Temple

 After praying we headed towards Jatashankar Caves which were about 5 kms away and we had to walk for about 1.5 km and then cover some distance via foot hill stairs to reach to the main temple area. The surroundings were full of greenery and we were told that those forests are full of various herbs. The Main Jatashankar temple was deep inside the cave with water dripping through rocks and creating a tin stream. It was all divine. Lord Shiva hid himself inside the cave while protecting himself out of his own boon to demon Bhasmasur. Stream inside the cave flows from an unknown point as no one has ever seen or reached that starting point. 

Way to Jatashankar

On the way to Jatashankar Temple

Jatashankar Caves

Jatashankar Temple

Jatashankar Temple - Shivling

After praying and getting blessed we came out of those caves and stayed at a near by temple for about 5 minutes to see the stones from Rameswaram which were used by Ram's army to make bridge to Lanka.

Stone from Rameswaram Setu

Now we routed towards Gupt Mahadev where the main shivling is situated after a very narrow passage between two mountains. The Gupt Mahadev cave was a few meters walk from the parking. The pathway to Gupt Mahadev cave went from inside the Bade Mahadev. Path is quite narrow and only 6-8 people can go at once. An idol of Lord Hanuman is enshrined at the entry point. This entire cave is 40 feet long. Pachmarhi is believed to be Mahadev's (Lord Shiva) second home after Kailash Mountain.

Gupt Mahadev

 It didn't take much time at Gupt Mahadev and now we moved back and started walking towards Bada Mahadev which is in close proximity.  Temple is surrounded by forest hills and water bodies. It was an awesome sight to be inside the cave and see the shiva shrine. Pathway inside the cave is again narrow as water body ( jal - kund) has been covered by iron grills for the safety of devotees. It is believed that Lord Shiva took escape to these caves to save himself from demon Bhasmasur.

Way to Bada Mahadev

Bada Mahadev  Cave Temple

Bada Mahadev Temple

We spent an hour while visiting multiple shrines in and around Mahadev caves and then headed towards Pandav Caves.

Pandav Caves

It took us about 15 minutes to reach Pandav Caves.  As the legend said these caves once provided er to the five Pandav brothers during exile which may not be correct as these caves are found to be ancient from Baudh arena. These caves are now protected monuments. The garden at the foothills against these caves is beautiful and well maintained from tourist perspective.

Pandav Caves

Garden at foothill of Pandav Caves

While travelling back to hotel we also stooped over at handi Khoh which is among the most beautiful ravines in central India. You shout it out and it echoes back your voice. You can also enjoy horse ride & few local games at this spot. As per mythological stories it used to be a lake with a terrifying snake from which Lord Shiva rescued the locals by imprisoning the snake amid rocks. We also managed to see Priyadarshini point and Green valley which offer majestic view from the top of Satpura hills at the height of about 3000 Feet. From Priyadarshini point you can see the Chauragarh Temple sitting pretty at the top of Satpura hills. We could not visit CHauragarh ast it would have taken entire day. We were told that after reaching the top we need to go upstairs by 14000 steps to get to the main temple area. 

Handi Khoh

Handi Khoh

Priyadarshini Point

Since it was a three day trip and hence we decided to cover the Satpura national park the next morning and few other spots like churches and museums for the next day to these beautiful hills. Do visit my next blogpost for Panarpani Nature Trail at Satpura National Park. a-morning-safari-to-satpura-panarpani-nature-trail.