Pachmarhi Travel Guide

One of india’s more unusual getaways Pachmarhi is not easy to get to which is what keeps it what it is a quiet sleepy little hill station except during long holiday weekends trip, where you can easily get off the beaten track to enjoy a crystal clear bathing pool or a rocky promontory over looking a deep valley or just magnificent views on a fine walk all to yourself not move than half an hour from your hotel.

Pachmarhi is the highest point in Madhya Pradesh nestled in a small saucershaped plateau flanked by jagged peaks with red sandstone escarpments. They enclose a primeval landscape of lush sal and bamboo forest indented by deep gorges and canyons and cascading streams. Further along the satpura Range to the west and north lies the Satpura National Park, sloping down to the Narmada and Tawa valleys with spectacular scenery and an abundance of wildlife. What distinguishes Pachmarhi from other hill stations is its abundance of water spots. It is possible to take a picnic lunch down to a chilled rock pool bathed in dappled sunlight or a waterfall or a confluence of streams and spend the day swimming and reading, brushed by fern and the spray all by oneself. Where the streams enter the gorges it is possible to swim up long narrow pools where the sky is no more than a slit several hundred feet above you and the fish have turned white over the ages.

Nature and Shrines

The famous sunset from Dhupgarh the highest point between the Himalaya and the Nilgiris at 4,429 ft, Bee Falls and the Jatashankar and Mahadeo shrines are on the jeep tours. Fairy Pool and the view of Big Falls a little beyond entails a descent on foot as does Duchess Falls which is only for the fit but well worth it despite the crowds and litter. So for its spectacular views is the climb up the lingam shaped peak of chauragarh that springs to life during the annual Shivratri Mela with lakhs of trishul carrying yatris snaking up from neighbouring Chindwara district. Within the civil area are the Buddhist period rock hewn Pandav Caves the government gardens and Bison Lodge a museum. A scenic two hour walk is the bridle path around Astachal the old monte rosa, rejoining the road near the huge cave of Reechgarh and passing by the Dorothy Deep rock shelter with prehistoric cave paintings.

Wildlife and Adventure

There are plenty of birds on the plateau but for bison and sambhar and the occasional big cat one has to visit the scenic National Park by jeep from the Neemghan entrance takes at least half a day or from the Rorighat end a full day to Bori or Kajri.

To do the full 200 km circuit one needs a comfortable three days with nights spent perhaps in Churna and Naghai or vice versa. Permits are issued at the National Park office.

The Satpura National Park also runs an interesting museum at Bison Lodge, which is well worth visiting, but it has failed to set up an interpretation center, and has little useful information on walks and treks. Since the old guidebooks and maps are out of print your best bet is to hire a guide. One source is a trekking club set up with the assistance of an NGO by the youth of an adivasi tola. They can be contacted through Vinay Sahu at his shop in front of Saket Hotel in the bazarr.