| FACTS &
FIGURES
Population : 14,700
Languages : Hindi, English
Best time to visit : Throughout the year
STD Code : 07578
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
A HILL RESORT
WITH A DIFFERENCE
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.
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.
RECREATION
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.
SITES TO VISIT
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.
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.
GETTING THERE
The nearest airport is Bhopal (120 kilometers)
connected by regular flights with Delhi, Gwalior, Indore,
Bombay, Raipur and Jabalpur. Pipariya (47 kilometers),
on the Bombay-Howrah mainline via Allahabad is the most
convenient railhead. Pachmarhi is connected by regular
bus services with Bhopal, Hashangabad, Nagpur, Pipariya
and Chhindwara. Taxis are available at Pipariya.
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