Pachmarhi is a hill station near the Satpura range of Mountains in Madhya Pradesh ,India. It is a treasure trove of rich history with its hilltop caves and is blessed immensely by it rich forests and water falls.
Pachmarhi is situated in a valley of the Satpura Range and is widely known as Satpura ki Rani or Queen of Satpura. Most of its land area is under the administration of the Pachmarhi Cantonment Board, which serves the Indian Army.
Location
Pachmarhi is a small hill station in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It has an altitude of 1067. Dhupgarh, the highest point (1,352 meters) in Madhya Pradesh and the Satpura range, is located close to it.The town is wholly located within the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve and the Satpura Tiger Reserve.
Climate
The average temperature of this place is 21.7 °C and the average annual rainfall in is 2012 milimeters. May is the hottest month of the year, with an average temperature of 30.3 °C, while December is the coldest month of the year, with an average temperature of 15.5 °C.
Pachmarhi – The queen of Satpura
The hill station has a sacred linking with mythology through its hilltop caves which are well-known as the ‘Pandavs Caves’. According to a legend, these caves were built by five Pandava brothers of Mahabharatha era during their thirteen years of exile.
Pachmarhi is a year-round tourist destination due to its pleasant weather, however during monsoon and winter season accentuate the charm of its landscapes.
A tour through Pachmarhi may lead you to hill top cave temples and one of the prominent cave temples is Jata Shankar cave, deriving its name from the peculiar rock formation that looks like the matted dreadlocks [Jata] of Lord Shiva.
Dhupgarh is another viewpoint of the Satpura Range[highest point is 1,352 m] well known for its sunrise and sunsets. The night view also has its own exquisite aesthetic appeal with the glimmering lights of neighboring town Itarsi. The
Sangam, a conflux of mountain streams behind Dhupgarh flows incessantly with its crystal-clear water down the valleys in almost all seasons as silvery lines over the mountain ranges.
PanarPani is yet another natural freshwater lake of Pachmarhi with dense forest surrounding it.
The Chauragarh fort is also a widely known spot for sunrise viewing. During the festivities of Nagpanchami and Mahashivratri, devotees flock to Chauragarh temple in large numbers, leaving about 2 lakh trishuls as offerings to Lord Shiva which are kept in front of the temple and also on the way to the temple.
Some of the important places to visit in Pachmarhi
Rajat Prapat waterfall
Bee Fall
Bada Mahadev
Gupt Mahadev
Chauragarh (visited by devotees during Mahashivratri)
Dhupgarh (the highest peak of the Satpura range)
Handi Khoh (deep valley)
Apsara Falls (fairy pool)
Jata shankar cave (stalagmite-filled cave in a deep ravine)
Dutchess Fall
Pachmarhi Hill
Pansy Pool
Waters Meet
Picadilly Circus
Patharchatta
Crumps Crag
Lady Robertson’s View
Colletin Crag
Mount Rosa
Reechgarh
Rajendra Giri gardens
Bansri Vihar
Little Fall
Naagdwari
Draupadi Kund
Twynham Pool
Chhota Mahadev
Nandigad
History of Pachmarhi
The ancient history of this region is still obscure as a mountain range which was less inhabited by people. It is known that the hill station was connected with the Bhonsle Kingdom and was later ruled by the Marathas in the 18th century.
It was later part of the Gondi kingdom of Bhagvat Singh in the 19th century, although there was no permanent settlement at that time.
The Chauragarh fort was built by king Sangram Shah of the Gond dynasty. It was developed by SenaSahebSubha Janoji Maharaj of Nagpur। from the Maratha Era the Pilgrimage from Nagpur Start।.
The origins of modern Panchmarhi can be traced back to 1857, when Captain James Forsyth of the British Army and Subhedar Major Nathoo Ramji Powar noticed the plateau while en route to Jhansi. It quickly developed into a hill station and sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces of India, and Powar was made Kotwal or army chief of the locality.
Pachmarhi biosphere reserve
It is a UNESCO listed Biosphere reserve with its rich flora and fauna. The total area of Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is 4981.72 km2. The reserve spans parts of three civil districts, viz; Hoshangabad (59.55%), Chhindwara (29.19%) and Betul (11.26%)
UNESCO added the Pachmarhi area to its list of Biosphere Reserves in May 2009, due to the many rare plant species in the vicinity. It includes three wildlife conservation units – Bori Sanctuary 485.72 km2), Satpura National Park (524.37 km2) and Pachmarhi Sanctuary (491.63 km2)
The Satpura Tiger Reserve contains several large mammal species, including the tiger, leopard, wild boar, gaur (Bos gaurus), chital deer (Axis axis), muntjac deer, sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), and rhesus macaques.
The endemic fauna also includes chinkara, nilgai, wild dogs, the Indian wolf, bison, Indian giant squirrels, and flying squirrels.
The biosphere reserve includes fruit trees such as mangoes, jamun, custard fruit, and lesser-known local fruits such as khatua, tendu, chunna, khinni, and chaar. Oak and blue pine are also found here abundantly. the forest is also known for having many medicinal plants and herbs.
Waterfalls of Pachmarhi
Silver Falls or Rajat Prapat, is falling from a height of 350 feet and looks like a silver strip when sunlight falls on it, hence is called Silver Falls.
Apsara Vihar Falls is just a 10-minute downhill trail and one of the most beautiful falls in Pachmarhi. It is believed that during the British era, beautiful British women used to bathe here and the locals thought of them to be apsaras and hence the pool was named Apsara Vihar.
Bee Falls or the Jamuna Prapat is the most magnificent waterfall and is just 5 km from the Pachmarhi bus stand. Cascading down from a height of 150 feet, the fall is named as such because from a distance the waterfall sounds like a bee as the water flows through the rocks and makes a buzzing sound.
How to reach Pacmarhi?
The nearest airport is Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal (around 222 km) which has daily flight services from Delhi and Mumbai and 13 major cities of India.
Cabs are available from Bhopal to Pachmarhi. Jabalpur airport to Pachmarhi is also just 300 km
Pachmarhi is just 54km by road from the Pipariya railway station. Several direct trains link Pipariya with important cities of India.
If one want to travel by road many state-owned and private buses are available for Pachmarhi from nearby cities like Bhopal, Jabalpur, Nagpur, Indore.
Stay & Accommodation
The hill station has numerous hotels and resorts.
Refereces
- https://www.mptourism.com/
- https://www.pachmarhi.com/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20141028175430/http://www.sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jf1u4rjejdc&title=Three_Indian_sites_added_to_UNESCO_list_of_biosphere_reserves
- https://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/Climatological%20Tables%201991-2020.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachmarhi
- image courtesy -dreamstime.com
Leave a Reply