As the mists trickled down the windscreen of the car on a foggy morning on the last day of 2021 we hit the beautiful road from Jabalpur to Hoshangabad along the rolling lands of this part of the state of Madhyapradesh, the heart of India, covering a distance of about 270 kms in six and a half hours. Already bowled over by the beauty of this rich agricultural belt of India on our preceding journey from Noida to Jabalpur enroute Orchha, I inhaled the wilderness of Bundelkhand as our car moved fast leaving behind the districts of Damoh, Tikamgarh and Sagar. Far from the cacophony of the towns and markets and after breakfast of steaming poori bhaji in the outskirts of Tikamgarh I sank into the front seat of the car rolling down the glass of the window and looked through the undulating cultivated lands. Fogs had disappeared by then. The journey was mesmerizing with green cushioned lands on both side and aqua blue sky above. I got lost in the neatly farmed lands where my eyes travelled unbound through the fields dotted with unidentified trees far away. The fence running alongside the highway protect the cultivation from both human and animal trespassers while the jeans and shirt clad scarecrows merrily bid us good bye 😊. Pilgrims on the other side of the road were heading opposite us and the google map let us know that we were moving very closely alongside the love of the state - Narmada, also our own reason to travel this trail. Moving downstream from bhedaghat to Hoshangabad, ripples on Narmada started flashing our eyes as the river emerged occassionally in the curves as our car took turns. Not very late we closed in Hoshangabad, a town little bigger and busier than we had expected. Nestled on the banks of Narmada, here runs several ghats and we disembarked in our den, a hotel we had booked for two nights stay right on the Kori ghat at Hoshangabad, a place where my family might come looking for me anytime I go untraceable, I told them undoubtedly. The view from the hotel porch itself is a visual treat. It was a sight of limitless expanse of river and its sandy banks on the other side dotted with temples little uphill from the banks. The fluttering saffron flags from the temple peak far away let us know their presence. Country side boats leisurely rowed far away appeared tiny. The ghats right down the hotel at mid day is relatively less crowded apart from the locals The place acted as an absolute tonic to draw me out of my long drawn monotony of city life and the cool breeze of the river sweeped me off my feet as soon as I landed in this perfect canvas of nature.
I could settle right there at the porch unless I was being led to the room on second floor of the hotel cum resort. The room had an exotic view of the river and besides the view the life on the ghats is a pleasure to watch. I could go on watching the flock of nine geese swimming in the river, stopping by their nests in the grassy mounds in the river and dabbling their bills in the water in search of food until the clock reminded me of our impending visit to Bhimbhetka at an hour's distance of around 40 kms from Hoshangabad.
Through the forest land of hard wood trees we proceeded towards the well known rock shelters of Bhimbhetka caves. To the delight of all ages Bhimbhetka brings life to the pages of history book we all had turned sometime in our life. Through the rocky terrain as we moved on , the huge ancient rocks of various shapes emerged before us with their own tales. It's incredible to think that right here sapiens from stone age to mediaeval period lived hunted forayed and ruled millions of years ago and left their mark through their expressive art in the caves. These rock shelters standing midway between Bhopal and Hoshangabad are testimony of our inception and roots forcing us to stop look back and think. Fifteen rock shelters out of few hundreds open to public offer much insights into the past but not invincible in the hands of nature and time. Slow fading away of the art reminds us that sapiens have come a long way since their inception. As the west sky grew crimson we left the rock shelters, the silent time keepers of human civilization in this part of the earth.
Though Bhimbhetka is easily doable from Bhopal but if one wants to enjoy beauty of river Narmada staying at Hoshangabad is a good option. Even a quick day trip to Panchmari could be in the bucket.
Sethani ghat Hoshangabad
As dusk fell we were back to Kori ghat near our shelter for the night. Evening seemed surreal as we sat on the steps. Flocks of birds returning home from far away land while the geese quacked hard as they climbed up their nests on the mound. The bells of the temples on the ghats and fragrance of incense lit by devotees cast a spell on the entire land as the river waves gently touched the steps drenching them all through the day. Pilgrims and homeless settled on the cosy corners in their rugs calling it a day as the cold breeze almost freezed my hands. The boat men rowing their boat back home tied them with rope retiring for the day leaving the boats silently calling out to the wanderlust like me. A boat trip to other side of the river could have been a grand idea but it was already dark. As I walked past Kori ghat leaving behind several temples on my right I reached Sethani ghat where evening arti is just about to begin. As the sound of conch shell echoed all over, the atmosphere appeared mystical with chanting of mantras and prayer songs. While the fire danced as the priests swung the lamp before Ma Narmada the sight of the flock of sea gulls flying low in circle just above the river was amazing. While returning back to our room, leaving behind the eventful Sethani ghat we crossed the empty ghats strewn with flowers and smeared with fragrance of faith and beliefs, we crossed devotees lighting lamps while hundreds of lamps illuminated the river; brightly painted houses and temples along the ghat stood quiet signalling the end of a beautiful evening as we looked on; ghat dwellers sleeping peacefully blessed by Narmada; the incenses still burning and the waves while gently caressing the steps make a soft splashing sound ringing in my ears the music of a blessed evening. " See you soon" , I whispered to the life size canvas before me .
