The only hill station in the heart of India, a.k.a Madhya Pradesh, Pachmarhi is truly a “Rani” (Queen) that will surely capture your soul for its everlasting beauty. This city not only boasts of its natural beauty, but also has mythological and historical value. Home to some amazing natural formed caves from the times of Mahabharat, spectacular sunset view points, peace in the cantonment area and breathtaking waterfalls, this place becomes a must-visit while travelling to M.P.
A perfect place to visit with your family or friends. I visited this place with my family and my grandparents also went along with us, and they literally enjoyed every second of it.
We traveled in December, and I would say, it was the best time to visit the place, as the weather was the amalgamation of a good amount of coolness and sunny vibes. Even being a hill station, there is no snowfall here; but as soon as we entered the quaint place, the cool breeze didn’t fail to soothe our souls.
Stay:
We stayed at Hotel Highland which in the cantonment area owned by MP tourism, and I really loved the outdoor of the place decorated with beautiful gardens and lovely mornings. The hotel rooms were fine, but the food in the restaurant was delicious. The only problem is notorious monkeys, and there are ample here. So, be safe and do not tease them.
You can also hire cycle and have a ride around the beautiful campus. All the prices are mentioned at the bottom.
Places not to be missed when in Pachmarhi!
2 days are enough to explore this beautiful place, so check out the places that you need to visit next time you are at this place.
Nothing much to see here except a small museum displaying the flora and fauna of the place, but it is mandatory to go here to hire a gypsy as Dhoopgarh is one such location where individual’s vehicles are not permitted. These are government-approved, and the tourists have to go in gypsy.
Dhoopgarh is the highest point of the Satpura range. It is famous for sunset and sunrise. Unfortunately for us, we went there on Wednesday, and on Wednesdays, the route to the place closes at 4:00 P.M. So, if you want to experience the sunset from the place, plan your trip accordingly. The gypsy takes approx. 20-25 min to reach at the top and the path is paved with sun-kissed hills and greenery all around.
When we reached the top of the hill, it was the panoramic view of the entire valley surrounding us. Crystal blue sky, cool breeze, dazzling sunshine and lush green fauna all around.
The next popular destination is Reechgarh. As per the locals, many years back, few tribal people, witnessed a bear (Meaning in Hindi – reech) in the caves, and hence the name Reechgarh was given to the place. However, now there are no bears in the area, thereby making this place a perfect spot for the people to explore. Another story is that when British ruled, they named this place as ridge as it is a ridge of hills, which the locals pronounced as reech.
After reaching the foothills, there is a hiking of 1-2 km. The place is a majestic terrain with a canyon that is home to caves, caverns, and rock formations. The caves seem like natural air-conditioned, and on reaching the destination all the tiredness seems to melt away.
I have just one-word bee falls – mind-blowing! The buzzing sound of gushing water (hence the name bee falls), it is a must-visit place. The hike to the fall is easy, but the climb back will make your heart and lungs to work more rigorously as one has to climb the stairs to go back. It is just beautiful, wild, and free.
The first fall is a small one, but it is breathtaking and picturesque.
Upon reaching the second and the main one, it is spectacular! Volumes of water falling from a great height, hitting the rocks all around and water splashing to your face. All the tiredness just vanishes away. A paradise for photographers!
As the legends say, Pachmarhi has been named after the 5 Pandavas, so the trip to the hill station is complete without going to the place which has the roots of the great saga of the Indian history. It is said these caves were built by the Pandavas during their exile.
The caves are now well-maintained with a beautiful garden at the base and the hilltop of the caves provides a vantage point.
Every hill station is synonymous with a lake, and so does Pachmarhi. The lake is not big, but it is clean, and one can spend an hour here. One can also opt for any water sport activities like zip-lining and boating. We did both, and I thoroughly enjoyed both. The aerial view from zip-lining was beautiful.
Going to a hill station, and not watching the sunset is a serious crime. Even though we were unable to view the sunset from Dhoopgarh, we chose another alternative. Quite a popular place packed with people, garden decorated with beautiful flowers, and it is nothing less than a perfect place to watch the sunset.
Apart from the natural wonders that we explored the first day, Pachmarhi is also a home to beautiful Lord Shiva’s temples in form of ancient caves. There are 3 beautiful caves dedicated to the Lord, and each one have them have their own beauty and spirituality.
Jata means hair and Shanker is another name of Lord Shiva, these caves are natural caverns of Pachmarhi. The caves serves a shrine to the Lord and is quite popular among the pilgrims.
It is said that the shrines are built naturally without any human intervention. The trek down to the caves shrine is beautiful and the path is covered with numerous small shops selling herbs and medicines. The route is rocky but is full of positive vibes. Photography is not allowed in any of the caves, so capturing pictures of the surroundings is the only option.
One of the famous products from the place is honey. It is said that has ayurvedic properties, and some of the ayurvedic herbs. However, we did not buy anything as our only focus was to explore the place.
Another cave is Bade Mahadev. The place is bombarded with monkeys, however, they don’t bother anyone, they sure manage to give you a heart attack for the first time. Just make sure, don’t take out any eatables, and don’t try to scare them off because they are a majority, and aggravating them would be the last thing you want to do.
The caves are similar to that of Jatashankar, only the climb is quite simple as there are well-built stairs. Adjacent to the Mahadev caves, there is a small cave of Goddess Parvati in which the shrine of the goddess is created naturally.
The last leg of the Lord Shiva pilgrimage is Gupt Mahadev. The walk to through a thin jungle where you can hear the chirping of the birds and silence of nature. Since the name gupt (meaning – hidden), the cave is quite narrow, and you’ll have to walk sideways to reach the main shrine.
Handi Koh - our last stop, and it is a deep valley in the middle of a dense forest that is shaped in the form of a handi (Meaning – pot), hence the name. Although there is not much to do here, the place has its own charm, and, being a nature lover, I loved this place.
So this is a guide for an idyllic trip to the Satpura queen offering a plethora of views from Dhoopgarh, buzzing sounds of waterfalls, ancient caves giving you the taste of India's rich mythology and history. A perfect place to visit with parents (or grandparents like I did 😊), friends or couples; I surely loved my time here and I'm sure you will too!
Hope this blog has convinced you to pack your bags and marvel the majestic Queen of Satpura!
Costs:
Hotel: ₹2600 per room (including breakfast for 2 people)
Safari gypsy : ₹2500 for 5 people (gypsy + guide + visitor fees)
Zip-lining: ₹250 per person
Boating: ₹250 per person
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