Destination Features

Six hours drive from Bhopal, is what you need to reach to the heaven - Panchmarhi, especially between post-rain and pre-summers. It is a hill station in the Madhya Pradesh and there are plenty of caves, waterfalls, forests and cave temples. Places like Chhota Mahadev, Bee fall, Panchvati are visited by all tourists.

History of Panchmarhi
Pachmarhi has a somewhat fateful history. The year that Rani of Jhansi and her Maratha soldiers declared Mutiny, a rather prosaic English officer who had a way with words, was sent to the dense Satpura jungles to quell a rebellion. After walking for 17 miles, Captain Forsyth of the Bengal Lancers found himself 2000 feet above the sea and a saucer-shaped plateau spread out before him. The vegetation had changed. The dry yellow grass and naked tree stems had given way to dense green undergrowth, moist banks of streams were covered with ferns and mosses and clear brooks refreshed the tired troops.

"The village of Puchmurree (Pachmarhi) was still some miles away, and we hurried along over the now almost level plateau to get shelter as soon as possible, as we had already walked almost seventeen miles and the sun was about to set,” wrote the captain in a book later. At this point in history, the population of tigers, leopards, bear and other carnivores was fairly significant in the dense jungles of Satpura – and we can presume the captain and his troops didn’t want to be supper to them. Even today, one may get an occasional sighting of the cats. Or certainly, the census records their existence.

The captain was obviously taking his notes. He mentions the genus of the trees he encountered – a lot of jamun and mango amongst them (they still thrive) and – it must have been the homesickness – he gets annoyingly parochial. “…Altogether, the aspect of the plateau was much more that of a fine English park than of any scene I had before come across in India,” he notes. Obviously, he hadn’t been privileged to visit Shimla yet.

After he went back to the plains and became deputy commissioner, Forsyth suggested that Pachmarhi be used as a sanatorium. And the Brit exodus began. A cantonment was created, churches and bungalows were built, a road network was laid, clubs came up and with them golf, horse racing, polo, tennis, snooker... A hill station was born.

There are various tourist attractions in Pachmarhi. some important places to see in Panchmarhi include...

Mahadeo: Mahadeo hill has a shrine with an idol of Lord Shiva and an impressive Shivalinga which has been considered holy over many generations...

If you love to walk then this is the place where you would find that road is not ending...

One mountian ends and another begins...and the journey still remains on...but you will truly enjoy this one if you are in a group.

Dhoopgarh: The highest point in the Satpura range, with a beautiful view of the surrounding ranges, it is a very popular spot for viewing the sunset.

Jatashankar: A sacred cave under loose boulders in which the Jambu Dwip stream has its source. The formation of rocks here resembles the matted locks of Lord Shiva, hence the name Jatashankar i.e. Shiva.

Satpura National Park: Set up in 1981, it covers an area of 524 sq km. It has a dense forest of evergreen, sal, teak and bamboo. The park is home to the bison, tiger, leopard, bear, four-horned deer, blue bull and a large variety of birds and if you are lucky, then you would find every bit of species (Unfortunatly I missed the Bear and Tiger)

There are other spots too... but these are the things that one can usually see while he is at Pachmarhi...

Great things to do in Pachmarhi

1. Take an Open Jeep to roam around places.
2. Tell the driver that you are not that comfortable with heights (otherwise they drive like they are driving in a race rally :) )
3. Take at least one pair of cloths they could either be used when you will take a bath in the Bee fall or it can be useful if Monkeys tear your cloths at Mahadev :)
4. It's a place where you can relax and feel the trueness of nature.

There are many hotels in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh which are cheap and comfortable. In fact, as soon as you alight from your jeep/vehicle, many agents will surround you to offer good hotels.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism run a number of hotels in Pachmarhi. Some of their hotels in Pachmarhi include:

- Hotel Amaltas Pachmarhi
(Rs. 1600 - 2000; Tel: 07578 - 252098)

- Satpura Retreat Pachmarhi
(Rs. 2500 -3000; Tel: 07578 - 252097)

- Hilltop Bungalow Pachmarhi
(Rs. 1800 -2000; Tel: 07578 - 252846)

Hotel Highlands Pachmarhi
(Rs. 1000/- ; Tel: 07578) 252099

You can get some good food in the restaurants in Pachmarhi but many of them are not very cheap...but you don't have much options there.

Reaching Pachmarhi (Madhya Pradesh) and best time to go

By Air: The nearest airport to reach Pachmarhi is at Bhopal (195 km), which is  connected by regular flights with Delhi, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore and Mumbai.
   
By Rail: Pipariya (47 km), on the Mumbai-Howrah mainline via Allahabad, is the most convenient railhead to reach Pachmarhi. 

By Road: Pachmarhi is connected by regular bus services with Nagpur, Hoshangabad, Bhopal, Pipariya and Chhindwara. MP Tourism also operates regular coach services between Bhopal and Pachmarhi. Taxis are available at Pipariya.
   
Best time to go Pachmarhi: Though a round-the-year destination, Pachmarhi is best visited between April to July.