With arrival of summer season, you may have been mapping out tourist destinations to escape scorching heat. To make your task easier, let us have peek into two tourist spots of
Madhya Pradesh, where you can explore wildlife, heritage, nature, and spirituality.
Amarkantak – ‘The king of pilgrimages’
If you are mulling to get refreshed and calm in the lap of nature experiencing religious and spiritual tourism, this is the place for you. Situated at an altitude of 1,000 metre, Amarkantak, known as teerthraj or ‘the king of pilgrimages’ is located at the meeting point of the three central India hill rages – Vindhyas, Satpuras, and Maikal. The largest river of Madhya Pradesh, Narmada and Son (Sone) originate in Amarkantak, a town which has several ancient temples with a rich history.
Here begins the journey
As you walk through the alleys of Amarkantak, you reach a place dotted with many small and bigger temples. There is a pond called Narmada Kund at the Narmada Udgam (where Narmada River originates). Here are Narmada Mata Temple and Sonakshi Shaktipeeth Temple.
Seek blessings of the divine
When you travel one km from Narmada Udgam towards south, you see Trimukhi Temple, a temple of Lord Shiva constructed between 1042 and 1122 AD. There is also an 18th century’s Keshav Narayan Temple. On the southern side of Narmada Kund are the ancient temples of Kalachuri period and one km from Narmada Mata Temple in the east is Mai ki Bagia, where it is said which was visited by goddess Narmada to pluck fruits.
The milky water stream
To escape the heat, one should head towards Dugdh Dhara and Kapil Dhara, one of the most popular tourist destinations. It is 6 km from the source of Narmada River.
Dugdh Dhara waterfall which looks like a milky white stream attracts tourists with its beauty. Less than one km south-west from Dugdh Dhara is Kapil Dhara. Surrounded by lush green hills. Sonmuda sunrise point is another tourist spot. One can have a bird’s eye view of the forest and mountains around it.
Places to visit
Amarkantak has many attractive destinations for tourists, including Shri Yantra Temple, Amareshwar Mahadev Temple, Son Udgam Temple, Bhrigu Kamandal, Durga Dhara Fall and Jwaleshwar Temples, among others.
Things to do
Boat ride, trekking, paragliding, and the most important part is experiencing wellness tourism, yoga, and other meditational and spiritual practices to get rid of stress and anxiety.
Pachmarhi – ‘Satpura ki Rani’
Situated at the mounting height, the state’s most verdant charm Pachmarhi, also known as ‘Satpura ki Rani’ (Queen of Satpuras), rules the range of Satpura Hills. This is the best time to visit Pachmarhi where one can also enjoy jeep safari in order to experience the beauty of this place.
Pandavas and Jata Shankar Cave
‘Pandavas Caves’ is the most eye-catching spot. Legend has it that Pandavas built a house and lived here during their exile. The Jata Shankar Cave has the 100-headed divine snake, Seshnag. The rock of this sacred cave depicts the entangled locks of Lord Shiva.
Satpura National Park
One of India’s most beautiful tiger reserves, visitors to Satpura National Park can have a unique experience. The sanctuary was adjudged TOFT Wildlife Tourism Award for the most visitor-friendly wildlife destinations in the year 2010. Many of the tourist place in and around Pachmarhi include Dhoopgarh,Bee Falls, and Duchess Falls,among others.
