Hindustan ka Dil dekho- Jabalpur

The advertisements by Madhya Pradesh Tourism had set my expectations soaring high of Hindustan's Dil (that is what they refer to MP in their commercials). I planned a short family trip to MP in June'14. This trip started off with Bandhavgarh then Amarkantak and our last destination was Jabalpur.

Jabalpur is a small but beautiful city of  Madhya Pradesh. The halt in Jabalpur was for just a day. As there were very specific places I wanted to see like Bhedaghat, Dhuandhar Waterfall and Chausat Yogini Temple. All of these are very close to each other and about 25kms from Jabalpur City. After a scrumptious South Indian meal at Indian Coffee House, we headed to our first destination Chausat Yogini Temple.


Chausat Yogini Temple, located on a hillock is one of the oldest heritage sites in India. The temple was built in the 10th Century by Kalachuri Dynasty. The temple is abode of Maa Durga and the Chausat Yoginis. Chausat means 64 and Yogini is a female attendant of Maa Durga. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and Parvati. The view that the temple offers is mesmerizing! This place is filled with a  lot of positivity. The peace and calmness felt there , I hadn't experienced it in a long time.

Shiv Parvati idol

Marblerocks, Bhedaghat:

River Narmada has carved beautiful formations out of the huge marble rocks in Bhedaghat which stretch for approx 3kms. To enjoy these formations you should take a boat ride. However, boating remains closed during monsoons.

Marble Rocks

Marble Rocks

  

As the sun began to set, the sky turned into a beautiful coral shade....

Sunset @MarbleRocks

Dhuandhar Waterfall:

At one end of Bhedaghat, where Marble Rocks end, is Dhuandhar Waterfall.  It's again a beautiful spot. However, it's overly crowded and the place has become more of a picnic spot. Tourists have polluted it to a great extent by throwing leftovers, empty cans, plastic bottles into the water and around. I was extremely disappointed at the sight.

Dhuandhar Waterfall

 There are a lot of hawkers in Bhedaghat selling different marble souvenirs.  My personal favorite were the Name Souvenirs.

Marble Souvenirs

There are various other places of attraction in and around Jabalpur like Madan Mahal Fort, Rani Durgavati Museum and Bargi Dam. But I strongly feel before inviting the nation to explore MP, the State Govt should take charge and improve the cleanliness, condition of roads and state of MPTDC Hotels. No doubt Madhya Pradesh is oozing with natural beauty but if such carelessness of tourists and ignorance of government continues, it might soon turn into a trash bag.

Chenchpur Waterfall

While planing my trip to Bandhavgarh, I was searching for places I could see, activities we could do in and around the place. It was then that I came to know, just 60kms from Bandhavgarh was a picnic spot called Chenchpur Waterfalls.


It was a pleasant morning and with our packed breakfasts we headed to the spot in an open jeep. The drive en route the spot was a refreshing one with hardly any vehicles on road. The cool breeze was lightly brushing our faces.

 An hour later, the driver cut through the main road and took the kaccha raasta into the forest. Fifteen minutes and we were still zip zapping inside the forest.

Irritated I asked the driver, "Where is the waterfall? Did we get lost?"

He replied, "Madam just 5 more minutes"

And in exactly 5 minutes he stopped the jeep in front of an open space. Overlooking this space, amidst the asymmetrical pieces of rocks was a huge waterfall.

Red Beetle

First sight of the waterfall and I was awestruck! Surrounded by lush green forests on all sides, the pristine water was flowing in middle. I didn't realize how magnificent it was until I got closer. There was hardly anyone in its vicinity. It seemed like a hidden treasure.



We had just began trekking to the waterfall slowly, trying to balance ourselves over the slippery rocks when mom noticed that dad was already far ahead of us. Nature somehow brings the best out of this man. As we reached half way he had almost reached the waterfall.  He now wanted to descend to its base and take a fresh water bath. The waterfall was approx 40ft high and water was gushing at its best speed. Mom was in no mood to take chances and she ordered him to get back. Like a gentleman he obeyed his wife and came back after posing for a few clicks. :)

Mom realizes dad was on his own trekk! :P

Dad and Me

After enjoying the breathtaking view of waterfall we ate our breakfast and headed back to Bandhavgarh all excited for our next safari.