A quick recap of the Bhopal Pachmarhi trip for posterity
Day 1 (27th Dec’18)
AP Sampark Kranti steamed into Bhopal Station at 0805 hrs on 27th Dec’18. Thanks to Bhopal courtesy (read Mahender & Kishore) two cars were awaiting our arrival. We chose the better of the two and proceeded to BHEL GH. Had a sumptuous breakfast of Puri bhaji & bread omelette
before proceeding to HRD for a couple of talks to pad the wallet for the upcoming trip. Renu was kind enough to entertain Kiran and take her around shopping & sightseeing. Had a quiet dinner in the Guest House and retired to bed.
Day 2 (28th dec’18)
Wadhawans arrived next morning and got us out of our deep slumber in cosy beds. After hot cups of tea we found ourselves in the garden of the Guest House taking a walk and admiring the flora & fauna. Suddenly remembered to the annoyance of Satinder that I had to again go to HRD to further strengthen my monetary position for the dream trip. Kinras had called us over for lunch that day. It was typical punjabi hospitality with makai dee roti & sarson kaa saag with loads of makhan, rajma chawal, lauki halwa ……. It was the perfect place & time for siesta but I had to continue the talk at HRD. Mahender & Satinder caught up with old times while Savita, Kirans & Renu continued with what they do best - gossip. Kishore gave me reason to smile by being on duty. Not to be outdone by
Kinras, Puruswanis had called us over for dinner. To keep everyone interested, part menu (Sindhi kadi) for dinner was disclosed the previous day. To the pleasant surprise of Satinder & me, 100 pipers with accompanying snacks awaited our arrival. Steaming hot Appes (Madhu Idlis) were a big hit with all, irrespective of the drink they had. Sindhi Kadi incidentally has no curd in it. It was the first time we tasted it and seemed like a distant tasty cousin of Sambar. Gajrela was the perfect desert in the
cold winter night. We were safely dropped back in GH to retire for the night.
Day 3 (29th dec’18) The journey begins.
Kishore & Renu were to pick us up in the Innova by 0900 hrs. We were ready in time after a buffet b/f of Idlis, wada, Toast etc. They arrived half an hour late which was very acceptable considering the elaborate dinner they hosted the previous night. Obviously they couldn't have started before the maid had done the dishes. The luggage was loaded on top of the Innova and everyone got in i.e 6 grown up people, a few moderately plump, rest of them regular. Kishore the leader took the front seat. The ladies were perched in the middle seat. Satinder & sincerely yours were offered the VIP seats with cushions in the rear. We were told by Kishore that he was planning to pick up hot jalebis & samosas enroute to GH but was rightfully stopped by Renu the well wisher, considering our age & health. Bole sonehaal and we were on the road to Pachmarhi. The first halt was Bhimbetka for tea, which is around 50 Kms from Bhopal. Bhimbetka is popular for its Shelter Caves. The rock formations, man made or natural are supposed to be more than 9000 yrs old and were once under the sea. It is believed that these caves were once abode of Bhima, one of the pandava brothers (Bhim Baithak) during their Agyat Vaas . We picked up the history of the place but did not venture into the caves as we were in
a hurry to reach Pachmarhi. Our next stop was Pipariya, the nearest railhead to Pachmarhi, for lunch. A leisurely traditional north Indian lunch and we were on to the last lap of 60 kms to Pachmarhi. The road to Pachmarhi is very narrow but well maintained and we enjoyed the long ride to the place from Bhopal. I later read that the cart race in Naya Daur was filmed somewhere very close to the highway. The mercury fell faster than the sun. Colours around us changed from brown to green and we knew
Satpura forests were approaching. Pachmarhi was not far. While our vehicle zipped and zoomed through the good roads and twisted and turned through the ghat, we had a good time checking out the scenery of the dense forest. Pachmarhi is actually within the Satpura Tiger Reserve area and if one is lucky, one might see some animals while driving through the forest. We saw some deer and many monkeys. We were put up at ‘Hotel Highlands’ which is an MP Tourism property. The lodging is at the very entrance of Pachmarhi and far from the various tourist spots. The property is good and well maintained with a children’s adventure park. By the time we settled in our rooms in the hotel, it was close to dusk. The ever energetic Kishore was in no mood to relax and prodded the group to take a ride to Rajendragiri hills for a sunset view. There was the added bonus of seeing at a distance, the peak of Chaura Garh, another abode of the lord. The temple is right on the top of a mountain and one can make out its outline from far. There is a paid telescope facility that provides you a closer observation of the temple and trishuls. We were told that 2000 steps lead to the temple and the place is full of tridents (trishuls) offered by devotees. We savoured sweet and tangy boiled ber ( also known as Indian plum) and hot peanuts before returning to our hotel. Our room 304 in the hotel was declared the meeting place before dinner. The glasses filled with black label & Stone dale clinked to raise a toast to announce our arrival at Pachmarhi. The dinner at the restaurant was tasty & enjoyable.
Day 4 (30th dec’18)
After a good sleep at Highland Hotel, Pachmarhi, we were fresh for the adventure that awaited us the next day. The hotel is near the forest, so we were excited to hear the chirping of birds and feel the freshness of the air. Sound was evident enough in the room, but its intensity increased as we walked out of the room. We tried out the children adventure games before proceeding for breakfast. The buffet spread was a reasonable tasty affair. There are two ways to go about Pachmarhi, either you take your own vehicle or you hire an open top Gypsy from the market area. After a long time, I was seeing one of my earlier favorite vehicles, the Maruti Gypsy and that too in abundance. We preferred to hire the four wheel drive, open top Maruti Gypsy rather than take chances with our Innova, considering the steep climbs involved, especially to dhoopgarh the highest point in MP. The first stop was Bison lodge , constructed in 1862, which is the oldest house in Pachmarhi and now houses a museum. This well-maintained museum is the starting point where you pay a fee for local sightseeing excursions that includes Jeep, guides, and permits. While the inside of the lodge houses models, graphs, maps, and pictures of Pachmarhi’s rich flora, fauna, history and places of interest, the outside is adorned with a huge garden where you can sit and enjoy the serenity of this hill station. Stuffed animals like Crocodiles, Lions, and Tigers, etc. are also on display at this museum. Built in the year 1862, Bison Lodge is one of the oldest buildings in Pachmarhi, and used to be the former residence of Captain Forsyth. The next halt was Pandav caves at the outskirts of the town and just at the mouth of Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary, which are a cluster of five ancient dwellings excavated in the sandstone rock in a low hill. Pachmarhi derives its name from these caves which, as the legend goes, once provided sanctuary to the five Pandav brothers. These caves, though Buddhist in origin, are now protected monuments. The garden at the foothills is beautiful and well maintained. There is not much to look at except if you can visualize and go back to the time of the exile of the Pandavas and
know that they stayed here for some time as per local grapevine. You wonder though how the mighty Bhima would have found it comfortable in these small caves.
Pachmarhi has numerous waterfalls & unlike many hill stations, whenever you see a waterfall you will be at the summit of the fall. There are numerous treks from the summit of the falls to their base. So we skipped Silver fall, Angel fall, Duchess fall and chose the most popular Bee fall . It is a high fall and very strong one. By the time water is midway to the ground it breaks into million stinging drops and gives it the name. We only managed to reach halfway down and then stopped over for a natural pedicure.
For lunch, we were dropped at Nandanvan restaurant. All the drivers drop their customers at the same restaurant. The restaurant is located on the four-way road and edge of the forest. So location can be one reason that all drivers chose the same restaurant. However the toilet in the restaurant was not approved by the boss, so we walked out and went to Glenview which had a well spread buffet. Everyone wanted a la carte so we returned to our timed tested hotel Highland for lunch. After lunch and little gossip we were on our way to Dhoop Garh , the highest point in MP (1352 meters from sea level) which is also the highest point in central India. Enroute we also stopped to observe people doing paragliding (parachute-attached-to-a-jeep thing). We enjoyed our second sunset in Pachmarhi sitting on the peak of Dhoop Garh. From the parking lot it was a climb of approx 300 meters to the peak. After another spectacular view of the setting sun, we were on our way back to the hotel. It was a convoy of over 100 Maruti Gypsies travelling along the slopes of Satpura which gave a feel of army convoy on a mission. On reaching hotel It was time to unwind in Room 304 and what better way to do it than clinking of glasses, followed by a satisfying dinner.
Day 5 (31st dec’18)
After the usual morning photo sessions and buffet b/f we set out in our Innova to thank the gods for the year well gone by. The road to salvation isn’t easy and if you have more ounces of flab on your stomach, it becomes more difficult. To reach the temple or rather cave of Gupt Mahadev , a small walk is required through the forest full of monkeys. All guides will warn you of the monkeys and to not carry eatables, but people don’t stop monkeying around and the monkeys do the needful. They believe in snatching, not begging. In fact, all over Pachmarhi, you need to be extremely careful of these monkeys because they can prove to be very dangerous. After about 5 minutes of walking, you come face to face with a huge Hanuman statue painted gloriously in orange. The shrine or Shivling
is hidden deep inside a cave where the passage is so narrow that only 1 person can enter at a time and that too the person needs to walk sideways as there is not enough space to walk straight forward. As the shrine is hidden, it is called Gupt i.e. hidden, Mahadev meaning Lord Shiva. Not far away from Gupt Mahadev is Bada Mahadev. When Lord Shiva was being chased by the demon Bhasmasur he took refuge at various places in Satpura mountains. Wherever he is supposed to have taken respite, stands a Shiv temple. Bada Mahadev is the place where Shiva tricked Bhasmasur into killing himself. The main shrine is inside a 70 ft deep cave that also harbours a pond fed by water seeping through the rocks. There is a big Hanuman temple also in the premises and there is a floating stone brought from Kanyakumari - talk of miracles!! I can’t recall the sequence but we stopped in between at a viewpoint called Handi Khoh also called the suicide point. It is a gorge, straight fall of approx 600 ft., however none of us were in a mood for suicide. Captain Forsyth discovered Pachmarhi from here You get a view of the valleys and the surrounding landscape from this point.
The next halt was Jata Shankar which is another Shiva temple and is housed in the most interesting surroundings. The Lord works in mysterious ways and appears at mysterious places! One has to trek down quite a lot to reach the deity. The mountain walls keep narrowing on you and the air becomes loaded with dhup smoke. On the way one sees (prompted by the guide) amazing rock formations. We saw naturally formed profiles of Ganpati, Hanuman, a lion, a hanging rock and the parapet of entrance to the main cave looked like the hood of a Cobra. The temple is inside a natural cave, where stalagmites, which are basically calcium deposits, have spurned up and look like the matted locks of Lord Shiva, and are worshipped as lingams. Jata means hair and Shankar is another name of Lord Shiva, hence the name Jata Shankar. Water drips from the surface of the rock above.
We had skipped lunch, hence stopped by a way side restaurant for dosas & Uttapams & chai, before proceeding to Pachmarhi lake . It is a lake like other lakes and paddle boats are available for 2 people and 4 people. The lake also known as Nauka Vihar is more of a picnic spot with small games, rides and eating joints at its banks. We were more or less done for the day and returned back to the hotel via the market, where the ladies did a little shopping. After relaxing for a short while everyone came knocking to 304. They wanted to be in the right spirit to welcome 2019. After sharing few light moments, we were off to Glenview for the new year celebrations. It turned out to be a 4D affair - Drink, Dance Dazzling performances & Dinner with a few prizes thrown in and bonfire to keep us warm. After sufficiently shaking our legs & hips, we welcomed 2019 screaming & hugging each other. Before the clock struck one, we were back to the warmth in the hotel rooms.
Day 6 (1st Jan’19)
It was well past dawn when we woke up and realised that the vacation was over and it was time to return home. It was a leisurely b/f before we hit the road for Bhopal. Reached GH at Bhopal before dusk and parted ways with Puruswanis after expressing our appreciation & gratitude for a trip well
planned and executed. The Bhopal hospitality was not done as yet. The Kinras came over with homemade delicacies and savouries for us to carry back. It was a perfect end to wonderful time. Not to be woken in the morning, bid goodbyes to Wadhawans and retired for the day.
Day 7 (2nd Jan’19)
Day 1 (27th Dec’18)
AP Sampark Kranti steamed into Bhopal Station at 0805 hrs on 27th Dec’18. Thanks to Bhopal courtesy (read Mahender & Kishore) two cars were awaiting our arrival. We chose the better of the two and proceeded to BHEL GH. Had a sumptuous breakfast of Puri bhaji & bread omelette
before proceeding to HRD for a couple of talks to pad the wallet for the upcoming trip. Renu was kind enough to entertain Kiran and take her around shopping & sightseeing. Had a quiet dinner in the Guest House and retired to bed.
Day 2 (28th dec’18)
Wadhawans arrived next morning and got us out of our deep slumber in cosy beds. After hot cups of tea we found ourselves in the garden of the Guest House taking a walk and admiring the flora & fauna. Suddenly remembered to the annoyance of Satinder that I had to again go to HRD to further strengthen my monetary position for the dream trip. Kinras had called us over for lunch that day. It was typical punjabi hospitality with makai dee roti & sarson kaa saag with loads of makhan, rajma chawal, lauki halwa ……. It was the perfect place & time for siesta but I had to continue the talk at HRD. Mahender & Satinder caught up with old times while Savita, Kirans & Renu continued with what they do best - gossip. Kishore gave me reason to smile by being on duty. Not to be outdone by
Kinras, Puruswanis had called us over for dinner. To keep everyone interested, part menu (Sindhi kadi) for dinner was disclosed the previous day. To the pleasant surprise of Satinder & me, 100 pipers with accompanying snacks awaited our arrival. Steaming hot Appes (Madhu Idlis) were a big hit with all, irrespective of the drink they had. Sindhi Kadi incidentally has no curd in it. It was the first time we tasted it and seemed like a distant tasty cousin of Sambar. Gajrela was the perfect desert in the
cold winter night. We were safely dropped back in GH to retire for the night.
Day 3 (29th dec’18) The journey begins.
Kishore & Renu were to pick us up in the Innova by 0900 hrs. We were ready in time after a buffet b/f of Idlis, wada, Toast etc. They arrived half an hour late which was very acceptable considering the elaborate dinner they hosted the previous night. Obviously they couldn't have started before the maid had done the dishes. The luggage was loaded on top of the Innova and everyone got in i.e 6 grown up people, a few moderately plump, rest of them regular. Kishore the leader took the front seat. The ladies were perched in the middle seat. Satinder & sincerely yours were offered the VIP seats with cushions in the rear. We were told by Kishore that he was planning to pick up hot jalebis & samosas enroute to GH but was rightfully stopped by Renu the well wisher, considering our age & health. Bole sonehaal and we were on the road to Pachmarhi. The first halt was Bhimbetka for tea, which is around 50 Kms from Bhopal. Bhimbetka is popular for its Shelter Caves. The rock formations, man made or natural are supposed to be more than 9000 yrs old and were once under the sea. It is believed that these caves were once abode of Bhima, one of the pandava brothers (Bhim Baithak) during their Agyat Vaas . We picked up the history of the place but did not venture into the caves as we were in
a hurry to reach Pachmarhi. Our next stop was Pipariya, the nearest railhead to Pachmarhi, for lunch. A leisurely traditional north Indian lunch and we were on to the last lap of 60 kms to Pachmarhi. The road to Pachmarhi is very narrow but well maintained and we enjoyed the long ride to the place from Bhopal. I later read that the cart race in Naya Daur was filmed somewhere very close to the highway. The mercury fell faster than the sun. Colours around us changed from brown to green and we knew
Satpura forests were approaching. Pachmarhi was not far. While our vehicle zipped and zoomed through the good roads and twisted and turned through the ghat, we had a good time checking out the scenery of the dense forest. Pachmarhi is actually within the Satpura Tiger Reserve area and if one is lucky, one might see some animals while driving through the forest. We saw some deer and many monkeys. We were put up at ‘Hotel Highlands’ which is an MP Tourism property. The lodging is at the very entrance of Pachmarhi and far from the various tourist spots. The property is good and well maintained with a children’s adventure park. By the time we settled in our rooms in the hotel, it was close to dusk. The ever energetic Kishore was in no mood to relax and prodded the group to take a ride to Rajendragiri hills for a sunset view. There was the added bonus of seeing at a distance, the peak of Chaura Garh, another abode of the lord. The temple is right on the top of a mountain and one can make out its outline from far. There is a paid telescope facility that provides you a closer observation of the temple and trishuls. We were told that 2000 steps lead to the temple and the place is full of tridents (trishuls) offered by devotees. We savoured sweet and tangy boiled ber ( also known as Indian plum) and hot peanuts before returning to our hotel. Our room 304 in the hotel was declared the meeting place before dinner. The glasses filled with black label & Stone dale clinked to raise a toast to announce our arrival at Pachmarhi. The dinner at the restaurant was tasty & enjoyable.
Day 4 (30th dec’18)
After a good sleep at Highland Hotel, Pachmarhi, we were fresh for the adventure that awaited us the next day. The hotel is near the forest, so we were excited to hear the chirping of birds and feel the freshness of the air. Sound was evident enough in the room, but its intensity increased as we walked out of the room. We tried out the children adventure games before proceeding for breakfast. The buffet spread was a reasonable tasty affair. There are two ways to go about Pachmarhi, either you take your own vehicle or you hire an open top Gypsy from the market area. After a long time, I was seeing one of my earlier favorite vehicles, the Maruti Gypsy and that too in abundance. We preferred to hire the four wheel drive, open top Maruti Gypsy rather than take chances with our Innova, considering the steep climbs involved, especially to dhoopgarh the highest point in MP. The first stop was Bison lodge , constructed in 1862, which is the oldest house in Pachmarhi and now houses a museum. This well-maintained museum is the starting point where you pay a fee for local sightseeing excursions that includes Jeep, guides, and permits. While the inside of the lodge houses models, graphs, maps, and pictures of Pachmarhi’s rich flora, fauna, history and places of interest, the outside is adorned with a huge garden where you can sit and enjoy the serenity of this hill station. Stuffed animals like Crocodiles, Lions, and Tigers, etc. are also on display at this museum. Built in the year 1862, Bison Lodge is one of the oldest buildings in Pachmarhi, and used to be the former residence of Captain Forsyth. The next halt was Pandav caves at the outskirts of the town and just at the mouth of Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary, which are a cluster of five ancient dwellings excavated in the sandstone rock in a low hill. Pachmarhi derives its name from these caves which, as the legend goes, once provided sanctuary to the five Pandav brothers. These caves, though Buddhist in origin, are now protected monuments. The garden at the foothills is beautiful and well maintained. There is not much to look at except if you can visualize and go back to the time of the exile of the Pandavas and
know that they stayed here for some time as per local grapevine. You wonder though how the mighty Bhima would have found it comfortable in these small caves.
Next in the itinerary was Reech Garh where SRK and Kareena had a fight. They were of course playing Asoka and the warrior princess respectively in the movie Asoka (without an H). It is a very unique rock formation in the shape of a small amphitheatre with an entrance, an exit, a central podiumand green room caves.
Pachmarhi has numerous waterfalls & unlike many hill stations, whenever you see a waterfall you will be at the summit of the fall. There are numerous treks from the summit of the falls to their base. So we skipped Silver fall, Angel fall, Duchess fall and chose the most popular Bee fall . It is a high fall and very strong one. By the time water is midway to the ground it breaks into million stinging drops and gives it the name. We only managed to reach halfway down and then stopped over for a natural pedicure.
For lunch, we were dropped at Nandanvan restaurant. All the drivers drop their customers at the same restaurant. The restaurant is located on the four-way road and edge of the forest. So location can be one reason that all drivers chose the same restaurant. However the toilet in the restaurant was not approved by the boss, so we walked out and went to Glenview which had a well spread buffet. Everyone wanted a la carte so we returned to our timed tested hotel Highland for lunch. After lunch and little gossip we were on our way to Dhoop Garh , the highest point in MP (1352 meters from sea level) which is also the highest point in central India. Enroute we also stopped to observe people doing paragliding (parachute-attached-to-a-jeep thing). We enjoyed our second sunset in Pachmarhi sitting on the peak of Dhoop Garh. From the parking lot it was a climb of approx 300 meters to the peak. After another spectacular view of the setting sun, we were on our way back to the hotel. It was a convoy of over 100 Maruti Gypsies travelling along the slopes of Satpura which gave a feel of army convoy on a mission. On reaching hotel It was time to unwind in Room 304 and what better way to do it than clinking of glasses, followed by a satisfying dinner.
Day 5 (31st dec’18)
After the usual morning photo sessions and buffet b/f we set out in our Innova to thank the gods for the year well gone by. The road to salvation isn’t easy and if you have more ounces of flab on your stomach, it becomes more difficult. To reach the temple or rather cave of Gupt Mahadev , a small walk is required through the forest full of monkeys. All guides will warn you of the monkeys and to not carry eatables, but people don’t stop monkeying around and the monkeys do the needful. They believe in snatching, not begging. In fact, all over Pachmarhi, you need to be extremely careful of these monkeys because they can prove to be very dangerous. After about 5 minutes of walking, you come face to face with a huge Hanuman statue painted gloriously in orange. The shrine or Shivling
is hidden deep inside a cave where the passage is so narrow that only 1 person can enter at a time and that too the person needs to walk sideways as there is not enough space to walk straight forward. As the shrine is hidden, it is called Gupt i.e. hidden, Mahadev meaning Lord Shiva. Not far away from Gupt Mahadev is Bada Mahadev. When Lord Shiva was being chased by the demon Bhasmasur he took refuge at various places in Satpura mountains. Wherever he is supposed to have taken respite, stands a Shiv temple. Bada Mahadev is the place where Shiva tricked Bhasmasur into killing himself. The main shrine is inside a 70 ft deep cave that also harbours a pond fed by water seeping through the rocks. There is a big Hanuman temple also in the premises and there is a floating stone brought from Kanyakumari - talk of miracles!! I can’t recall the sequence but we stopped in between at a viewpoint called Handi Khoh also called the suicide point. It is a gorge, straight fall of approx 600 ft., however none of us were in a mood for suicide. Captain Forsyth discovered Pachmarhi from here You get a view of the valleys and the surrounding landscape from this point.
The next halt was Jata Shankar which is another Shiva temple and is housed in the most interesting surroundings. The Lord works in mysterious ways and appears at mysterious places! One has to trek down quite a lot to reach the deity. The mountain walls keep narrowing on you and the air becomes loaded with dhup smoke. On the way one sees (prompted by the guide) amazing rock formations. We saw naturally formed profiles of Ganpati, Hanuman, a lion, a hanging rock and the parapet of entrance to the main cave looked like the hood of a Cobra. The temple is inside a natural cave, where stalagmites, which are basically calcium deposits, have spurned up and look like the matted locks of Lord Shiva, and are worshipped as lingams. Jata means hair and Shankar is another name of Lord Shiva, hence the name Jata Shankar. Water drips from the surface of the rock above.
We had skipped lunch, hence stopped by a way side restaurant for dosas & Uttapams & chai, before proceeding to Pachmarhi lake . It is a lake like other lakes and paddle boats are available for 2 people and 4 people. The lake also known as Nauka Vihar is more of a picnic spot with small games, rides and eating joints at its banks. We were more or less done for the day and returned back to the hotel via the market, where the ladies did a little shopping. After relaxing for a short while everyone came knocking to 304. They wanted to be in the right spirit to welcome 2019. After sharing few light moments, we were off to Glenview for the new year celebrations. It turned out to be a 4D affair - Drink, Dance Dazzling performances & Dinner with a few prizes thrown in and bonfire to keep us warm. After sufficiently shaking our legs & hips, we welcomed 2019 screaming & hugging each other. Before the clock struck one, we were back to the warmth in the hotel rooms.
Day 6 (1st Jan’19)
It was well past dawn when we woke up and realised that the vacation was over and it was time to return home. It was a leisurely b/f before we hit the road for Bhopal. Reached GH at Bhopal before dusk and parted ways with Puruswanis after expressing our appreciation & gratitude for a trip well
planned and executed. The Bhopal hospitality was not done as yet. The Kinras came over with homemade delicacies and savouries for us to carry back. It was a perfect end to wonderful time. Not to be woken in the morning, bid goodbyes to Wadhawans and retired for the day.
Day 7 (2nd Jan’19)
It was a day at our disposal. Kishore had arranged a car to show us around Bhopal and drop us at the station. As we awaited our train at the station, we thanked god for small mercies & a great trip.
Looking forward to the next one
Looking forward to the next one
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