Pachmarhi

Last College Autumn Break and what do we the self-proclaimed 'explorers' do-we go to another hill station, this time in Madhya Pradesh. In the heart of the state lies a magical town named Pachmarhi. It is a large plateau, ringed by the lofty hills of the Satpura range. The landscape is characterised by rugged hills, forests and deep ravines. Known as the verdant jewel of the hills, the all - pervading greenery of the region is what strikes the observer. Various hues of green greet the eye - tranquil emerald pools, the green shades that embrace the hills, and the thick, impenetrable forest cover that dominates the region.One of its main attractions, is the splendid view it offers at dusk, when the red sandstone scarp takes on the colour of the sky, in various shades of purple and violet, as the glorious sun sets on Pachmarhi. This small, secluded place is slowly gaining popularity. Our friend from Bhopal had been here before and with her recommendation we decided we needed this break - not from a hectic schedule at college, but a time-off from the everyday monotony and dearth of the "unexplored" in Delhi ;)

The closest Railhead to Pachmarhi is at Pipariya. However, we took the Tamil Nadu express so that we could spend some time at our friend's place in Bhopal and binge on ghar ka khanna which we as hostelers were always excited about! So, we started early in the morning for the approximately 6 hours long drive from Bhopal. The view on the way is equally breath-taking. We stopped at Pipariya for lunch. The place was called Hotel Alka -wasn't the general dhaba food that we are so accustomed to while traveling but was yum nonetheless and hence worth a mention. Just before we reached Pachmarhi, there was a place called Echo point. Not many people stop here but it was an interesting thing to do for me, especially after witnessing so many "echoes" in the Hindi movies - it was fascinating to try it out for myself. One thing i realized after was that you ought to be LOUD for the echo to linger on for a while! :)

When we reached Pachmarhi..there was an amazing calm that descended upon us - maybe it was because we had been traveling for almost 15 odd hours but I think it was more the serenity of the town. The first place we visited was Jatashankar. It is on the entrance road to Pachmarhi. It is one of the nearest & most beautiful spots. Its quite a steep climb down and into a gorge. If you hire a guide, he will tell you how some of the rocks on your climb down are forms of different Gods and naturally so. For example - there is one that looks like Hanumanji, ganesha and a few others. He even showed us - India's map outlined mid-air between the gorge. The temperature in the cave is around 2-3 degrees lower than the town. Shivalingam under the shade of huge rock formation of Naga is the place of worship as well main attraction here. Huge rock hanging precariously between the rocky walls of the cave is a memorable scene- some would say that this miracle of nature reminds us all of the powers of The Almighty.

The name of Pachmarhi is said to have genesis to “Panchmathi” (five huts) & is derived from ancient caves situated in a small hill known as Pandava gufa -the caves where the Pandava brothers are said to have spent a part of their exile. Archeologically these caves are said to be carved by Buddhist monks in the 9th or 10th Century AD, but the popular myth & belief associate them with Agyatavasa of Pandavas. The scenic beauty from the hilltop of the town and the satpura range-which resemble the humps of a camel are reason enough to visit. However, the beautiful garden/nursery surrounding it increases the charm.

We headed for Dhoopgarh after that. It is also known as the Sunset point - one of the more popular places that people visit. Its a arduous drive up this hill but once up there - it was astonishing. Expert driving on hills is essentially required to reach the top. Hill hikers can prefer route from foothill after taking permission from forest authorities, obviously it is only recommended for youngsters & adventurous persons. The highest peak is known as “Elephant Peak” or “Hathi Shikhar” .This is a place from where one can see views of valleys,depthness of nature, greenery of dense saal forest, view of serpent shaped jungle paths sleeping like huge dragon & lucky ones may have a frontage with herds of “Bison” roaming in bamboo forests. Elephant peak covers almost whole of the Pachmarhi on its canvas. From the eastern side of the Dhoopgarh Sunrise & from western side Sunset is seen. Towards east the Pachmarhi town seems to lie sleepy & the view to the west gives a look of Bori Jungle,Betul hills & distant look of Tawa reservoir. We sat on the stairs made for tourists and were enamored by the sun set-from an orange ball of fire to a mere speck in the clouds within a span of 3-5 minutes. The cool breeze with fragrance in its purest form... Two hours stay in the evening shows so many shades of nature, which are beyond description in words & can only be felt...

It was time to get some rest, had been a long day so then we went back to the guest house. The guest house that we were staying in was more like a cottage - a British vintage house. There is a army cantonment here, so the horses tamed by the Army grazing around is a normal sight- though I was stunned at first to see these beauties galloping around without reigns. We had dinner and then while some of dozed off, I ventured out for a walk around the guest house. The night sky was clear, the stars twinkling bright I walked into wide open meadows and just lay on the grass looking out for constellations.

Early next morning, we went back to Dhoopgarh to watch the sunrise. It was chilly and we were sleepy but the early morning rays of the sun and the fresh countryside air was a refreshing change. I would say its best to visit during sunset and sunrise-reflects how one place can be viewed in myriad lights. In the evening, one is enthralled by the variation in the shades of the sky..while, in the morning, the depth of the vast forests in the rugged hills and the distance of the horizon captivates you and has you spellbound!


From there we then moved to the market at Pachmarhi, which comprises of just a few lanes from a central place - the Bus Stand and small tea stalls - where we had poha and jalebis for breakfast. After lazing around for a while, we went to Bees Fall. There is a jungle road towards Bees falls for which we took a Gypsy. After a short walk down hill, from there is a beautiful water stream which is usually used as a bathing pool by the visitors. This water stream flows & jumps into the valley to make one of the most beautiful waterfalls of Pachmarhi. The fall makes a buzzing sound as if thousand of bees are singing & accordingly is called Bees fall. This spectacular fall leaves long lasting memory when one stays under its cold, fresh & pure water which falls directly from the height of 200 ft & the soothing feeling of its stroke on ones back and head is an unforgettable experience. The road that leads to Bee Fall actually leads to the top of the cliff from where the water falls. A rather tricky descent later, you shall find a massive column of water falling into a stream making a loud noise to your left. The noise this waterfall makes muffles the usual roar that the crowd makes, yet in it’s own way, calms your mind and relaxes you. Yes nature is funny, isn’t it? After a tiring climb up the cliff and a bumpy ride on the gypsy we then were ready to head back to Bhopal. We stopped once again at the Echo point - just to "yell out" a final good-bye..


Interesting Fact: Surprisingly and i wonder if it was only with us-when we were heading up to Dhoopgarh in the morning, the air was chilly at the base, but warm at the top - those of u reading this and who have traveled to Pachmarhi, let me know if you felt the same and if there is any reason for such difference -I'm still bummed!! :)

Lansdowne

"I awake to what sounds like the din of a factory buzzer, but is in fact the music of a single vociferous Cicada in the lime tree near my window.Through the open window, I focus on a pattern of small, glossy lime leaves; then through them I see the mountains, the furthest Himalayas, striding away into an immensity of sky... The sea has had Stevenson and Conrad, Melville and Hemingway, but the mountains have continued to defy the written word. We have climbed their highest peaks and crossed their most difficult passes, but still they keep their secrecy and reserve, remaining remote, mysterious and spirit-haunted. No wonder then, that the people who live on the mountain slopes in the mistfilled valleys of the Garhwal Himalayas, have long since learned humility and patience. Deep in the crouching mist lie their villages, while climbing the mountain slopes are forests of rhododendron, pine and deodar, soughing in the wind from the icebound passes. Pale women plough, while their men go down to the plains in search of work, for little grows on the beautiful mountains." - Ruskin Bond


That just sums up what anyone would have to say for Lansdowne - that too in the words of its most aesthetic admirer. According to me, its the perfect getaway for delhiites for the weekend or actually, in our case - just a day! :) It was saturday evening, I was sitting with two of my friends, with whom I've explored India over college years and suddenly in mere random conversation we decided to pack our rucksacks and head to this rather mysterious hill station that we had only heard about in Ruskin Bond's writings. There we were standing at ISBT, Kashmiri Gate in an extremely cold February night at 9-Three girls, with five layers of clothes, winter caps, gloves and hiking shoes on -asking for the bus that would get us to Kotdwara - the closest place to Lansdowne by public transport!

We reached around 4 in the morning but were told that the jeeps that go higher up to Lansdowne would be available only by 6! So, we went to a tea stall nearby warmed our hands around a cup of tea and waited for dawn to break..The drive up to Lansdowne is bumpy and the roads are narrow but the breath taking view of the hills, the clouds floating by, the chilly winds along with the soothing morning rays of the sun - felt like a different world all together. When we got off the jeep at the " Gandhi Chowk", we knew we had come to a place that not many people know about - there were no hotels, just a line of kiosks.

With the little research to back us, we asked for where the Church was - we only knew about the church but we were awe-struck by the stunning view of the Himalayan range that overlooked the Church. We just stood there stunned - it was Nature at its best! In between the two is a bench facing the Himalayas, where someone like me would just sit and stare into the wilderness. The peacefulness was deafening - we could hear nothing but the infrequent murmur of the engine of a vehicle passing by or the echo of our own voices.

It had been a night's travel and quite a long walk up to the church, so we chose not to go to the temple that stood another 20 minutes walk away at Tiffin Top. We walked down the hill from the Church towards the larger cantonment area. There aren't many hotels but old bungalows that have been converted to Hotels for the growing number of tourists like the popular Fairy Dale Resort. There is also a makeshift lake called the Bhulla Lake after a steep climb down. Walking back to the chowk, we were tired by now and starving-it was past noon and we hadn't had anything to eat. The Gandhi Chowk is a central place and though there are reasonable eateries, we tried one called "Tipsy" that looked more like a dhaba because we as a group are always running short on money. Also, we generally enjoy the food served in these small joints. So, there we were devouring on Butter Chicken, rice, finger chips, some vegetables, rotis, curd - all for a mere 150 bucks - damn! we were proud of ourselves and full too!!

Then we decided to head back to Kotdwara because we needed to figure out a way to get back to Delhi- it was Sunday and we had to get back by morning to attend classes! We had to find a way such that we wouldn't reach too early because we wouldn't be allowed into the hostel until 6 am. So, we couldn't take the bus this time. It was then that we got to know that there was a train that connected this rather aloof town to the capital - The Mussorie Express. We went to the station but he said we cant get reservation done then, we would have to come back later. So, thats when we decided to visit the ancient Karnva Ashram which was not very far away. We went to the jeep stand- after the initial altercations with a few drivers, we found one who was ready to take us there for a reasonable sum (which i still thought was too much - i don't remember the amount). They were asking for crazy amounts because the road to this ashram is apparently generally attacked by wild elephants - so you gotta keep a watch out and be safe! Legend has it that Shankuntala gave birth to prince Bharat here, after whose name the country is called Bharat Varsh.

Then we headed back to the station, bought tickets for Delhi. Out in the Kotdwara market, into the by lanes which had nothing but basic utility shops. Our train was at 10, and by this time we were hungry again - we found another dhaba where we got egg curry, matar masala, tandoori roti and paranthas for less than a hundred rupees. To treat ourselves, we had "jalebis" as dessert! We roamed around the lanes discussing about everyday issues and at the same time letting the calm brought by the day seep in. At 1o we boarded the train and 7 in the morning next day, we were arguing with the Auto walah about the meter rates!

Interesting Fact: There is a huge cultivation of Cauliflower in Kotdwara during the winters and they sell at an astonishing rate of Rs. 10 for 5 kgs - the rest of the math is unbelievable!!

Lansdowne is known more for the cantonment reasons, but it rates amongst India's best Hill Stations especially due to the fact that the crass commercialization that one sees in so many other hill stations hasn't affected this town yet. This is a great destination in case you are looking for a quiet getaway, away from the energy sapping city life. Take long liesurely walks or just sit on one of the many benches -Lansdowne is a good place to relax amongst the cool mountain breezes and an overwhelming smell of pine and oak trees.