Recently visited the Land of no theft and no beggars. Yes!! I was actually surprised to see that the place like this really exist in India As many of the tourist places have the quite high rate of beggars and the larceny. I did not encountered any beggar in my entire day journey. Its Pachmarhi and the only hill station in Madhya Pradesh. Its famous for its story filled histories and beautiful green land. One can reach Panchmarhi from Train runs from Bhopal to Pipariya and take a shared or Private vehicle to (47KM) Panchmarhi.
I preferred the sleeper Volvo and landed in Panchmarhi at 6.30am. Best time to visit Panchmarhi is between August to February. The civilian portion of the town is small, and lies towards the tip of a lake. It has some hotels and a movie hall. For the local sightseeing I hired a private vehicle (government authorized) for my day which costed approx 2.5k including a guide and forest entry. My first stop was Gupta Mahadev Temple which was only 1.5 KM from main bus stop. It was quite empty at 8.30am. Gupt Mahadev is a 40 feet long cave. The path that leads to Gupt Mahadev cave goes inside the Bade Mahadev. Inside it was little dark and some stairs down one have to enter in the main cave. There was chilled water below knees which leads to the lord shiva ling. It was small passage which opens to the other side of the exit, healthy people might find it difficult to fit in. It was so divine & spiritual, the experience was really one worth having.
The forest was within 20- 25 Km radius. My next stop was Pandav Gufa. The name Panchmarhi came from these five caves which was as per the great Indian mythological event Mahabharata the pandava had hidden here in 13th year of exile but it’s not true as per my guide. The cave was made by some ascetics for meditation and inhabitation. However the caves are barred although you can climb up the hillock and get a spectacular view of the area.
Rajat/ Silver fall was only 1 km from Pandav Caves and around 600mt walk to reach the fall. The walk in the jungle itself was very exciting. It was so calm and peaceful only the bird chirping could be heard. With the zig zag paths and steep ups and down, I reached the Silver falls view point. In the bright sunny day the falls actually reflected of silver when the sunlight reflected upon it. The water flux was not as much as in monsoon seasons but the view was splendid. On top of the cherry, I could stealth a very light version of rainbow where water was falling. I could stand there and watch it for hours. The Apsara Vihar was only 300 mt walk able distance from Silver falls. The name was given so, apparently, as British women would bathe here, and when they would come out, villagers would describe them as fairies or "apsara". This is the place where Ashoka movie song was shot. One can enjoy great time here and have a bath under fall. This is where I could relax and dip my feet in the limpid pools. The natural rock formations and the cascading falls (small) are quite fascinating.
After apsara vihar, I reached the Bee falls which is 1.5 km from there. It was easy to reach the place but climbing up/down to the falls was tiresome. There were around 250- 300 steps before you actually reach the waterfall. Little crowded than other falls. the pain was worth taking when one inhales the beauty and serenity of the place. the Bee fall falling from a height of around 450 ft is beautiful. I carried roasted corn and sat on one of the rock to savor the beauty. You have to ignore few semi naked guys (you will find this category at almost every Indian waterfall) if you want to enjoy. The place lacks basic amenities and was quite dirty. However, there was a soothing waterfall just above as well for families and old age people. It was quite clean so I sat there for some time to observe the serenity.
It was around 2.30 noon, I was quite hungry. I headed to China Bowl, this restaurant scores well in terms of the level of hygiene they maintain. The food is decent for the price you pay.
