Pachmarhi is a hill station in
Madhya Pradesh state of central
India, also known for the Pachmarhi Cantonment. It is widely known as "Satpura ki Rani" (Queen of Satpura), situated at a height of 1100 m in a valley of the Satpura Range in
Hoshangabad district. The highest point in the central India region and the Vindhya and Satpura range; Dhupgarh at 1,350 m is located here.
History:
Pachmarhi region was the kingdom of the Gond tribe king Bhawut Singh. Prior to annexation to the British Empire, it was the capital of this tribal dynasty. The area was introduced to the western
World by Captain James Forsyth of the British Army in 1857. Pachmarhi became a hill station and sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces of India. The population in 1901 was 3,020, rising to double that number in the hot summer months.
Tourism:
The total area of
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is 4981.72 km2. It is located at Longitude 22° 11’ to 22° 50’N and Latitude 77° 47’ to 78° 52’E. It covers parts of three civil districts, viz., Hoshangabad (59.55%),
Chhindwara (29.19%) and
Betul (11.26%). It includes three wildlife conservation units viz., Bori Sanctuary (485.72 km2), Satpura National Park (524.37 km2) and Pachmarhi Sanctuary (491.63 km2). These ltogether has also been notified as Satpura Tiger Reserve (1501.72 km2) (Annonymous, 1996).The places worth being seen at and around Pachmarhi area, Priyadarshani point, Hondi khoh, Apsara vihar,
Rajat Prapat, Raj giri, Lanjee giri, Dutches fall, Sundar kund,
Jatashankar, Chhota
Mahadeo, Mahadeo,Chauragarh, Dhupgarh, Pandav cave, Cave shelters.
In Bori sanctuary, Churna, is a base for tourism. For a truly wilderness experience, the visitor can reach up to Neemghan through Panarpani gate. The flat land and good visibility along with rich wildlife makes excursions here unforgettable. Among them Mahadeo, Catacomb, Jumbudweep, Madai, Dorothideep, Jatashankar,
Pandav Caves, Bazar caves, Maradeo, Kaila khurd, Taptka pani, Kanjighat, Tamia, Rajat Prapat, Kharilanes are important from archaeological point of view (Singh and Upadhyay,2011). Pachmarhi is a popular tourist retreat. Tourists visit Pachmarhi throughout the year.
Some of the places of tourist interest here are:
- Rajat Prapat (Big Fall)
- Bee Fall
- Dhoot Akhilesh
- Bada Mahadev
- Gupt Mahadev
- Chauragarh
- Dhupgarh
- Handi Khoh
- Duchess Fall
- Pachmarhi hill
- Pansy Pool
- Waters meet
- Patharchatta
- Crumps crag
- Lady Robertson's view
- Colletin Crag
Hotel Booking:
The town has many tourist hotels including the hotel run by Department of Tourism (Govt. of Madhya Pradesh). Hotels run by MP tourism offers rooms with all meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) included in the tariff. Parking is available in all tourism hotels. Private resorts and cottage/hotel facilities(Hotel Utkarsh) are also available. There is also a Bharat Scouts and Guides camping site about 4 km from the main town.
How To Reach:
Pachmari is well connected from
Bhopal and
Indore. The buses start from
Habibganj ISBT of Bhopal and generally take close to 5-6 hours to reach Pachmarhi. The buses move through different towns like Hoshangabad,
Babai,
Sohagpur and
Pipariya. Pipariya is the nearest railhead.
