Amarkantak is one of the most beautiful tourist attractions of Madhya Pradesh. Besides being a beautiful hill station with mesmerising views of natural vegetation, being home to wildlife and a place of pilgrimage, the place is also of importance because it is the place where the fifteenth century poet Kabir whose couplets have grown proverbial at many places all over Indian, is said to have used it as the place of his meditation. Kabira is, in fact, not the only saint who used this place for meditation. Several other sages have used this place for purposes of meditation – Bhrigu, Darvasa, Kapil to name a few. And even after centuries of civilization, the place continues to hold a great deal of peace to it, as if it still continues to live in its golden age.
How to reach Amarkantak?
By air
The nearest airport is at Jabalpur which is located at a distance of nearly 300 kilometers
By rail
Located at a distance of about 40 km from Amarkantak., the Pendra Railway station is the nearest railhead.
By road
The best option to reach Amarakantak is via road. It enjoys good public transport connectivity with nearby places like Shahdol, Umaria, Jabalpur, Rewa, Bilaspur, Anuppur, etc. We recommend coming here by taking your bus from Pendra road which is just 17 kilometers away or Anupur which is located at a distance of 48 kilometers.
Where to stay?
Though there are no hotels worth special recommendation here, there are options enough that will help spend your time with ease. We recommend trying staying at Mrityunjay Ashram. The Ashram offers free accommodation with an option to donate any sum you may be inclined to. The peaceful atmosphere of the ashram was what attracted us to it. It is clean and had a serene atmosphere to it. However, you must adhere to the spirit of the Ashram and live in a relatively disciplined way during your stay here.
Places of attraction
Amarkantak is full of several major attractions. Let us take a look:
The Narmada Temple
The Narmada is considered the holiest of all the seven holy rivers of India. It is said that even the holy river Ganga takes a form of a black cow and takes a dip in the Narmada every once in a while in order to cleanse itself of sins of sinners that it has absolved.
According to Hindu Mythology, the Narmada, which is also affectionately called Maa Rewa in Madhya Pradesh, was born of the sweat of Lord Shiva when he was performing the great celestial dance of destruction of worlds – the Tandava Naritya. Thus it has been called the daughter of Lord Shiva or Shankari.
Amarkantak is the birthplace of river Narmada, Narmada Kund, is located and thus the Narmada Temple of great prestige among Hindu and an important place for pilgrimage among local Hindus.
The temple is surrounded by several other temples in the region. These temples are called Kalachuri temples – named after Kalachuri kings who constructed them.
Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve
Amarkantak is a part of Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve whose extents entail Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary on one end and Kanha Tiger Reserve on the other hand. Tropical Moist Deciduous fill this reserve with rich vegetation and Teak and Bamboo are some of the recurring plants. Achankumar Wildlife Sanctuary is just 19 kilometers away from here.
A number of animals roam freely in this region including the royal Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, gaur, Indian jackal, chital, striped hyena, Ussuri dhole, sambar, nilgai, chinkara, blackbuck, Indian muntjac and wild boar, four-horned antelope, sloth bear, four varieties of monkeys among other species.
Kabir Chaubartra
One of the biggest attraction of Amarkantak for tourists is Kabir Chaurbarta. This relatively peaceful place is where the great saint-poet Kabir, the author od couplets called Dohas that have got the proverbial reputation in India, meditated. The place is a little unkept but overall a serene peace surrounds one here. Its location within jungles also offers a good trekking opportunity.
Kapil Dhara
Kapil Dhara is a waterfall located at a distance of mere 7 kilometers from Narmada temple. The serene beauty of this waterfall which got its name from Sage Kapil, from whose meditating place it was born, is what makes it worth seeing.
Dudh Dhara
Dudh Dhara is another waterfall located at a distance of about a kilometer from Kapil Dhara and is said to be located at the place where saint Durvasa meditated. It is a nice little spot, great for a family picnic.
Son Ungam Temple
Son Ungam literally means the origin of Son river. It is thus a small Shiva temple located at the source of Son river. The experience of some of the visitors can be pestered by monkeys. We recommend you only visit it if you are a Hindu devotee
Amareshwar Mahadev temple
Amareshwar Mahadev temple is a really big temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. What makes visiting this temple a memorable experience is the 11 feet long shivling. This temple like many others in the region is still under construction.
Bhrigu Kamandal
Bhrigu Kamandal is a deceptively small cave where, according to the legend, Saint Bhrigu used to stay during monsoon. He needed water for Pooja so he requested water from the rock. The rock gave him a hole and you could put your hand in it to get a bit of water. You can then pour this water on Shivling here. This rock that gives water is still there and is of great spiritual importance to Hindus. Even reaching here will involve some trekking experience
Conclusion
Amarkantak has the rare blessing of being unknown to much of the world. And thus, despite its countless attractions, it continues to enjoy the peacefulness missing in most attractive tourist spots. Thus if you are looking for a quiet holiday – especially if you are a devoted Hindu, we highly recommend a trip to Amarkantak. This is all from us today, we hope this helps you add Amarkantak to your travel plans. J
