Pachmarhi – The good, the bad and the ugly

After my Khujaraho trip failed to materialize, thanks to Nikhil and his friends we managed to pull off Pachmarhi (M.P.) in a long weekend.

Pachmarhi (or Panchmarhi) gets its name from the Pandava caves, where it is believed that the Pandavas spent some part of their 13 year old exile. Later, in 1858 it was discovered by the British who made it the regional summer retreat for their army, and now the Indian army inhabits most of Pachmarhi.

The result of the army presence is that the place is wonderfully maintained, complete with a nice golf course and forest rest houses. Parasailing was literally the “high” point of the trip! On the downside, because of the peak season the place was very touristy (and expensive).

The last photograph above was actually shot when the train from Bhopal passes Narmada river en-route to Pipariya. The train ride is beautiful, much like the train rides in the Western Ghats post monsoons.

Final verdict: Pachmarhi is quite a regular hill station, which is not really something bad, but for someone who travels a lot there are probably other places to be seen before. However, for a long weekend with a good gang, it was an awesome trip!

Please post your comments about the photographs (I know they’re not up to the mark this time, but comments are still welcome).