Empire's Plateau

Welcome to Pachmarhi, a small plateau atop the Satpuras, which used to be the summer capital of the Central Provinces. Picadilly Circus and Fleetwood Junction are names the Brits gave two confluences on canyons. They're among dozens of picnic spots where families cooled in mossy pools, brushed by the spray and ferns under ancient mango trees joined by massive creepers. The 1936 guidebook, with a topographic map, described the paths to over 60 points in detailed if somewhat colonial fashion "...the descent is not really difficult and coolies with tiffin baskets, etc, can easily manage".