Type Religious Fair Time 7 Days In February/ March Location Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
It is quite common to see pilgrims carrying flowers, milk, coconuts and incense to consecrate as offerings to a deity, but a 10-feet-long trident? However, this is not just any ordinary occasion. It is Mahashivaratri – the festival celebrating the marriage of Shiva and Goddess Parvati – and the mela (fair) in Pachmarhi draws devotees from all over southern Madhya Pradesh and northeastern Maharashtra.
Captain J Forsyth, an officer of the British army, chanced upon Pachmarhi in the mid-19th century. Ensconced in a plateau amidst the thickly-forested Satpuras, the place was developed as a sanatorium for the heat-weary British and later, a cantonment was set up here. As the only hill station in the region, it attracts weekend trippers from Bhopal and Nagpur, who seek refuge in its tranquil settings and picturesque forests and waterfalls. However, during the festival, it is the faithful who throng the town to pay obeisance to Shiva.
Mahashivaratri falls on the 13th or 14th night of Krishna Paksha (the waning period of the moon) in the Hindu calendar month of Phalgun. In the Gregorian calendar, the festival happens between mid-February and mid-March. However, the fair in Pachmarhi begins about a week before Mahashivaratri. The crowds build up over the days, finally reaching a crescendo on the date of the festival, when the town swarms with devotees and revellers.
Things to See & Do
During the fair, markets are set up along the main streets and around all the Shiva temples in the region. At these places, you can buy a variety of items such as wooden handicrafts, clothes, toys, raisins, apricots, pedas, laddoos, jewellery, rosaries and prayer essentials. Many devotees camp in large grounds on the outskirts of the town and make daily excursions to various shrines. The large crowds marching towards the Shiva temples make the atmosphere heady with faith and devotion.
Mahadeo
Located close to the foot of the Chauragarh mountain, Mahadeo is a huge cave. Inside, there is a naturally-formed small Shivalinga, a larger Shivalinga and idols of other deities. It is believed that a glimpse of the Shivalinga here can remedy various faults in one’s horoscope.
As there is a spring in the cave, water trickles from the sides and the ceiling, which devotees try to drink and sprinkle on themselves. The dripping water collects in a pool below. Bathing here is not permitted – the water is channelled to a reservoir below the cave, where pilgrims may take a dip.
Legend has it that Bhasmasur, a devotee of Shiva, wanted the power to turn anyone into ash by touching their foreheads. After a long penance, Shiva granted him the boon, only to discover that Bhasmasur wanted to test his powers on him first. The deity escaped through a tunnel and took shelter in a cave. To help him, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of the enchantress Mohini and with her charms, enticed Bhasmasur into putting his hand on his own head, thereby destroying him.
Bhasmasur Kund, the cistern where the demon set himself alight, is next to the entrance of the cave. For a donation of ₹5, you can borrow divinely-blessed sticks to chastise Bhasmasur by striking the water.
Mahadeo is about 10km from Pachmarhi bus stand. The drive through forested hills is quite scenic. En route, you will find pilgrims walking to their destination. From near Forsyth Point, a dirt trail cuts through the forests till Mahadeo. It makes for an excellent hike, though proceed with caution at the intersections where the trail meets the road. Fervent devotees walk all the way from Pachmarhi and some, from as far as their villages!
During the fair, there is a huge line for darshan at all the Shiva temples in Pachmarhi and at the major ones, you might have to queue for hours
Chauragarh
The centerpiece of the fair is the Chauragarh mountain (1,330m), atop which is a Shiva temple. According to local myths, an ascetic known as Chaura did penance on the mountain for many years. Impressed by his devotion, Shiva appeared in front of him and said that his idol on the hill would henceforth be named after the sage. The deity accidentally left behind a trident, which inspired the practice of carrying trishuls as offerings.
Today, pilgrims make offerings that range from palm-sized tridents to ones that are as large as 10ft and weigh 150kg – a mammoth that requires at least six to seven people to haul. People address each other as bhagat or bhaktin (literally ‘devotee’), which builds an atmosphere of camaraderie. Cries of Har har Shambhe and Jai maa Parvati rend the air, inspiring people to forget their fatigue and carry on in the name of the lord.
From the base of the Chauragarh mountain, two paths go uphill – the left one goes through Gupt Mahadeo, a 30-feet-long, narrow natural cave. It has a Shivalinga and an idol of Ganesha. While hiding from Bhas-masur, Shiva took shelter here and later disappeared; hence the name Gupt Mahadeo (literally ‘concealed Shiva’). There is a small stream next to the cave.
All along the route, vendors peddle flowers, coconuts and other such offerings for the deity. You can also buy exotic herbs and medicines collected from forests. If you’re a young man, the vendors – invariably old ladies – ask you whether you’re married or unmarried and then accordingly give you medicines for sexual potency or exam stress!
The pilgrimage also gives you a chance to sample the cuisine of the surrounding regions at its most authentic. The food is extremely cheap and keeps you thoroughly fortified for the tiring ascent. Along the trail, you will come across raisins (sold by the glassful), dried figs, roasted and boiled corn, bor (a kind of tart berry), seasoned chana (grams) and lobia (black-eyed peas). Enjoy generous helpings of spiced butter-milk and lemonade (made with a local variety of lemon) to wash away the fatigue. Young children hawk ramkand, a kind of tuber that is considered holy as Lord Ram (the hero of the epic Ramayana) and his family supposedly subsisted on it during their 14 years of exile. Families set up stalls that serve besan ki roti (flatbread made of gram flour) with tamatar sabzi (a spicy tomato curry) or other vegetables. Make sure to carry lots of water as the higher you go, the less likely you are to find potable water.
The path from Mahadeo ascends gradually until the intersection with the uphill path from Nandiya village, located to the south of Chauragarh. Then, it suddenly becomes steep and constrained, which causes obstructions along the route – more than the incline, it is the thick crowds that can get exhausting. After ascending about 1,300 steps, you reach the top of the hill, where a barebones temple stands. The queue for the darshan of the deity snakes around the temple and can take hours to navigate on the day of Mahashivaratri. After a glimpse of the deity, people proceed to the courtyard where thousands of trishuls are stacked together, making for an impressive display. Taking a selfie here seems to have become a part of the pilgrimage rituals! If darshan is not a priority for you, skip the queue and go directly to the courtyard from the path where people are descending.
Atop the peak, the views of the thickly-forested mountain ranges are a treat for the eyes. As you descend, you will come across a smaller Shiva temple located in a cavern. Further ahead, you can get a photo taken with cardboard cutouts of the tridentious deity himself in one of the many makeshift studios.
The pilgrimage to Chauragarh is still far removed from the tourist trail and thus, is remarkably untouched by commercialism or organised religion – something that many fairs and festivals in India have succumbed to. Here, you can see a devotion and camaraderie that has probably remained unchanged for hundreds of years and hopefully, will be so in the years to come.
Jata Shankar
Many devotees also make a trip to Jata Shankar, a subterranean grotto in a ravine. Like every other cave in Pachmarhi, this is also associated with the myth of Bhas-masur. As Shiva ran through the cave, he lost some of his hair; hence the name Jata Shankar (jata – hair, Shankar – Shiva).
As you enter Pachmarhi and cross Hotel Highlands, a road on the right makes its way through ragged slopes. As you proceed, the trail becomes narrower and the slopes more dramatic. An undulating path amidst the rocks takes you to a temple built in a hollow in the rock face. Further ahead, the path descends steeply into a craggy ravine, where there is the Jata Shankar cave and a stream that forms a small pool. A staircase has been built along this path for better accessibility.
The cave is quite constricted and one has to walk on all fours to pass through it. The stalagmites inside the cave are regarded as Shivalingas, and according to one estimate, there are 108 of them. The snake-like rock formations on the ceiling of the cave are believed to be Shiva’s hair. It is believed that Jata Shankar is the source of the Jambu Dwip stream. Although one can see the water dripping from the sides and roof of the cave, no one has found the source or origin of the stream. Hence, it is also known as Gupt Ganga (literally ‘secret Ganga’). Devotees take a ritual dip in the pool formed by the stream next to the cave. Locals claim that a secret tunnel connects Jata Shankar to Gupt Mahadeo.
Although the cave and stream are quite picturesque, trash is omnipresent, especially during the pilgrimage season, which somewhat mars the splendour of the place. There are many smaller temples along the path to Jata Shankar, including one atop a hill. There is even a dargah on a steep slope – ladders and a trail painted on the rock face help you ascend to the seemingly unreachable shrine.
Around Town
Pachmarhi has an abundance of natural attractions, exploring which will take at least two to three days. In fact, there is enough here to keep you occupied for a week. Make sure to visit the various waterfalls (Duchess Falls, Big Falls, Bee Falls), pools (Pansy Pool, Saunder’s Pool, Fairy Pool) and hills (Dhoopgarh, the highest peak of the Satpuras, and Forsyth Point, a view point with panoramic vistas of the peaks surrounding Pachmarhi).
Reechgarh is a spectacular cave-like rock formation amidst sandstone ridges and Handi Khoh is a precipitous ravine. Pandav Gufa is a set of manmade caves that were built for use by Buddhist monks, though folklore has it that the Pandava brothers, the heroes of the epic Mahabharata, lived here during their exile.
Rock shelters in the Satpuras have millennia-old cave paintings – these can be found at Dhuandhar, Asthachal (Monte Rosa), Bharat Neer (Dorothy Deep) and Jambu Dwip Valley. However, there are no clear trails or signage, so you have to go along with a guide.
The Bison Lodge, built in 1862, is one of the oldest buildings in Pachmarhi. It now houses a museum. The Christ Church (1875), cemetery and Catholic Church (1923) are other splendid specimens of the town’s colonial legacy. Many of these attractions require a consolidated entry ticket (see rates below), which you must buy from Bison Lodge. You can also hire guides there to go on treks in the Satpura forests, which is home to the bear, leopard, nilgai and gaur.
Entry On Foot Indians ₹60 per person; Foreigners ₹110 Two-wheeler Indians ₹170; Foreigners ₹330 Four wheelers Indians ₹660; Foreigners ₹1,320 Guide (compulsory) ₹300
Getting Around
You can rent a gypsy for the entire day (around ₹1,200) near the bus stand, at Bison Lodge or from one of the many travel operators in the market. Vehicles without a permit are not allowed to go beyond Handi Khoh on the Mahadeo road, so make sure you hire a taxi that has one. Shared gypsies leave from Pachmarhi bus stand to Mahadeo, though the hair-raising ride in overpacked vehicles can get quite uncomfortable. Pachmarhi is also pedestrian-friendly, though in recent years, incidences of rash driving have increased.
If you are travelling by your own vehicle, carry a printout of your hotel booking as vehicles from outside Pachmarhi are not allowed inside during the mela. There is only one petrol pump in town, which often runs out of fuel, so stock up at Matkuli or Pipariya
Where to Stay & Eat
Although there are many hotels clustered around the bus stand and in the market, most are cramped and lack character – certainly not a good option to enjoy the sylvan surroundings that Pachmarhi is famous for. Opt for the hotels in the cantonment to avoid the hustle and bustle that take over the otherwise peaceful town during the festival.
WelcomHeritage Golf View (Tel: 07578-252115, 252567; Tariff: ₹7,000–10,000) is the most luxurious option, although it serves only vegetarian meals. Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) has nine gorgeous hotels, many of which are refurbished heritage properties, though the service can be a bit tardy. Their Woodland Bungalow (Tel 252272; Tariff: ₹1,290) is the best budget option in town, while Rock End Manor (Tel: 252097; Tariff: ₹5,390, with meals) is their most plush offering. Evelyn’s Own (Tel: 252056, Cell: 09425310503, 09479648609; Tariff: ₹2,000–4,000) is a charming, albeit rundown, home-stay in outhouses next to a colonial bungalow. New Hotel (Tel: 252017; Tariff: ₹300–999) is a value-for-money budget option, though the rooms can be a bit musty and noisy.
The food in Pachmarhi ranges from Maharashtrian cuisine to the standard Punjabi and Chinese tou-risty fare. In the cantonment area, Rasoi Dhaba, Nandanvan and the MPTDC-run China Bowl are good options. Dhabas and restaurants in front of the bus stand dish up cheap and wholesome Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Punjabi thalis. Taj Restaurant, inside the market, has excellent meat dishes and biryani.
FAST FACTS
Tourist offices
MPSTDC
Amaltas Complex
Near Tehsil
Pachmarhi
Tel: 07578-252100
Pachmarhi Tourist Office
Railway Station
Pipariya
Tel: 07576-223499
W mptourism.com
STD code 07578
GETTING THERE
Air The nearest airport is at Bhopal (200km/ 5hrs), which has connections to Delhi and Mumbai. Taxis to Pachmarhi cost ₹3,000–3,500. MP Tourism also arranges taxi transfers (Bhopal Tel: 0755-2778383, 4027132)
Rail The nearest railhead is Pipariya (52km/ 1.5hrs), located on the Mumbai-Howrah line. It’s also connected to Delhi, but Bhopal has more connections. Taxi to Pachmarhi costs ₹700–1,200
Road Regular bus services from Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Nagpur, Pipariya and Chhindwara are available