What is better than a Weekend Getaway? The answer is a long weekend getaway and thanks to the great explorer Christopher Columbus I had scored the long weekend starting from October 10th to October 12th. To honor Mr. Columbus, an exploration plan was cooking up in my mind and thanks to my cousin Rajat who took the responsibility of executing that plan.
This weekend was a welcome break from the tedious 'Work from Home' and I had no intention of being cooped up at home, so I decided to visit Jabalpur which is a 4 hour train ride from my hometown. With a mask on my face and a backpack, I boarded the Intercity express early in the morning to the city famous for its White Marble. As I had some time in my hand, I started writing my 'Dil Dilli' blog which some of you might have already read. I reached Jabalpur at 10 o'clock, my brother picked me up and instantly told me where he will be taking me, seems like he was more excited than me. We reached home, my Uncle and Aunt were waiting for us and together we had breakfast. After some rest and freshening up, we headed out for the first stop of the day - The Dhuandhar Waterfalls.
It was a hot and humid day and after a 30 minute drive, we stopped over a bridge from where we could see the vast expanse of the ghat, all covered in pristine white marble which had turned into a tinge of yellow due to years of oxidization and wear and tear. At a fair distance, we could see the holy Narmada in all her glory making her way through the deep gorge. My brother told me that the city had received plenty rainfall during the monsoon season and the entire area was submerged, all one can see was the muddy water of roaring Narmada. It would have been one hell of a sight to get to a glimpse of Narmada river in full force but nevertheless what I was peering at was equally amazing.
Dhuandhar is derived from two words: Dhua (smoke) and Dhar (flow), the reason is that the water falls with such intensity that it gives a feeling of smoke and to reach the waterfall, one has to trudge along the narrow path which leads to a wide open gorge through which Narmada flows.
I was excited by the prospects of clicking Dhuandhar but I got a glimpse from some distance that the waterfall which falls from a height of 30 meters was nowhere visible, the river Narmada had swell due to excess rainfall and the waterfall was almost levelled. My hopes were shattered but that provided an opportunity of experiencing the brawn of Narmada. The loud roar of the holy water of Narmada, the might of cutting through any obstacle was clearly visible, it was like an exhibition of pure power.
There was a white marble boulder at some distance and my brother said let's go over and witness the river from there and I was like "Bro! There is water everywhere and the force is also quite strong" but he convinced me to go over.
We removed our shoes and started crossing, as I took my first step in the water, I was immediately introduced with the strength of Narmada. You might be thinking that we were taking unnecessary risks but actually it was a safe area which was engulfed by the swollen river. We reached the marble boulder and it seemed like we were in the middle of a raging storm, the strong waves were crashing and at some distance Dhuandhar was visible which was fighting for its own life amidst the mighty Narmada, but that battle was already lost by the waterfall.
After this little stunt, I became aware that the next one was starting shortly because we were now making our way out by not taking the traditional way but by hiking over the marble rocks which had been carved out by holy Narmada over years. Initially, I was very comfortable with this idea but after some time heat started killing me, I had turned red and the only way to get some shade and rest was to make my way out to a nearest shop but they were at a fair distance. To distract myself, I started clicking pictures because from that point I could see the entire gorge of beautiful white marble looking so sublime.
Finally! We made our way out and were totally drenched in sweat, we went and had sugarcane juice and rested there for a while. After replenishing our body sugar level, we headed out for the next stop of the day - The Chausath Yogini Temple.
Chausath (sixty four) Yogini Temple is an ancient temple built during the Kalchuri Dynasty around 11th Century AD. A 'Yogini' is a female attendant of mother Goddess and the temple is surrounded by a circular perimeter which has shrines of 81 yoginis rather than 64.
As we parked outside the temple, I was informed that to reach the temple we will have to climb approximately 100 steep steps and that was an absolute horror because the shining sun had already upped its game. We started the steep climb and within 10 minutes reached the top, the temple was almost empty and it was neatly kept.
The architecture makes you push your imagination and you start wondering how these complex buildings were constructed. We were standing with folded hands in front of Maa Durga but my mind was not there, I was just focused on the circular perimeter housing 81 Yoginis. I got out and started exploring the perimeter reading some history, the names of Yoginis and clicking pictures.
I recommend you to visit this temple, if you are visiting Jabalpur because apart from being a temple it is a piece of history and heritage.
We came back and headed to Bhedaghat which is a 5 minutes drive from the temple. We stopped there for 10 minutes only as there was nothing much to do, also due to the pandemic all the activities like boating had ceased. We drove back to home and after a lovely lunch and a shower, we spent the afternoon sleeping.
The evening was reserved for Gwarighat and the Narmada Arti. After sunset, we left home for Gwarighat and there we got to know that Narmada Arti does not happen at the river banks now due to pandemic, I was pissed listening to this but nothing could be done now. We roamed around the ghat for a while looking at people bowing down to Maa Narmada, some were lighting lamps decorated with flowers, cows were roaming around without a care in the world, sadhus were singing some hymns and a crowd was gathered around listening to them. After roaming around the ghat, we booked a boat and took a round of river and experienced the Narmada Arti from the river only. It was a peaceful and a spiritual experience with the chants of Hare Ram, Hare Krishna and Har Har Narmade.
With the conclusion of Narmada Arti, we also concluded our day with the blessings of Maa Narmada.
Next morning after breakfast, we made a brief stop at the Devtal Garden. The place is well known for its natural beauty, the lush greenery all around makes it a proper picnic spot. We spent some time there and then headed to Madan Mahal Fort.
The famous Balancing Rock of Jabalpur can be seen on the way to the fort but we did not stop there because I had been to the site on one of my previous visits.
There was again a hike of 20 minutes before me to reach the fort but this time it did not create any trouble for my body. Madan Mahal Fort dates back to 11th Century AD and was more of a manned post for vigil against invaders, it is a compact structure and fulfilled its purpose during those times, though it is not an architectural master piece but it is one of the most important tourist destinations of the city. We climbed the narrow and steep stairs leading to the top of the fort and from there the panorama of the marble city was visible.
The evening came and it was time for the final destination of the trip Bargi Dam which is almost 40 kms from Jabalpur city.
We left a bit late and my brother was driving like a proper Formula 1 driver and thanks to him only we reached the dam site before sunset. Bargi is a huge dam of 21 spill-way gates and to control the flow and the water level, many gates were open. Gazing at the horizon, the only thing visible was water and the loud sound of the gushing water. Trip to Bargi was not in my plan but thanks to my brother for taking me there because I had not seen a dam with its gates open.
While I was writing this blog, I was not sure what to name it. So, I based it on the USP of the city because everywhere you go, Marble was constant. Be it in the name of hotels, restaurants or any shop, one can definitely find Marble, so I named it 'The Marble of Jabalpur' and I cannot end this blog without thanking my brother Rajat, my Uncle and Aunt for making this trip memorable and fun for me.
May God keep blessing us with many more adventures and travels. So, till the next adventure, keep Exploring!
Har Har Narmade!
