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AMARKANTAK A HOLY HILL STATION

Amarkantak is a small hill station located in Anupur district of Chattisgarh on

the borders of MP and Chattisgarh. The boundary of two states virtually cuts across theAmarkantak town. Amarkantak is well known as a place from where two of Central

Indias rivers, Narmada and Sone originate. It has large number of temples and some

very good natural water falls on Narmada River.

Some of the important tourist places in Amarkantak are

River Narmadas origin

The life in Amarkantak revolves around Narmada River which begins its

journey from a small pond in the heart of the town and meanders through the township to

fall 100 ft down in the forest for its long westward journey to Arabian Sea in Gujarat.

The point from where Narmada originates is at the centre of the town. The area around

the small pond has been converted into a group of temples patronised by Sadhus and

Babas. It is disappointing to see the dirty water in the pond from where the great river

begins. The colour of water has changed to black and only a person of strong religious

conviction can dare to draw water from it or take a dip to wipe out their sins. The 24

temples in the compound belong to various gods and goddesses. There is a small stone

elephant there. People try to pass through the legs of this elephant and it is said that

people having committed sins cant pass through it. In fact fat persons cant pass through

it as the space seems to be extremely narrow between the legs. However with some push

and pull most of the people pass through it. It is a good fun for children there.

Sone Muda

About 2 km from Narmada temple Sone Muda is the origin of Sone River. This

river also starts from a small stream and after travelling about 200 m it falls in a deep

gorge in deep forest. The river almost disappears in the thick forest down hill. It is

ironical that two rivers originates within a distance of 2 km and flows in almost opposite

direction. Narmada goes to West and Sone takes route on North east to join the Great

Ganga near Patna.

Group of Temples

Just in front of Narmada temple gate there are a group of ancient temples

presently in dilapidated condition. It is being renovated by Archaeological Survey of

India. There is a beautiful garden in it but not properly maintained.

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Jain Temple

A huge Jain temple is being constructed in Amarkantak by Guru Vidyasagar

Maharaj. The statue of Rishabdev (Adinath god) 10 ft high weighing 24 tonnes will be

placed on a lotus flower which also weighs 17 tonnes. The Adinath temple will attract

large number of Jain pilgrims in Amarkantak.

Kapil Dhara and Doodh Dhara

The two most scenic places in Amarkantak are Kapil Dhara and Doodh Dhara

water falls on Narmada River. They are 8 km from the town. River Narmada after

travelling about 8 km leaves the civilisation behind to fall into thick forest about 100 ft

down. The water fall named Kapil Dhara is a major tourist attraction of Amarkantak

where one can trek down at the base of the water fall to enjoy natural shower. Since the

water fall is not very high and flow of water is also not threatening tourists get maximum

enjoyment under the fall.

Two Kilometres down stream is another fall Dhoodh Dhara where water falls

from the height of 15 feet. Dhoodh Dhara is about 25 wide and has faster stream. It is

surrounded by hills on both sides making it a very beautiful sight for tourists.

Kalyan Ashram

Kalyan Ashram is a temple complex where most of the tourists assemble in the

evening for arti. The arti provides devotional atmosphere to people who relax after a

hectic day of sight seeing.

Amarkantak is about 240 km from Jabalpur. The nearest railway station is Pendra

Road on Katni-Bilaspur rail route. Most of the trains on this route stop here mainly for

Amarkantak which is 30 km from Pendra Road. It is a good weekend tourist destination.