Pachmarhi

Pachmarhi, at about 1,067 metres in the Satpura range of Madhya Pradesh, is the state's only hill station and the heart of the Satpura Biosphere Reserve — a cool, forested plateau of sandstone ravines, waterfalls, ancient caves, and viewpoints that earns its nickname "Satpura ki Rani," the Queen of the Satpura. Discovered as a hill retreat by a British officer in 1857 and developed as a cantonment and sanatorium, it retains a quiet colonial-and-cantonment air, ringed by some of central India's richest forest. Its highest point, Dhupgarh, at 1,352 metres, is the tallest peak in all of Madhya Pradesh and the classic sunset spot, where the sun sinks over wave upon wave of blue Satpura ridges. Pachmarhi's sandstone hills are riddled with caves: the Pandava Caves, a group of five rock-cut chambers traditionally linked to the Pandava brothers' exile (and the source of the town's name, "five caves"), and the Mahadeo and Jata Shankar cave-shrines sacred to Shiva, which draw large pilgrim crowds during the Nagpanchami and Shivratri fairs. Its waterfalls and forest pools are a highlight — the Bee Falls (Jamuna Prapat), Apsara Vihar (Fairy Pool), Rajat Prapat (the Silver Fall, one of the highest in the region), and Duchess Falls — many reached by short forest treks. The Satpura National Park, accessible nearby, offers boat and walking safaris through tiger, leopard, and gaur country. Dramatic ravine viewpoints such as Handi Khoh and Priyadarshini (Forsyth) Point, the cavern of Reechgarh, and the colonial-era cantonment buildings complete the picture of this Satpura Biosphere hill town. For vegetarian travellers, Pachmarhi serves simple hill-and-MP vegetarian fare — poha-jalebi, samosa-kachori, MP thali, and hot pakora and chai at the viewpoints; the cantonment market has clean veg eateries. The best season is October to June, with the monsoon (July-September) bringing the waterfalls to thundering life and the forest to its greenest.