Bhedaghat

Bhedaghat is a small town situated near Jabalpur. It was my destination for the weekend, my friends - Alok and Rahul joined me from Indore and Mandla respectively. Jabalpur is the entry point for Bhedaghat (situated around 28 Km from the city). Jabalpur is known as the Sanskaar Dhaani or the cultural capital of Madhya Pradesh. Public buses (fare INR 20) ply from Jabalpur Bus stand to Bhedaghat at regular interval. Auto Rickshaw or cabs are also available for Bhedaghat.

Alok and Rahul reached the fall earlier in the morning and i joined them later in the evening. One can have a day long stay in the beautiful vicinity of the Dhuandhar (named due to the creation of white smoke like particles formed by the powerful fall) water fall at Bhedaghat.

There are well maintained view points with railings to have closer view of the waterfall. The minute particles flying out of the fall can be felt up close and personal . River Narmada which can be seen in it's fury here originates from Amarkantak situated at a distance of 250 Km from here.

We purchased tickets of the rope-way to have an aerial look of the fall. The cost is around INR 75 both ways. We hooked up near the windows to enjoy the view with camera in hand. 

First view from the Rope-way

In rope-way just above the river

The mesmerizing waterfall

Tilt-shift version of the supporting falls at Bhedaghat

Rahul and Alok glancing the natural beauty through the trolley-window of the rope-way

River Narmada flowing through the marble rocks

It seems these rocks have been negotiating with the water from eternity

Another view of the rapid flow of river Narmada

The best thing about Indian culture is it's association with nature. Rivers and mountains are considered sacred which they surely are.
A closer view of the magnificent marble rocks in a boat is a must at Bhedaghat. On full moon night the scene becomes rather heavenly. I can very well imagine that. Unfortunately we didn't had the luxury of neither a night stay nor the full moon so we decided to enjoy the dusk time in the water.

Sunset as seen from the boat club at Bhedaghat

We got into a small boat with capacity of 20 people with 5 crew member. The cost was INR 50 per person for a half an hour trip. There was a guide on the boat who described the passing locations in form of small rhymes. He informed us about the various types of marble rocks present in the valley, the locations where many movies have been shot, and other true and fictitious details about the whole terrain. The experience was magical, the rocks were very close to our boats. At one point we were informed that the depth is around 450 feet which was really very comforting :P

entrance to the narrow valleys made of marble rocks

A marble rock with it's reflection in the river

Water hitting the rocks

Wooden Oars used in the boats

The placid Narmada valley

The rendezvous with the holy river and the splendid mountains ended soon and we were lucky to reach back on the bank at the time of the evening prayer.The priest and the other crowd gathered around sang in unison the prayer for River Narmada. Unfortunately I was unable to understand the words used in the prayer but it was soulful enough the capture my attention.

Evening prayer at the ghat of river Narmada

Chausath Yogini temple is another famous attraction at Bhedaghat situated very near to the Dhuandhar waterfall.. It is an ancient temple built in tenth century having carvings of 64 female yoga mystics. A large variety of statues and other marble products are available all around Bhedaghat.

Alok and Rahul at the end of trip

The place can be visited at any time of the year, except in rains when the water level increases to such an extent that the whole fall vanishes beneath the heavy flow of the river.

Khajuraho

Three of us ventured out on a one day trip to Khajuraho. It is a town in Madhya Pradesh, located in Chhatarpur District famous for the temples with heavily carved sculptures. 


Jhansi Junction Railway station was our starting point. I traveled from Gwalior, Alok came from Indore and Himanshu joined us at Jhansi. We boarded 12448 UP Sampark Kranti Express(scheduled time 2:20 AM) at around 3:10 AM on Saturday - March 8 2014. Khajuraho is at a distance of 175 km from Jhansi via NH 75. A superfast train takes around 4 hour 15 min to cover this distance. It was a short journey so we tried sleeping at the earliest.

At around 7:40 AM we reached Khajuraho. The railway station was an instant eye catcher. There is wide open space all around the platform.

Khajuraho Railway Station

Various Auto/Cab drivers were waiting for us at the platform. After a minor negotiation we hired an Auto for full day at INR 800. The Western group of temples is situated around 8.5 Km from the station. On our way we saw the domestic airport situated roughly 4 km before the temple complex. Construction of an international airport is in progress.

We reached the western group of temples (the most famous temples at Khajuraho) in around half an hour. The place is full of small shops, restaurants and other various kind of shops. Motorcycles and Cycles were available to explore the town. After the breakfast we began the sight-seeing. The entry fee for Indian National is INR 10 per person, Still photography is free.

The western group of temples are spread in huge area with numerous temples and a well maintained garden in the compound. Tourists can take the service of Guides available at the entrance. Audio guides are also available for the same. The temples are heavily carved both inside and outside the temple. Various aspects of life are depicted in the carvings. The temples have become a major attraction due to the erotic carvings, which is one of it's kind in the entire world.
The most famous temples are - Lakshman temple and Chaturbhuj temple.

View from the entrance of the temple compound

Carvings inside the temple

Sculptures on the wall of the temple

View of the temples from the garden

Heavily carved external walls of the temples

The beautiful temple compound

The Group Pic - Me, Himanshu and Alok 

We remained occupied in the western group temples till afternoon. Kandariya Mahadev temple is situated just outside the compound. 

The priest in Kandariya Mahadev temple

On the other side of the road Archaeological museum is situated which contains some of the finest sculptures. The basic design model used in the construction of temples is showcased in it.

We had a tasteful lunch in a nearby restaurant and next we set out to explore the remaining temples in the town. There are numerous temples situated throughout the city. Most of the temples have well maintained gardens. We didn't miss any opportunity to lie down on the green grass beneath the shade of a large tree.

Temple with mountain in backdrop

After spending a few hours in visiting many other temples in khajuraho we decided to head to Raneh falls, our last destination of the day. It is situated around 20 Km from the western group temple.

Alok, Himanshu and Ramswaroop - the driver

The road through the village enroute Raneh Falls

We thoroughly enjoyed the journey, thanks to the stereo in the auto and the awesome countryside. We reached the protected forest land at around 3:30 PM. After paying INR 160 for the auto and the passengers we cruised through the dense forest area.

the road through the Ken Sanctuary

Raneh fall is located on river Ken. A deep gorge and volcanic rocks makes this place a major attraction.

Raneh Fall

Ken river makes a 5 Km long canyon which is around 30 mt deep

Canyon made of pure crystalline granite in various shades

Ken Gharial sanctuary is situated near to the Raneh falls. After glancing the nature's wonder we started back to the Khajuraho town.

Shivsagar lake

We reached back to Khajuraho Railway station by around 6 PM. The Khajuraho Nizamuddin express left the platform at around 6:21 PM and we reached back Jhansi right on time at 11:10 PM

Train leaving the railway station