Amarkantak by Utkarsh

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 the
Amarkantak town. Amarkantak is well known as a place from where two of Central
India’s 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 Narmada’s 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 can’t pass through it. In fact fat persons can’t 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.

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.