A trip to Bhedaghat – the stunning world of marble rocks, waterfalls & more

“Have you also learnt that secret from the river?

That there is no such thing as time?

That the river is everywhere at the same time

At the source and at the mouth,

At the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current,

In the ocean and in the mountains – everywhere

And that the present only exists for it,

Not the shadow of the past, nor the shadow of the future!!”

If you don’t agree with the above quote of Hermann Hesse, do visit Bhedaghat and you will be able to totally relate.For, these were exactly the thoughts in my mind as I witnessed the roaring Dhuandhar waterfalls, the mighty Narmada River rushing through the marble gorges and then expanding on to the plains far and wide! All at Bhedaghat, near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

 

On the fourth day of our epic road trip across Madhya Pradesh, we drove from Nagpur to Jabalpur. But, before settling down in the city of Jabalpur, let us take you through an armchair trip to Bhedaghat with us, starting with the Dhuandhar Waterfall.

Dhuandhar Waterfalls

The word “dhuan” means “smoke” and “dhar” means stream. As the water of river Narmada plunges more than 100 ft in the gorges, forming a massive waterfall, it’s very aptly named Dhuandhar Waterfalls. As, one can see the smoke of water droplets rising as high as the waterfall itself, as the water hits the grounds with a roar. And the sound of these roars can be heard much before you actually see the waterfall itself. Definitely , a site to behold. No wonder on my trip to Bhedaghat, it was the first thing I yearned to see. For, after falling in love with the massive waterfalls of Meghalaya on my trip to Meghalaya, I am always in for chasing one.

Although the common viewing points take one very close to the waterfall, but we viewed it from a different side. Which gave us a full frontal view of the massive falls and the gorges. The Bhedaghat waterfall is one of the mightiest that I have seen, comparable to the one we visited on our trip to Coorg. 

There is ample public parking space near the Dhuandhar waterfalls. And a plethora of shops lining the way to the waterfalls. These shops sell all kinds of artifacts. But the main attraction are marble made items.

There is a ropeway also, which crosses from right above the waterfalls. And ferries people to and fro the other side. It is operational till 5:30pm in the evening.

The gorge of river Narmada & the marble rocks

Although the gorges of river Narmada right after the waterfalls did remind me of Gandikota – the grand canyon of India. But the marking difference between the two is that while the rocks of the gorge in Gandikota are made of sandstone, those here in Bhedaghat are made of marble – something unique – which exists only in Bhedaghat. And that is what makes a visit to these gorges a must when on a trip to Bhedaghat. Not far from the dhuandhar waterfalls, the river calms down and expands between the gorges. And boating here is a lifetime experience. The boating experience here reminded me of our boating at the Dawki river in Meghalaya. But again, here at Bhedaghat, you experience the boating in bamboo made round boats. Something that makes it even more worth.

While boating, one can view the marble rocks up close. Most of them are white, some pink. But when sunrays fall on them from different angles, they exhibit different colors – producing a site to behold.

No wonder, this place has been a favorite among the bolywood blockbusters, with several being shot here like Ashoka, Jis Desh me Ganga Bahti Hai, Khoon Bhari Maang and many others.

PS: The boating starts from 15th October onwards, post monsoons. So, plan accordingly if you plan to experience it.

Chausath Yogini Temple

At just 1.5 km walk from the Dhuandhar Waterfalls, lies an ancient temple of Goddess Durga – the Chausath Yogini Temple, constructed in around 12th Century. “Chausath” means 64 and “Yogini” means “Lady Worshippers”. The temple has sculptures of 64 different yoginis in it’s premises, and that is where the name of the Chausath Yogini Temple comes from. Although many of these sculptures were destroyed when Aurangzeb’s forces attacked the region, some still stand almost untouched. There are 108 steps that lead to this temple, which is perched atop a small hill. So, brace yourself for the climb.

 

But you will be truly rewarded once you reach here. Since the temple is serene and very peaceful, devoid of crowds as most visit the Dhuandhar waterfalls and return. So, if you like temples and architectures, do include a visit to the Chausath Yogini Temple in your trip to Bhedaghat. It is definitely one of the most beautiful ancient temples of India that we have visited so far.

How to reach Bhedaghat

Bhedaghat is right besides Jabalpur, a town in Madhya Pradesh with excellent connectivity to rest of the major towns. It also has an airport but with less frequent flights. When flying, one can always get a flight to Bhopal, if not Jabalpur. And then travel from Bhopal to Jabalpur via road or rail. One can also reach Jabalpur from other major parts of Madhya Pradesh like Khajuraho, Tala & from cities in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra like Nagpur. We ourselves did a road trip from Nagpur to Jabalpur. For half the journey we travelled on NH44 and then for rest on NH34. Both the national highways were in good condition. It took us 4.5 hrs to reach Jabalpur from Nagpur.

Where to stay on your trip to Bhedaghat

There are plenty of motels and economical budget hotels once you turn from NH34 on the Bhedaghat main road to head towards the waterfalls. Although, you will get much wider options of hotels in the city of Jabalpur. You can book your hotel in Jabalpur using this link, or, by clicking this booking.com link. We particularly like booking our hotels via Agoda and booking.com since there are often options of last minute free cancellation – just in case! If you click the above link to book, we will earn a little commission, without incurring any extra charges to you.

We stayed right near NH34, on the outskirts of the Jabalpur city in Shawn Elizy Hotel. This helped us save time travelling from Bhedaghat to our hotel. And also the next day when we continued our journey further. We would highly recommend staying here. Not because of luxury, but because the hospitality here is top notch. Everything was so well taken care of, that it is difficult to describe in words. They definitely made our stay worth it.

Lunch options near Bhedaghat

There are plenty of resorts & hotels around Bhedaghat, particularly near the Dhuandhar waterfalls. If you happen to reach here by noon, you can definitely try one of these.

When is the best time to do a trip to Bhedaghat

This will depend on what you want from your trip to Bhedaghat. For gushing waterfall and roaring river at it’s mighty best, you should visit right post the monsoons seasons. Towards the end of september and early october. But if you also want to boat on the gorges then you should definitely plan your trip post 15th october as that is when the boating gets operational and continues till April, right before the monsoons.

Other tips on visiting Bhedaghat

Timings

Dhuandhar Waterfalls – 6:30am – 8:30pm

Chausath Yogini Temple – 8:00am – 6:00pm

Roapway over the Dhuandhar waterfalls – 10:30am – 6:00pm

Boating – 10:00am to 5:00pm

Prices & Ticket charges

Parking / Entry charges – INR 30/- per car

Roapway over the Dhuandhar waterfalls – INR 55/- per person

Boating – INR 100/- per person when sharing a boat, the boating duration is 1 hr.

Apart from this, do carry an umbrella and sunglasses, along with plenty of drinking water with you as the temperatures here are generally high in the day. Apply sunscreen lotion at regular intervals.

Be careful near the rocks when visiting the waterfalls or at the boating point, since, they can be slippery.

 

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