Pandav Falls, Panna, Madhya Pradesh India

Puranic name of Amarkantak was Riksha parvat. It is not only the Narmada which arises from Amarkantak, because theson River, initially referred to as Jwalawanti of Johila, the Mahanadi and the Amadoh, which is a major early tributary of the Godavari, all rise from within the Amarkantak plateau.Among all the sacred rivers of India, the Narmada occupies a unique place. Legend has it that Lord Shiva blessed Narmada with unique purifying powers. Whereas to purify himself, a devotee requires taking one dip in the Holy Ganga, seven days' prayers on the banks of Yamuna and three days prayers on the banks of Saraswati, the mere sight of Narmada is enough. A charming folk tale describes the superiority of Narmada over Ganga. Once every year, after she herself is polluted beyond tolerance, Ganga visits Narmada dressed like a dark woman and takes a cleansing purifying dip in its waters! Narmada, which is more than 150 million years older than the Ganges RiverGanga and is considered by many Hindus to be the most sacred for all the rivers of India, Amarkantak itself is sacred to the Hindus and is deemed to be a door-way to ‘nirwana’.

The history about amarkantak reveals that during the Chendi dynasty hold the region was followed by the kalchuris in the 10th century. The region in the earier days was belived to be known as the ayodhya, as mentioned in our vedas, puranas that there was a ashram for the saints of kapil muni and rishi markand. Stories from the various books suggests that the pandavas of the mahabharat epic had spent their years of exile here. region was later in the 15th century was handed over Baghelas and in 1808, the bhosle of nagpur ruled out the region. Finally in went in the hands of minister of state goverment. In the hindu mythology, Narmada is one of the seven sacred rivers of India. Pilgrims bathe in its holy water to wash away their sins. legend has it that once every year, the mighty Ganga comes to Narmada to take a holy dip into its water at the place of its origin.

Pandav falls are about 34 Km from Khajuraho. We visited Pandav Falls on our way from Khajuraho to Bandhavgad. The falls are half a kilometer away from the entry-gate.  The entry fee for vehicles is Rs. 200. If you decide to go on foot then entry fee is only Rs.15 per person. We decided to go by car. Government has kept the area clean. There was lot of haze in the air though it was 10:00 am and sunny.

As soon as we reached the car park we noticed protective iron railings in the distance against what looked like the edge of a gorge.  Beyond the railings was a breath-taking bowl shaped valley and a serene lake of emerald colored water about 100 feet down below. At the center of the cascading rocks on the left, a stream from Ken River has found its way to the lake. This is known as Pandav falls. One also notices some caves on the other side of the lake. The Pandavas are said to have spent a part of their exile here in the caves and meditated. There is a well-built step route to reach to the lake and the caves.

Though our original plan was to take a look at the waterfall from the top and resume our journey towards Bandhavgad, the serenity of the environment and the peace of mind that we experienced pulled us towards the lake and caves. Mesmerized by the devine beauty of the surrounding forest, we started walking down the steps even before we could realize.

 A spot of great historical importance, The Pandav waterfalls, is also holds all the characteristics of an ideal picnic location. Pandav falls provides to the viewer a breath taking scenery of a cascading cataract falls down from a height of 100 m. A wonderful place where one can rejoice in a lively atmosphere of the gushing water that offers enormous opportunities for Boating & Angling. The amazing folklore that the waterfalls were the shelter of the mighty Pandavas makes this majestic falls historically significant too. Situated in the Panna National park, Pandav falls is bounded by the deep forest, which provides serene surroundings. The murmuring sound of the fall, the sound of sodden waters on the caves and the incredible sight of pool in middle of nowhere give the falls a picture perfect beauty. Among all, the panoramic sight of the entire town from this fall is really implausible.