Amarkantak Temple

One of the holiest rivers of India, the Narmada, is the lifeline of Chattisgarh. Amarkantak, the source of the river Narmada is full of natural beauty. The great Sanskrit poet Kalidasa too has depicted the beauty of Amarkantak in his poems. Besides the source of river the garden-Mai ki Bagiya and the waterfalls-kail Dhara and Durgdha are worth seeing.

Amarkantak is situated in the Mailkal Mountains at an altitude of 1057 metres, which are the meeting point of the Vindhyas and the Satpura Mountain ranges in Central India. It is also the source of the rivers Narmada and one and thus is an important pilgrimage centre for Hindus. There are dense forests of teak, mahua, etc. around amarkantak where one can find numerous small and trickling streams feeding the Narmada.

The holy town of Amarkantak attracts thousands of sages and devotees all through the year and therefore innumerous ashrams or religious retreats have emerged in and around this place. Nature has endowed Amarkantak with its gifts and its beautiful sylvan surroundings, picturesque ponds, cascading waterfalls and wildlife have made it a much sought after destination for the religious-minded as well as for the nature lover.

Places of Interest

Narmada udgam is the source of the sacred Narmada River where a temple has been dedicated to the goddess Narmada. These old temple has been dedicated to the goddess Narmada. These old temple are build in 10th and 11th centuries. It contains a colourfully decorated, black basalts stone statue of Narmada. Thousand of devotees of all our countries visit the temple to pay homage to the goddess. Nearby, the kapildhara falls are interesting to watch an one wouldn’t expect a small stream turning into a mighty river, within a few kilometers, and plunging 24 meter sown a cliff into a gorge. The gorge is covered by dense forests and is a spectacular sight popular with tourists and locals.

Sonmunda is the source of the river Sone, also arising from the amarkantak plateau Amarkantak plateau. According to legends Sone and Narmada were to be wed, but sone married another stream and the repulsed Narmada, changed course from east to west and vowed to remain a virgin.

The mahadeo hills are near Amarkantak and have been immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in his famous ‘jungle book’ spreading the Indian term ‘jungle’ all over the world. Dhuni pani a natural hot spring amidst the dense forests of Amarkantak is definitely worth viewing.

Dugdha Dhara is another picturesque waterfall, where the water falls down a height of about 50 feet in a milkywhite cascade. Mai ki bagiya or mother’s garden is an ancient temple in the well-manicured gardens. The surroundings are quite scenic and also worth a visit.

The Puranas, Mahabharta, and Pamayana describe the greatness of Amarkantak. Bhrigu Kmandal, Dhuni Pani, Dugdha Dhara, Kapil Dhara, Mai ki Bagiya, Sonamuda are other sights for tourists at Amarkantak.

How to reach Amarkantak ?

Amarkantak is 71 Kms. from Anupppur, which is an important railway junction of the South Eastern Central Railway. Amarkantak is at a distance of 320 Kms. from Jabalpur and 265 Kms. from Rewa by road and around 100 Kms. from Shahdol. Jabalpur, Rewa, and Shahdol are all railway stations. The nearest railway station from Amarkantak is Pendra, which is 65 Kms. from Amarkantak. Pendra is in Bilaspur district of Chhatisgarh state. One can also reach Amarkantak by air. There is a permanent helipad at Amarkantak. There is also an airstrip at Lalpur in district Shahdol. One can reach Amarkantak by road. (90 Kms).

Photo Gallery

Lake near Amarkantak


Forests of Amarkantak


Ancient temples, Amarkantak


Amarkantak Wallpaper


Amarkantak temple images


Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh