Jabalpur
The town of Jabalpur, located in center-is of Madhya Pradesh, is a significant regional metropolis, exceeding the million inhabitants. It does not offer to the visitor who a restricted strong interest. However, one will be able to devote one moment to visit Rani Durgavati Museum For a small provincial museum, the quality of the exposed parts is a good surprise.
If somebody of débrouillard is found, one will unearth, in the western suburbs of the city, the small sanctuary of Mala Devi, which shelters a splendid goddess of the 12th century, of an exceptional grace.
One more generally goes to Jabalpur to visit either the falls of Marble Rocks, on the river Narmada, a score of kilometers of Jabalpur, one of the very beautiful natural sites of India, or the Natural reserves of Kanha or Bandhavgarh, at one day of road.
Marble Rocks
The river Narmada, one of the large rivers of India, is regarded as crowned. A known pilgrimage consists in following, obviously with foot, one of banks, the source (Is of Madhya Pradesh) to the mouth (Gujarat), then to reconsider its steps, by other bank... It is thus not astonishing that in certain remarkable sites (Mahesvar, Omkareshvar and precisely Marble Rocks), one meets a continuous flood visitors: saddhus (itinerant monks) with the orange dress, young people married in honeymoon, tourists of the country, but seldom from abroad.
The site comprises two principal points of visit:
Upstream, Narmada bubbles of powerful rapids, before being engulfed in a narrow master key leading in a cascade mugissante (Dhuanda Falls, or cascades of smoke). There, the flow of the river gathers in a fall not very high, a dozen meters, but, out the period of monsoon, water of a splendid green springs in an impressive swirl. From the point of view of the falls, one enjoys a beautiful landscape on the peaceful course downstream, between high cliffs of marble white.
Downstream, approximately a kilometer, a landing stage makes it possible to make on the river, enclosed in a throat between these high white marble cliffs, an extraordinary walk in boat Close to the falls, as on the driving way with the landing stage, of many gravers of craftsmen sell small so-called objects out of marble, actually out of soap stone (soapstone), much easier to manufacture.
Bheraghat
With semi-way between the site upstream and the site downstream on banks of Narmada, with the locality Bheraghat (or Bhedaghat), in top of an eminence which one climbs by a stiff staircase of 108 steps, is a temple of Yogini (Chaunsat Yoginî), the 10 2nd century. It is a temple of full air. A circular gallery shelters the statues of Yoginî, female figures terrifying, assistants of the Durgâ goddess. Many statues were mutilated with the wire of the centuries, in particular during a military forwarding of the emperor Moghol Akbar, in 1564. In spite of irrevocable dégats, the goddesses keep their savage pace and their capacity of evocation.
In the center of the enclosure, draws up a small temple of later invoice, 13th century, the temple of Gauri Shankara. In its sanctuary, an interesting representation of Uma Maheshvara is, i.e. the Shiva god accompanied by his Pârvatî wife, sitting both on the bull Nandi, the animal-vehicle of Shiva. On their line Ganesh is held, on their left the Sûrya god. In front of the entry of the temple, one notices beautiful and large old bell without leaf, on a gantry. Nandi and Lingam is placed at side.
If one takes time to detail the Yogini goddesses of the circular gallery, one will note that they are 81, and not 64 like it commonly is said, and as one reads it in the guides.
Madan Mahal
While returning from Marble Rock'n'rolls on Jabalpur, one crosses near the city, a zone of rock hills. Leaving the principal road on the line, one will reach little after an enormous rock mass where was built to the 12 2nd century a fortress, Madan Mahal, from where one has remarkable sights on the surroundings.