CAPITAL OF THE GONDS The city of Jabalpur was the capital of the erstwhile medieval Gond rulers. It is not only an important historical place, but it is also famous for the Marble Rocks gorge on Narmada River, near it. It is an administrative and educational center and is the gateway to important wildlife sanctuaries around it. It is one of the largest cities in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. | |||||||||||
Jabalpur is located in central part of the state of Madhya Pradesh, in the central region of India. It is located just north of the Narmada River, in a rocky basin surrounded by low hills and dotted with lakes. Jabalpur is 336 km from Bhopal. The weather in Jabalpur is temperate but hot. Summers (April-June) are hot and winters are cool (November-February) and pleasant. It experiences southwestern monsoon rains in July-September.
VISITING TIME
The best time to visit Jabalpur is winters, between the months of October and March.
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THE PAST The origin of Jabalpur goes back to ancient times. It was then known as Tripuri and was governed by Hayahaya rulers. The ancient Indian epic of Mahabharata has references to his city. It became a part of the great Mauryan and the Gupta Empires. In ad 875, it was taken over by the Kalchuri dynasty who made Jabalpur their capital. In the 13th century, the Gonds seized it and made it their capital. By the early 16th century, it had become the powerful kingdom of Gondwana. From time to time, the Mughal rulers tried to overrun it. The legendary Gond Queen Rani Durgavati died fighting the Mughal forces led by the great Mughal Emperor Akbar. It finally fell to the Marathas in 1789 and was taken over by the British in 1817, when they defeated the Marathas. The British made Jabalpur the commission headquarters of the Narmada territories and established a cantonment here. TOURIST SPOTS The Rani Durgavati Museum located next to the tempo stand, south of the bazaar, is an important place to visit. The museum has a good collection of artifacts. It also has a section dedicated to artifacts and photos related to Mahatma Gandhi. Another place to visit in Jabalpur is the Old Bazaar area. |
SITES NEARBY
The Marble Rocks, a gorge on the River Narmada, 22 km from Jabalpur, is an important tourist spot. The different colored cliffs dotting the gorge offer an impressive sight. Travelers often visit the gorge at night to see the cliffs under moonlight. Tourists can enjoy the sight of these sheer cliffs on both side of the Narmada River on a shared rowboat, which takes the awestruck traveler through the 2-km-long gorge. One can see Dhuandhar waterfall near the gorge.
Kanha National Park, 160 km southeast of Jabalpur, is famous for tigers and leopards. One can also see sambhar, chital, barasingha (different species of deer) and gaur (Indian bison). It is also famous for wildlife safaris and for bird watching.
Bandhavgarh National park, 197 km northeast of Jabalpur, is located amidst the Vindhya ranges. Though it is much smaller than Kanha, it has a higher density of wild cats.
SHOPPING
Travelers interested in shopping can explore the markets and shops in the Old Bazaar area.
HOW TO REACH
The main bus stand is located near the Indian Coffee House, west of Napier town. Jabalpur is well connected by bus with Bhopal (8 hours), Indore, Satna, Raipur and Nagpur. Jabalpur railway station is located north of the Civil Lines area. It has direct trains to Satna (189 km, 3 hours), Varanasi (505 km, 13 hours) and Bhopal (336 km, 7½ hours).
PLACES TO STAY
Jabalpur is a gateway to the Kanha National park (160 km south east of Jabalpur) and Bandhavgarh National park (197 km north east of Jabalpur) and most of the travelers use it as a base to travel to these natural habitats. One can find a range of accommodation in Jabalpur, ranging from low-end to top- end hotels. Most of the economy hotels are located near the main bus stand. Most of the mid- and high-end hotels are located on Station Road, Civil Lines and Russell Chowk areas.
Tempos can be used for traveling to the Marble Rocks.
INFORMATION
The Tourist Office (Ph: 322111) is located at the railway station and travelers can get information about Kanha National Park from here. Travelers should beware of the commission racket in Jabalpur. The auto-rickshaw drivers often take the travelers to shady hotels, from which they take commission.
