This year, I had the chance to visit Amarkantak, aka Teerthraj or king of pilgrimages, located at an altitude of 1000 meters in the district of Anuppur (Madhya Pradesh). I went there for a one-day trip in the springs with my husband. It is a renowned place of heritage, and the assembly point of the Vindhya and Satpura ranges, with the Maikal Hills being the pivot. This is also the birthplace of river Narmada, Son, and Johila (a tributary of Son).
The first place we visited was the Narmada Udgam (origin of the sacred Narmada river) mandir, a complex of temples with idols of gods and goddesses within it. At the center of the temple, Narmada Mai’s idol is present and beautifully decorated with a gold mukut. Besides to the Mandir, a cluster of Lord Shivling idols and a Shiv temple are present.
There is also a temple with Lord Ram and Sita nearer to it. The temple made with white marbles, and the Narmada Kund (origin of the river) is a beautiful sight to behold.
Then, we went to the complex of the ancient temples of Kalachuri, an ASI-protected site located nearer to the Narmada udgam temple. The tickets were to be made online for entry. Adi Shankaracharya established the Pataleshwar temple present in the complex. The temples are beautifully carved and are surrounded by greenery.
Next, we went to Mai ki bagiya (Mother’s garden), which was like 1-2 km distant from Narmada temple. It is a place with few temples and is surrounded by mango, banana trees, etc. It is a place of natural beauty, and a number of monkeys can be seen jumping around in the garden. There is this shop of Ayurveda just before the entrance.
Lastly, we went to the Shri Yantra Mandir, with a massive sculpture of four heads at the gate. The four heads signify the faces of Goddess Laxmi, Saraswati, Kali & Bhuvaneshwari. This place has an enchanting view. We ended our trip there. Overly, it was a pleasant visit to Amarkantak. I hope to visit the rest of the places that we missed due to time constraints in the future.
Thank You!!