Let us explore the city of Marble Rocks and Tiger Reserves of Jabalpur and get to know more about its Heritage.

Jabalpur gets its name because it was the native land of Jabali Rishi. This beautiful city is located at the banks of river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh and is famous for its Marble Rocks, sweet people and culture and even sweeter cuisine. While Jabalpur has grown into an advanced developed city today, which is well known for the education it offers and also is home to the game or sport of snooker in India, the city has a lot to be explored in terms of Culture and Heritage. 

History of Jabalpur: 

Jabalpur was ruled by mighty empires throughout history. Ashokan Relics found here hint towards the presence of the Mauryan Empire, and their fall led to Jabalpur becoming a city-state under the Satvahana Dynasty. Jabalpur also served as a Vassal state to Gupta Empire. 

However, apart from all of these Dynasties, Jabalpur was home to the Kalachuri Dynasty of Tripuri (old mythological name of Jabalpur Tripur Tirth). The Chausath Yogini Temple near Bhedghat is said to be the creation of a minister from this very Dynasty. 

The Gondwana Rulers contributed a lot to Jabalpur under their reign. Rani Durgawati made 85 ponds for water conservation present here even today. The last Empire to rule on Jabalpur was the Maratha Empire which lost Jabalpur to the East India Company after 1818.

Culture and Heritage of Jabalpur- Places of tourist importance you must visit:

The Gond Kings were highly fond of Jabalpur and decided to make it their pleasure capital and resort back when they ruled the region. Jabalpur today is a developed hub for a lot of commercial activity, but when we talk about the rich heritage sites of the place, here are a few you cannot miss:

Hanumantal Bada Jain Mandir

This medieval temple located at Hanumantal that was once the centre of Jabalpur is dedicated to Jainism and is built like a fortress. It consists of 22 shrines, each of them dedicated to Jain deities and Mahavir, with one room Or shrine specially dedicated to the only Jain Goddess Padmavati.

The bada mandir is the main Jain Temple in Jabalpur and the procession on the birthday of Lord Mahavira Starts from this temple. It is the largest independent Jain Temple in India.

The fort was established by Rajgond rulers and is famed for Rani Durgawati Fort. It is a memorial to the valiant Queen who died battling the Mughals. She is remembered as a Martyr in Indian history. She was a Gond Queen, therefore the Madan Mahal Fort is a modest fort with all the necessary military support and munitions. Moreover, it is astonishingly well-built for defence or attack, yet it is not an architectural phenomena.

The Balancing Rocks is a popular site on the way to the Madan Mahal premises and is a natural wonder. One huge boulder balanced on top of another without any support and has been this way for years together now.

Kachnar City: known for the 76ft Lord Shiva statue, this city also has replicas of Shiva Lingas from the 12 shrines (Jyotirlingas) across India. Another reason why you must visit this city in Jabalpur is the Rani Durgawati Museum which has many ancient relics, sculptures and many collections of items.

Heritage

Dumna Nature Reserve Park: this Nature Reserve Park is more than just a forested area. It also acts as a catchment area to Khandari Water Reservoir and supplies rainwater stored here to the reservoir. 1800 acres of forested land is home to many wild species and is an ecotourism site open to the public.

A typical Indian forest mix land, you can spot Chital, Wild Boar, porcupines, Jackals, and birds here. Beware, though- Dumna Nature Reserve also has 9 leopards, Jungle Cat, Rusty-spotted cats, four-horned Antelopes, etc.

Chausath Yogini Temple

This temple has 81 instead of 64 yogini shrines. However, it is still one of the 64 yogini shrines in Indian mythology, which gives it the name Chausath (meaning 64) Yogini Temple. The temple’s premises, as the name implies, include 81 compartments devoted to Yoginis in circular arithmetic. The temple dedicates to Gauri- Shankar deities, with Lord Shiva or Bhairava at the center.

Marble Rocks at Bhedaghat

This very famous natural phenomenon gets a lot of tourists to the Bhedaghat. Marble Rocks is a location on the Narmada River in the Bhedaghat district. It has an 8km gorge of Marble formation of rocks on both sides of the river. In fact, this region’s marble is mined and carved, and various sculptures are made from the Bhedaghat belt’s extraction.

Dhuandhar Falls: the river moves ahead from the Marble Rocks area and plunges into a waterfall called the Dhuandhar Falls. The waterfalls are 30m high and create mist or fog as waterfalls. That is how it got the name Dhuandhar (Dhuan means fog smoke or mist). 

The cuisine of Jabalpur:

Famous for the sweet tooth that this city has, you can indulge in sweet dishes like Doodh ka Halwa, Kalakand, Khoye ki Jalebi, Khoprapak, Mawa-Bati, Shrikhand, Malpua, Imarti, and many other famous Indian sweet dishes.

The Best time to Visit Jabalpur: September to March.

How to Reach:

By Air or By Train, you can directly access Jabalpur Airport and Jabalpur Railway station. By Road, Jabalpur is connected to major nearby cities like Varanasi, Damoh, Sagar, Nagpur, Bhopal, Jaipur, Kota, Raipur, Allahabad, etc. National Highway 30 and 34 connect it to Allahabad, Lucknow, and Kanpur, respectively.

We are sure you are looking forward to visiting this fantastic city in Madhya Pradesh. As Madhya Pradesh Tourism proudly says- Hindustan ka Dil Dekha. And we approve!

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