LOCATION

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.

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. On the outskirts of the city and en route to the Marble Rocks, one can visit the Madan Mahal. It is a Gond fortress built in 1116 and located on a rocky hill, overlooking the city. The hill, on which this fort is built, provides a panoramic view of Jabalpur city and its environs.

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.

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