The greatest
joy of nature is when you are in direct contact with mountains, rivers, jungles
and wild animals, possibly in the absence of crowd, the destructive humankind.
A Combat Soldier only finds solace, pleasure and peace in such places; and
during leisure and holidays he prefers to spend his time in such Natural Beautiful
Godly Locations.
The confines of 5 Star parties, noise and filthy affluence of
artificial people, scare him, and he therefore feels lonely in such a crowd. He
knows, on earth there is no heaven, but remains aware, and always looks for
pieces of it, where possible. I obviously fall into that category, being a
thoroughbred breed; of a Combat Soldier, and my wife Vanita, is my willing and
happy partner, giving her pleasant company in all such episode of wild
adventure.
I and my
wife, frequently holiday at 9 Shri Govind, Brazilian Amazon valley type resort;
my private place in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, it is during our recent visit to
9 Shri Govind, that we decided to visit, this piece of Heaven on Earth,
“AMARKANTAK”. The place known as Tirthraj, the "King of Pilgrimages, located at the height of 3438 ft, from mean sea
level; is a unique Natural Heritage, a thick jungle area, being the
meeting point of the Vindhya and the Satpura Mountain Ranges, with the Maikal Hills being the fulcrum.
WE NEVER REALIZE THE WORTH OF WATER
TILL THE WELLS ARE DRY.
Amarkantak is where the Son River and the most Revered, Sacred and Devotedly Worshiped River
Narmada originates and emerges. Legends also say that for Lord Shiva, the river
is especially sacred on account of its origin, and it is often called Shankari.
All the pebbles rolling on its bed are said to take the shape of his emblem
with the saying, "Narmada Ke Kanker utte Sankar" (a popular saying in
the Hindi belt of India), which means that 'pebble stones of Narmada get a
personified form of Shiva'. These lingam shaped stones cryptocrystalline quartz; called Banashivalingas are much
sought after for daily worship by the Lord Shiva devotee.
WHEN THE
NATURE HAS WORK TO BE DONE, SHE CREATES A GENIUS TO DO IT.
The approximately 250 km road drive from
Jabalpur to Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh is picturesquely awesome and
beautiful; fantastic broad roads, Jungles, Mountains, River stream and wild
country side akin to South Africa, add excitement to the adventure. The villages en route are very few, but are
well maintained and well stocked, inhabited by innocent and cultured Adivasees, the
aboriginals.
If your SUV, is as good as mine, the constant gradient of the hill
to mountains, rising to 3438 ft; and regular cool showers from low vaporous
clouds, with summer Sun, above the clouds; penetrating its rays from
in-between, is an experience of life time; and how fast you approach and reach
this “Heaven on Earth”, you only realize; once you tunnel through the low thick
clouds, hugging your SUV; to the full blown view of “Narmada Kund”, the ground
zero at “Amarkantak,” the source, the origin of the most Revered, Sacred and
Worshiped, River “Ma Narmada”, as devotees refer to her. River Narmada flows
across Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat and into the Arabian Sea, a
prominent land mark, dividing India into North and South.
At
Amarkantak, MP Tourism, have the best and wonderful resorts; making your stay
spacious, in the well laid out varied accommodations. The highlight is the
food, with Non Veg and Liquor strict no.
Amarkantak,
has in abundance, the best Jungles, Mountains, Trekking Track, Steep Rock Climbing
Mountain Surface, Heritage Temples, River Stream and Water Fall, but the
World’s best, the most Serene and closer to God Devotion and pleasure, is the
precinct of “Narmada Udgan Temple”, the “Narmada Kund”; just be present there
between 7.30 PM to 9PM, and Experience the Presence of “Ma Narmada “around you,
Experience the Piousness and Purity of Narmada Aarti, Experience the Resonance
of Cosmic Sound “OM”.
Go there without Question, Criticism, Guilt and Attitude.
Let me assure you, “OM” will Reverberate, Resonate and Chant in your Ears,
always; Remember “OM” has Thousand meanings and Cure.
“OM
NAMAH SHIVAYA”