Day 1 Delhi to Orchha (approximately 450 Kms)
Started by my personal seven-seater car at 7 am in the morning with my family from our home in Dwarka Sub-city of Delhi. Our first stop was for breakfast around 9 am at a restaurant on Yamuna expressway after the 2nd toll of Mathura. After around 40 minutes we started our journey again. When Yamuna expressway ended then internal bypass toll road of Agra started and we continued on the road. When this road ended, we took a right to Agra-Gwalior highway. After travelling for around 20 km negotiating a thick vehicular traffic and crowded streets of Agra, we made it to the Agra-Gwalior highway.
From Agra to Gwalior via Dholpur is a good 4 lane toll road but has lots of small local vehicular traffic which makes it a tough task to touch 100 kmph driving speed and I could manage a max speed of around 80 kmph. Before Gwalior, there is a bypass road to Jhansi. From Gwalior to Jhansi (100kms distance) the 4-lane toll road was under construction so it took more time than what we were expecting.
Jhansi to Orchha is only 20 km and the road is single lane. We reached around 5 pm to our pre-booked Hotel in Orchha. Took a light rest, had evening tea and visited Ram Raja Temple which was at a walking distance from our hotel. All our travelling fatigue vanished after entering the Ram Raja Temple, the main active temple of Orchha. I did not stand in the queue but had darshan from a distance without queue. I liked the ambience, soaked in peace and tranquillity. Also, the scene seemed stuck in time and it felt as if we have travelled 50 years back in time.
Day 2 Orchha to Pachmarhi (approximately 450 Kms)
Next day we started at 8 in the morning from Orchha for Pachmarhi. There is a nice shortcut route to reach Jhansi- Sagar highway from Orchha which we found using google map. Sagar is the biggest city near Pachmarhi.
Jhansi – Sagar Highway is very good with sparse traffic so we managed to keep a good speed a long time. There are a few restaurants only at Sagar bypass so we had lunch there. After Sagar, we continued on the same highway till Kareli. From Kareli, we left the national highway and came to state highway heading to Pipariya via Gadarwara. The road from Kareli to Pipariya via Gadarwara is single and narrow, full of local traffic so it takes maximum travelling time. Google map shows a shortcut to Pachmarhi bypassing Pipariya but I won’t advise you to take this option, as this shortcut is considered very risky. Go through Pachmarhi via Pipariya only. We reached Pachmarhi around 7 pm in the evening. I observed that during my journey from Orchha to Pachmarhi, there are very few petrol pumps, hotels and other facilities.
Day 3,4 and 5- exploring Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi is a beautiful hill station. Though the mountain heights are not much but the hills here are of very different shapes as compared to the mountains of Northern India. We had visited Pachmarhi in the month of June. The weather was hot but not as hot as in the northern Indian plane. The good thing is Pachmarhi can be visited throughout the year. What strikes you the most is the greenery all around. The place is full of Sal trees.
Visited first two days via local jeeps and they cover all the tourist places to visit and is good to visit via jeep as on many places your private vehicle is not allowed. Main tourist attractions are Pandav caves, Gupt Mahadev, Bada Mahadev, Sunset point, B-fall and many other places. The local jeeps on hire cover all the places.
These hills are full of caves, many of these caves have water tricking all over. As a result, these caves remain very cool throughout the year. It was a great experience to venture into these caves and feel their coolness.
The third day at Pachmarhi we visited local Pachmarhi market. The whole Pachmarhi area is an army cantonment area, as a result, there are very strict restrictions of any form of construction. As a result, much of it has remained the way it was 50 years ago. There is, thankfully, not much commercial activity, the place is very clean and well maintained.
Day 6 Back to Orchha
On the sixth day at 8 in the morning, we started our journey back to Orchha. We reached Orchha at around 5 pm.
Day 7 Exploring Orchha
On the seventh day, we visited Orchha. Located next to the beautifully flowing, boulder-strewn Betwa River, Orchha is beautiful and historic. There is a lot to explore here, from magnificent old palaces, old temples, a wildlife sanctuary, village life and traditions.
On the eighth day morning, we started our journey back to Delhi and reached Delhi by evening.
[Reposted from Travel Bug Asheesh]
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