An important tourist landmark in Panchmarhi, Pandav
Caves lend their name to this picturesque hill resort of Madhya Pradesh.
According to local legends and popular beliefs, the five Pandav brothers
of Mahabharata, along with their wife 'Draupadi', spent a part of their
exile here. Five ancient caverns carved out on a sandstone rock, in a
low hillock, forms these famous caves of Pachmarhi. Currently, they
stand as protected monuments of the hill station.
Pachmarhi is a combination of the two words 'Panch' and 'Marhi', which
translates to 'Five Caves' or 'Five Huts' in Hindi. This reiterates the
lore that the caves were home to the five Pandava brothers. These
1,000-year-old rock-cut caves also overlook an attractive garden. Thus,
the scenic beauty of the backdrop and their mythological significance
makes these caves one of the most famous tourist attractions of the
state.
Amongst these five caves, the most well ventilated and the spacious one
is the 'Draupadi Kuti', named after Draupadi, the wife of the five
Pandava brothers. The darkest of all the caves is the 'Bhim Kothari',
named after the toughest of the five brothers - Bhima. All the five
caves are hewed in a rough manner, which however do not mar their beauty
or attraction. People visit the humble sanctuaries that relate their
name with the Mahabharata, round the year.
Though Pandava caves proudly associate with Mahabharata, many
archaeologists contradict the fact. They believe that these caves belong
to the Gupta period (9th or 10th century AD) and even predict their
construction by Buddhist monks. Traces of an ancient brick-built stupa
have been unearthed on top of the caves, which dates back these caves to
the Buddhist period. Archeologists believe the stupa is a remnant of the
regime of King Ashoka.
Nevertheless, many people still deem the caverns as abodes of the
Pandavas, and love to visit the place because of their remote antiquity.
If you would like to make a visitation to the Pandav Falls while on a
trip to Madhya Pradesh, you can simply travel to Bhopal (120 km) by air
or Pipariya (47 km) by train and undertake a road journey towards
Pachmarhi to reach the site. One thing is for sure, you will never
regret undertaking so much travel to visit the caves.
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