Experience the best of Jabalpur

Jabalpur lies in central Madhya Pradesh among low rocky hills, close to the Narmada River. Madan Mahal, a small twelfth-century hilltop fort of the Gond kings, perches on a rock above the city, and a museum recalls Rani Durgavati, the Gond queen who resisted a Mughal army in 1564.

At Bhedaghat, about 20 kilometres away, the Narmada flows between cliffs of white marble up to 30 metres high, where boats glide through the gorge, and Dhuandhar Falls throws up a cloud of spray. A hilltop temple of the sixty-four yoginis, circular and open to the sky, stands above the river. The Kanha and Bandhavgarh tiger reserves lie to the south-east and east.

Poha with jalebi is the usual breakfast, and dal-bafla, wheat balls with lentils, and sweets made from khoya, reduced milk, are regional specialities. Dhuandhar Falls is at its fullest in and just after the monsoon.