The Landscape

Madhya Pradesh boasts of two mountain ranges - the Vindhyas and the Satpuras. Although neither can match the awesome altitude of the Himalaya or their snow-capped majesty, these hills exude a charm of their own. Hindu myths hand down to us an interesting account of the stunted growth of the Vindhayas. In this tale, Mount Vindhya appears as a king envious of Himalaya, considered by most as the king of the mountains. To prove his superiority, he started growing skyward. Soon he came in the way of the Sun revolving celestially.

Arrogant Vindhya refused to yield to the entreaties of the Sun to let him pass. Distressing darkness threatened to engulf all creation.

The gods were disturbed in heaven and were constrained to approach Sage Agastya to rescue them and the suffering humanity from such destructive show of might. Agastya agreed to help. He walked down to Vindhya and declared that he was southward bound on a pilgrimage. Vindhya paid obeisance to the noble sage and bowed low as the custom required.

As a gesture of exceptional respect, the mountain giant promised that he would remain in this kneeling posture till the sage returned from his pilgrimage. This was exactly what the sage desired. Blessing Vindhya, he continued on his journey. Vindhya, we are told has been waiting ever since for Agastya to return.

The myth is interesting in more than anthropomorphic details - Vindhya is in fact an older mountain system than the Himalaya, and the name literally translates as the hunter, suggesting that it was the traditional homeland of aboriginals.

Although nowhere does the Vindhya Range attain a height greater than 1000 meters, it has proved difficult enough a barrier to deter hordes of invaders from sweeping down from the Indo Gangetic plains.

The feeling of being in the mountains is far stronger in the Satpuras where the hillsides are verdantly wooded. The charming hill station of Pachmarhi is situated in the Satpuras and was developed by the British as a summer resort. The chief rivers of this region on the banks of which a profusion of cultures flourished from the pre-historic times, are the Chambal, Narmada, Betwa, Sone and Tapti.