Jabalpur

Understand

thumb|300 px|Boat ride through Marble Rocks The Narmada River valley is famous for its Marble Rocks, a unique formation where the whole river flows for nearly 2 kilometers between varied coloured and tinted marble rocks with a deep water fall.

Pleasure resort and capital of the Gond Kings during the 12th century, Jabalpur was later the seat of the Kalchuri dynasty. The Marathas held sway over Jabalpur until 1817, when the British wrested it from them and left their impression on the spacious cantonment with its colonial residences and barracks. Today Jabalpur is an important administrative, industrial and business center of MP and India. Population wise ranks 27th in the country.

Jabalpur is an industrial city with a large component of defence industry and a lot of smaller cottage industry. It is a great education centre as well, with two universities, Rani Durgavati University and Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University, and with about 30 colleges with a range of faculties. It also has several engineering and medical colleges.

Vinoba Bhave, the modern saint philosopher of India, christened this city as Sanskar Dhani- the capital of various cultural influences. He was impressed by its cosmopolitan character and communal harmony. The city has a sizeable population of people from Bengal, Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and South India who live in total harmony and peace and add richness to the life in the city. One can also see the fusion of cultures in this city. The cultur…

Get in

thumb|240 px|Jabalpur Railway Station Jabalpur is well connected by air, train and road.

Get around

You can rent a taxi to go to places like Bheraghat, Bandhavgarh and Kanha. These should be available at the Railway station or at the hotels. Cycle rickshaws are by far the most common means of transportation inside the city.

See

thumb|right|240 px|Balancing Rock thumb|240 px|right|Dhuandhar Falls thumb|240 px|Dhunadhar Waterfall from Ropeway thumb|240 px|Madan Mahal thumb|240 px|Chaushat Yogani Temple Apart from places of tourist interest within the city, Jabalpur also offers a number of short excursions.

Eat

In terms of distinctive local cuisine, Jabalpur does not have much to offer; however, as many cultures from around the country converge here, you can find many eateries in and around the town offering a wide variety of food.

The Chowpatti in Civic Centre is a low cost option that houses a number of food carts spread in a square and along the roads. These carts offer a range of food items such as Bhelpuri, Chowmein, and Pav Bhaaji.

There is a very famous Parathewali aunty near the railway station (platform 4 entrance). Her cheerful banter and delicious Parathas make it a hotspot for travelers and youngsters alike.

Haji - Basheer hotel, opposite Coffee House Sadar offers delicious and cheap mutton samosas and shami kebabs. Biryani (Mutton, Chicken, Chicken curry are some of the other additions to the menu but are not recommended.

Navneeta, Hotel Samdareeya, Hotel Roopali Inn, Indian Coffee House, Traffic Jam and Arihant Palace are nice restaurants for dinner, For those interested in fast food, there is Cafe Coffee Day and Dominoes Pizza. You can get some of the best Indian-Chinese food at Clock Tower and Kamling. At nights the small vendors near Fuhara serve tasty food and desserts like Lassi, Rabri and Khova Jalebi at Badkul, 471 Jawahar Ganj, Near Kamaniya Gate.

However Jabalpurians (residents of Jabalpur) are often friendly and reserved to foreign tourists. If you could make a friend here, chances are high that he/she will invite you to their home for food. Depending…

Buy

Currency exchange — There is a branch of State Bank of India located in Civil Lines where foreign travellers can exchange US dollars and euros mostly. The rates are standardized by SBI. However it might take awhile depending upon the processing speed of officials and not their computers. This is the safest and most economical way of exchanging money in the city.

you can also buy a few marble stone statues and souvenirs from Bheda ghat or some shops located near city Bengali club and bada fuhara (big fountain)

Go next

The city is close to following places of interest: Bandhavgarh National Park (164 km): This nearby national reserve forest has the highest density of tigers in the world, making it a good place to see a tiger in its natural habitat. It is in this valley where the white tiger was discovered. Khajuraho (257 km): A group of magnificent temples, listed on UNESCO World Heritage List Kanha National Park (165 km): Jabalpur is the nearest big city to this park, which is one of the biggest in India and has the distinction of successfully implementing Project Tiger, as part of the country's tiger conservation program. Every year the park attracts large numbers of tourists watching tigers from close proximity. The park was also the inspiration for the Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Pench National Park (172 km): A forest known for tiger spotting Pachmarhi (244 km): A hill station in Satpura Range with the touch of the Raj