Mai ki Bagiya

About Mai ki Bagiya

Mai ki Bagiya sits a short way out from the main temple cluster at Amarkantak, in the belt of forest that covers the plateau. The name translates as the mother's garden, and the garden in question belongs to Maa Narmada: local tradition holds that the river goddess came to this grove to pick flowers, and the place has been treated as hers ever since. Pilgrims who come to Amarkantak for the source of the Narmada very often walk out here as well, because the two are understood as parts of the same story rather than as separate stops.

What you find on arrival is a genuine grove, not a laid out park. Mango and banana grow thickly, creepers run through the canopy, and the whole patch stays cool and dim even when the plateau above is in full sun. A small spring fed stream threads through the trees, and the flowering plants in the grove are the reason it carries the name it does. It is a quiet, devotional place, and most visitors walk it slowly.

In and around the grove

The grove itself

Dense, shaded and green, with mango and banana among the older growth and creepers tangled overhead. The shade is close enough that the temperature drops noticeably as you walk in from the open plateau.

The flowering plants

The flowers are the whole point of the name, and the grove is known for them. Which plants are in bloom depends entirely on the season, so ask locally what is flowering when you arrive.

The stream

A small spring fed channel runs through the grove. Pilgrims treat the water here as part of the sacred landscape of the Narmada's birthplace rather than as ordinary stream water.

The walk out from the temples

The approach from the Amarkantak temple cluster takes you through plateau forest, and for many visitors the walk is as much of the experience as the grove at the end of it.

Planning your visit

Treat this as a devotional site set in forest, and plan it alongside the Narmada source rather than as a trip of its own.

• Wear shoes you can walk in; the ground inside the grove is uneven and often damp.
• Carry drinking water, since there is little in the way of stalls once you leave the temple area.
• Respect the grove as a place of worship and take nothing out of it, flowers included.
• Ask locally about the condition of the path before setting out during or just after the rains.

Best time to visit

Amarkantak sits high enough that the climate stays pleasant for much of the year, and the grove is at its greenest and fullest from the monsoon through the months just after it. Winter mornings are the most comfortable for the walk, with cool air and clear light under the trees. Mid afternoon in the hot months is worth avoiding, though the canopy here holds shade better than anywhere else nearby.