The Patalpani Waterfall is a waterfall on the Choral River, a tributary of the

Narmada The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...

, located in the

Mhow Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a town in the Indore district in Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is located south-west of Indore city, towards Mumbai on the old -Agra Mumbai Road. It is the birthplace of Babasaheb B. R. Ambedkar . ...

Tehsil of

Indore district Indore District () is a List of districts of Madhya Pradesh, district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. It is believed that the city is named after its Indreshwar Mahadev Temple, Where Indra is the presiding deity as Indra+Oor. The Gu ...

in the state of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

The falls

Patalpani is a waterfall in

. It has an approximate height of 91 m (300 ft). It is on the Choral River. The water flow is highest immediately after the rainy season (usually after July). It goes almost dry in the summer season, and the stream is reduced to a trickle. The area around Patalpani is a popular

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors (Al fresco dining, ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event su ...

and trekking spot.

Etymology

According to folklore, the pit (''kund'') at the bottom of the falls goes as deep as '' patal'' (the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

in Indian mythology). Therefore, the falls are called ''Patal-pani'', ''pani'' being the

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

word for water.

Location

The nearest airport is Indore International Airport which is situated at a distance of roughly 40 km from the falls. The rest of the distance has to be covered via road or rail transport means. Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (MHOW) is the nearest town.

Rail

The nearest railway station is

Patalpani railway station The Patalpani railway station (station code: PTP) is one of the local railway stations of Indore district near Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow) town in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The station consists of two platforms. The platforms are not well shel ...

near the falls at a distance of 200 m on the Dr. Ambedkar Nagar Railway Station (MHOW)- Sanawad metre gauge train line. Two trains run on these route, one being the Heritage Train from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar Railway Station (MHOW) till Kalakund and the local train between Dr. Ambedkar Nagar Railway Station (MHOW) and Sanawad. The heritage train offers views of the Ghats, the Valleys, the Choral River and the rail line itself which more than a century old. It returns back the same day to Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (MHOW) from Kalakund in the evening.

Road

To reach the waterfall via road, one has to first reach Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (MHOW) town in Indore District. From there, the waterfall is situated at a distance of 8 km on internal country roads.

Accidents

Deaths in 2011

During the

monsoon season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...

(July-September), the area is prone to

flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...

s. On 17 July 2011, heavy rains occurred in the catchment area upstream of the waterfall. Over 50 visitors, many of them on a picnic, were sitting near the waterfall at that time. The local villagers warned them about the risk, and asked them to move away from water. Most of the visitors managed to get to safety, but five people were not able to move away in time. However, as they were crossing the stream, they were washed away in a sudden gush of water. Only two of them survived. The bodies of the victims were found over the next week: Chavi Dhoot of 22 years (18 July), Chandrashekhar Rathi of 55 years (19 July) and His daughter Mudita Rathi of 22 years (20 July). A video of the accident went viral. Subsequently, the local administration constructed a bridge and a staircase to avoid similar mishaps.2011 tragedy still fresh in people's mind
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References

{{Coord, 22.5039, N, 75.7987, E, display=Title Waterfalls of Madhya Pradesh Tourist attractions in Indore district