Amarkantak Travel and Tourism Guide

Amarkantak (NLK Amarakaṇṭaka) is a pilgrim town and a Nagar Panchayat in Anuppur, Madhya Pradesh, India. The Amarkantak region is a unique natural heritage area and is the meeting point of the Vindhya and the Satpura Ranges, with the Maikal Hills being the fulcrum  

Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh is an important pilgrim center for the Hindus and the source of the rivers Narmada and Sone. Holy ponds, hills, forests, and beautiful waterfalls make Amarkantak a sought-after destination for the religious as well as nature loving tourists.

There are several stories about the origin of Amarkantak’s name. The famous Sanskrit poet, Kalidas named the place Amrakoot since the place contained lots of mango (amra) trees; later Amrakoot became Amarkoot. According to myths, when Lord Shiva destroyed Tripura by fire one of the three ashes fell on Amarkantak, which turned into thousands of shivalingas. One such linga is still is worshiped at Jwaleshwar.

Amarkantak also finds a mention in the Mahabharata, as one of the homes of the Pandavas during their exile.