Amarkantak

Amarkantak stands on the Maikal plateau at the meeting of the Vindhya and Satpura highlands. It is revered as the source of the Narmada, whose waters run west across central India, while the Son rises nearby and flows toward the Ganges. Shrines surround the sacred pool of the Narmada, and a group of stone temples bears witness to the patronage of the Kalachuri kings. Pilgrims have long visited the place where the river begins its journey.

The Kalachuri temples include the Karna Mandir and shrines dedicated to Shiva. Their architecture connects the sacred landscape with the dynasty that ruled from Tripuri. Later rulers also maintained the pilgrimage centre: the Bhonsles of Nagpur and the Baghela kings of Rewa supported repairs to older structures, while Ahilyabai Holkar is remembered for renovating the Narmada temple. The river itself became the object of a long pilgrimage, the Narmada parikrama, along its two banks.