The Marble Rocks is an area along the

Narmada River 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 ...

in central India near the city of

Jabalpur Jabalpur, formerly Jubbulpore, is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the 3rd-largest urban agglomeration of the state and the 38th-largest of the country. Jabalpur is the administrative h ...

; in Bhedaghat of Jabalpur District, 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 ...

. The river has carved the soft

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

, creating a beautiful gorge of about in length. It is a popular Indian

tourist destination A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beau ...

. The local marble is mined and carved into various figures and transported all over India.

Geography

The Marble Rocks are a gorge along part of the

’s 1,077 km (669.2 mi) path through Madhya Pradesh.Narmada Control Authority
/ref> Earlier, the gorge was narrow in size and hence, monkeys could cross over from one side to another. This gave the gorge its local name- Bandar Kudni (meaning monkeys' jumping place). The white marbles are predominantly rich in

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

and are closer in hardness to

soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in sub ...

. This softness allows them to be carved. The area also contains blue and brown coloured marble.

Attractions

The area has many tourist activities. There is a cable car to take visitors across the gorge, row boats for guided tours of the river downstream of the falls, and many small shops filled with crafts made from the local materials. The most beautiful time for boating is during

Purnima Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day ('' Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exac ...

; especially during Kojagari Puja on Sharad Purnima, wherein boating is considered healing for the body and soul.Kojagari Puja
on Sharad Purnima

https://www.freepressjournal.in/cmcm/sharad-purnima-2017-kojagiri-purnima-significance-tithi-and-all-you-need-to-know] On Kaumudi celebration as it is also called; it's believed that the moon showers elixir or Amrit on Earth through its beams, as the moon and the earth are at closer distance on Sharad Purnima night, and due to this, the moonlight has magical healing properties which are said to nourish the body and soul of an individual. The moonlight on Purnima has magic healing properties, which is why it's acknowledged to shower ''Amrit Varsha'' (Elixir shower) on the

which meanders through the pristine rocks. Both bathing and boating are also considered very sacred on

Kartik Purnima Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hindu, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kartika. It falls on November or December of the Gregorian ...

in the holy

Kartik (month) Kārtika (,) is the eighth month of the Hindu calendar, which falls in October and November of the Gregorian calendar. In India's national civil calendar. In most Hindu calendars, Kartika begins with the transit of the Sun into Libra, begin ...

External links

*
MPTourism
on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

References

Landforms of Madhya Pradesh Tourist attractions in Jabalpur Rock formations of India Canyons and gorges of India World Heritage Tentative List for India {{MadhyaPradesh-geo-stub