Singrauli: Caves, Rock Art and Local Festivals

The Mada Caves, painted rock shelters and a historic fort give Singrauli a multifaceted cultural profile. The area also has festivals with different occasions and durations, walking trails in an eco-park, and a local specialty that you can also find from street vendors. This lets you shape your trip around the themes that interest you most.

Rock history around Mada

The Mada Caves are rock-cut caves dating from the 7th to 8th century AD. They are located in Mada, in Singrauli district. The complex consists of two caves: a temple cave and an underground basin-shaped cave. The temple cave contains a statue of Shiva and a statue of a goddess. The source of the water in the underground basin is unknown; it was probably used as a bathing pool in ancient times. This interpretation is a possibility, not a confirmed purpose.

About 200 metres from the Mada Caves is Sita Kuti, a small temple dedicated to the goddess Sita. There is also a small waterfall near the caves, known as a wish-fulfilling waterfall. In Mada, rock architecture, religious sites and a natural landmark sit side by side, offering different points of interest for anyone interested in history and local traditions.

Rock art, a fort and temples

The Mesolithic painted rock shelters of Ranimachi, Dholagiri and Goura Pahad are located in the Chitrangi tehsil of Singrauli district. Vardi ka Kila represents a different historical period: the fort stands in Bardi in the Chitrangi area, at the confluence of the Son and Gopad rivers. The Chandela rulers built it in the 15th to 16th century; it is surrounded by a two-storey defensive wall. The Mesolithic rock shelters and the medieval fort thus mark different periods in the region’s history.

Several temples also shape Singrauli’s religious landscape. The Audi Hanuman Temple is located in the Jhingurdah project of Northern Coalfields Ltd. Some of the steps leading to it are on the Madhya Pradesh side, while the rest are on the Uttar Pradesh side. The Shri Radha-Krishna Temple is in Dudhamaniya village in the Chitrangi area; millions of devotees attend during Krishna Janmashtami. Tippa Jhariya is considered a tourist spot, and Singrauli is also home to an old Hanuman temple.

Festivals and regional cuisine

At Jhingurdah Temple, the Oadi Mela is held every year for ten days during the Diwali festival. A 15-day festival takes place at the confluence of the Son and Gopad rivers on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The two events differ both in duration and in the festival they are associated with. So if you want to plan your trip around a tradition, Diwali and Makar Sankranti offer two different reference points; check the festival dates before making plans.

Litti Chokha is part of Singrauli’s culinary character and is considered a famous dish of the region. It is made with whole-wheat flour, black lentil flour and eggplant. It is often available in restaurants and from street vendors. The combination of these ingredients and its availability at different kinds of vendors make the dish a tangible introduction to local cuisine.

Walking trails and places for a quieter break

The Mudwani Dam Eco-park is in the Jayant area, covers 84,000 square metres and has walking trails. The Rose Garden in the Jayant township of the Northern Coalfields project has a different focus: it is considered a place for meditation and yoga. Lake Park Vindhyanagar is in the residential area of the NTPC township of Vindhyanagar and is regarded as a place to spend time with family and friends. The three places therefore suit different interests: walking trails, meditation and yoga, or spending time together.

Getting there and planning your stay

Singrauli can be reached from both sides by road and rail. Singrauli railway station is 25 kilometres from the district headquarters in Waidhan. Taxis, auto-rickshaws and buses are available for the onward journey from the station to Waidhan. The Varanasi–Singrauli road is described as a four-lane expressway and is 225 kilometres long.

Mada is connected by road, with taxis and buses available from Waidhan to Mada. For planning, two different reference points are useful: Waidhan for the transfers from the railway station mentioned above, and the onward connections from there to Mada. When looking for a hotel in Singrauli, consider which cultural or natural side of your trip you want to focus on, and check your connections accordingly.

Discover more destinations: Singrauli, Majan, Narsinghpur, Panna, Khandwa, Mandsaur, Datia, Khargone

For the broader travel overview: Madhya Pradesh.