Genesis of the Dhuadhar Falls, Bhedaghat, Madhya Pradesh, India

Dhuadhar Falls in Bhedaghat near Jabalpur, one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Madhya Pradesh, India, attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year. The mighty River Narmada drops (Figure 1 a) 30 m down into a deep gorge of marble rocks, creating one of the most beautiful natural sites. Although there is a lot of literature available describing the surrounding rocks like marbles and schists of Precambrian Mahakoshal group, Lamheta Formation of the Cretaceous and the Deccan Traps^1–3, there is hardly any work explaining the genesis of the Falls itself. The River Narmada flows almost in a straight line along the Narmada–Son Lineament (NSL) marking the boundaries of some of the important basins of India⁴.