Maldevta

Seventeen kilometres out, below the Raipur hills, the Song river spreads into pebbled braids across open farmland, and this is where the city comes for air. The morning cycling loop out here is something of a local institution; others come for a picnic, a short trek, the birds, or to stand ankle-deep in cold water. There is a small temple and a view of the foothills, and almost nothing in the way of facilities. October to April is the pleasant stretch. During heavy monsoon spells stay off the riverbed: the Song can rise quickly.

The locals' morning cycling run, ending on an open bank of river pebbles