Pachmarhi
Encyclopedia
Pachmarhi is a hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...

 in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

 state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...

 of central India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, also known for the Pachmarhi Cantonment. It is widely known as "Satpura ki Rani" (Queen of Satpura), situated at a height of 1000 m in a valley of the Satpura Range
Satpura Range
The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. The range rises in eastern Gujarat state near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to Chhattisgarh. The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the...

 in Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad is a city and a municipality in Hoshangabad district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is a city in the central india region, located on the south bank of the Narmada River, and is the administrative center of Hoshangabad District.-History:mohammed bharmal & abdeali batawalaThe...

 district. The highest point in the central India region and the Vindhya and Satpura range; Dhupgarh
Dhupgarh
Mount Dhupgarh or Dhoopgarh is the highest point in the Satpura Range and in Madhya Pradesh, India. Located near Pachmarhi, it has an elevation of 1,350 metres .It is a popular sunset point....

 at 1100 m is located here.

History

Pachmarhi region was kingdom of Gond tribe king Bhawut Singh . Prior to annexation to the British Empire, it was the capital of this tribal dynasty .
The area was introduced to western world by Captain James Forsyth of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 in 1857. Pachmarhi became a hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...

 and sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces
Central Provinces
The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur....

 of India. The population in 1901 was 3020, rising to double that number in the hot summer months. Pachmarhi also served as the summer capital for the Central Provinces
Central Provinces
The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur....

. The forest around the town is home to many rare varieties of plants. UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 added Pachmarhi park to its list of Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

s in May 2009.

Town

The town is not very large, and most of its area is under the administration of the Pachmarhi Cantonment Board, serving the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...

. The population of Pachmarhi is about 10,000 persons, most of whom are connected with the Army installations in the area.

The civilian portion of the town is small, and lies towards the tip of a lake. It has some hotels and a movie hall. A bazaar runs through the small town. An club and golf course exist, for the usage of military personnel.

A rarely used airstrip is situated near Dhupgarh
Dhupgarh
Mount Dhupgarh or Dhoopgarh is the highest point in the Satpura Range and in Madhya Pradesh, India. Located near Pachmarhi, it has an elevation of 1,350 metres .It is a popular sunset point....

. It is overrun with grass and is seldom used. Tigers are known to have been sighted near the airstrip. Panther sightings are common along the edge of the Pachmarhi Cantonment.
language:
hindi , english ,goandi
Tourism=
Pachmarhi is a popular tourist retreat. Tourists visit pachmarhi through out the year. There are numerous hotels but only few of them are located in civil area of pachmarhi away from houch pouch market area chunmun cottage(9424434599), vanasthali cottage,glen view,rock and manor are good option for those who are coming from big cities and wants to stay in peaceful location. Pachmarhi's elevation and the forests of the Satpuras, with their streams and waterfalls, are picturesque and home to much wildlife. Pachmarhi lies within the Pachmarhi Biosphere Preserve, created in 1999 to link two forest reserves into a larger wildlife conservation area at the highest point in Central India.
Pachmarhi also has a lot of cave paintings in the forests, some of which have been dated to be as much as 10000 years old.
Shown in the picture is the garden at the base of a tourist attraction called Pandava Caves, the caves are actually Buddhist in origin but the name persists.
The place has rich timber reserves including teak, but being a part of a reserve no new construction or felling of trees is allowed. Having a rich and rare flora as well as fauna, Pachmarhi needs central and state government approval for any new construction outside the town area.

Some of the places of tourist interest here are:
  • Rajat Prapat
    Rajat Prapat
    The Rajat Prapat is a waterfall in Hoshangabad district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the 30th highest waterfall in India.-Etymology:When sunlight falls on it, it shines as silver, that is why it is known as Rajat Prapat or Silver Fall...

     (Big Fall)
  • Bee Fall
  • Pandav Caves
  • Bada Mahadev
  • Gupt Mahadev
  • Chauragarh (Shiv Devotees come here in huge numbers during Mahashivratri)
  • Dhupgarh
    Dhupgarh
    Mount Dhupgarh or Dhoopgarh is the highest point in the Satpura Range and in Madhya Pradesh, India. Located near Pachmarhi, it has an elevation of 1,350 metres .It is a popular sunset point....

    (The highest peak of the Satpuras and Madhya Pradesh)
  • Handi Khoh (Deep Valley)
  • Apsara Falls (Fairy Pool)
  • Jatashankar
  • Duchess Fall
  • Pachmarhi hill
  • Pansy Pool
  • Waters meet
  • Picadilly circus
  • Patharchatta
  • Crumps crag
  • Lady Robertson's view
  • Colletin Crag
  • Mount Rosa
  • Handi Kho
  • Reechgarh
  • Rajendra Giri
  • Bansri bihar
  • Little Fall
  • Naagdwari


The town has many tourist hotels including the hotel run by Department of Tourism (Govt. of Madhya Pradesh). Private resorts and cottage/hotel facilities are also available. There is also a Bharath Scouts and Guides camping site about 4 km from the main town.

Tourists are advised to carry BSNL mobile network connections as all other networks have not yet started operations in Pachmarhi. It is also advisable to carry hard cash in case of a prolonged vacation since there's only one working SBI (State Bank of India) ATM there. Axis Bank also plans to open one by January 5, 2011.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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