Shivpuri

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View of a Chhatri (Cenotaph) of the Scindias

Shivpuri is a town in the Gwalior Division of northwest Madhya Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Shivpuri District. It is situated at an altitude of 1515 feet above sea level and located at 25°40' North, 77°44' East of latitude and longitude.

1 History
2 Local attractions
3 Industries
4 Famous people
5 See also

[edit] History

Shivpuri is very ancient town and a sacred place. It is named for the God Shiva. It is steeped in the royal legacy of its past, when it was the summer capital of the Scindia rulers of Gwalior. Earlier to that, Shivpuri's dense forests were the hunting grounds of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Akbar captured herds of elephants for his stables while returning from Mandu in year 1564. The thick forrests are still there and continue to be a source of forrest-produces of domestic and industrial use.

Shivpuri was awarded as Jagir to the Kachwahas of Narwar in the 17th century. It came under the rule of the Scindias in 1804, who granted it to one of their Maratha generals by name Ingle. Later, it was transferred to the HEIC in 1817 under a treaty, but the Scindias regained it in 1818.

Tantya Tope was awarded death sentence on April 17, 1859 by British Raj for his part in the Revolt of 1857 in nearby Jhansi. He was hanged to death in Shivpuri, at a site near the present collectorate.

[edit] Local attractions

View of George Castle in Madhav National Park, Shivpuri

Shivpuri’s royal ambience lives on in the exquisite palaces and hunting lodges and graceful erected by the Scindia rulers. Intricately embellished marble cenotaphs commemorating the Scindia rulers are a special attraction in Shivpuri.

George Castle was built in 1911 by the Scindia ruler Jiyaji Rao Scindia within the National Park at its highest point, for an overnight halt for tiger shooting by British King George V. He was to pass that way during his visit to India. It so happened that King could shoot a tiger on the way itself and did not stop at Madhav National Park. View of the lake and downhill surroundings from this point at the sunset is unique.

Shivpuri District In the tribal district of Shivpuri alone, more than 4,500 children suffer from acute malnourishment. Unicef officials say close to 1,000 have been classified into Grade 4 - which means they are critical[1] The tribals in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh earn their livelihood by working in illegal mining. However, the working conditions are so appalling that most of the workers suffer from advanced tuberculosis with no hope of survival. And with medical facilities being practically non-existent, their suffering is often compounded.[2] According to official figures, 860 people in Shivpuri district have respiratory disorders while 38 serious TB patients were admitted to hospitals. But of them, only one man has stayed while the others left without recovering because of the unhealthy conditions. "There is an acute shortage of staff in the hospital. There is only one nurse instead of the requirement of four. There are only two ward boys, one of whom is working in the chief medical officer's house," said Dr R K Jain, Nodal officer, District TB Hospital, Shivpuri.[3] A UNDP India report lists fourteen districts in Madhya Pradesh that have the worst gender ratio, fertility rate and female infant mortality rate at age 2. Guna District is the third worst and Shivpuri district is the seventh worst.[4]

[edit] Industries

The Gwalior Forest Products Ltd is a 60 year old company located in Shivpuri that manufactures standardized Herbal Products and Phytochemical products. GFP Herbal is one of the largest employers in the town and has a 200 acre facility.[5]

[edit] Famous people

Col. G.S. Dhillon, an associate of Subhas Chandra Bose of Indian National Army, was one of famous people from Shivpuri who have put their life and family at risk for the pride of Indian nationality. He was one of the accused in Historic trial on 5 November 1945 at Red Fort. He was living at village Hatod in Shivpuri during his last days of life.

Jyotiraditya Scindia is the Member of Parliament from Shivpuri. He was elected to the Lok Sabha in February 2002 from the constituency of Guna which Shivpuri comes under. Shivpuri formerly represented by his father Madhavrao Scindia, with a margin of victory more than 450,000. He was re-elected to the 14th Lok Sabha when he won the elections in May 2004.