Pachmarhi

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Pandav Caves Pachmarhi
Pandav Caves Pachmarhi

Pachmarhi is a hill station in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is widely known as " Satpura ki Rani", situated at a height of 3500 ft. in a valley of the Satpura Range in Hoshangabad district.

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[edit] History

The area was discovered in the modern times by Captain James Forsyth of the British army in 1857 Pachmarhi became a hill station and sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces 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.

[edit] Details

[edit] Location

45 kilometres by road from Piparia station on the Indian Railways. Piparia is on the Itarsi Jabalpur train line 2 hrs Train run from Jabalpur. All the trains on this line pass through Piparia, but only a few halt here. It's main connection to the world is the road link through Matkuli. The 25 k.m Matkuli - Pachmarhi road is the only metalled road to Pachmarhi. From here it is connected to Piparia, the nearest rail head, Sohagpur, Jabalpur, Chindwara and Bhopal as well as Itarsi and Hoshangabad.

[edit] Economy

Pachmarhi is a tourist retreat. During the Diwali and winter season many tourists visit this place, and there are reasonable facilities to accommodate them . 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 and Satpura National Park into a larger wildlife conservation area. It also has Dhupgarh -- 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/ felling of trees is allowed. Having rich and some rare flora as well as fauns Pachmarhi needs a central and state governement approval for any new construction outside the town area. Being part of a forest reserve, new construction is not allowed without central and state governement permission. Only existing structures are allowed to be modified.

[edit] Town

The town is not very large, and most of the area is under Army control, overall it is a small town of about 10000 population, the majority of it being the army. The civilian town is small and towards the tip of a lake. It has some hotels and 1 movie hall. A bazaar runs through the small town. There is a large swathe under the Army control, which includes the area near the club and the Golf Course. A rarely used airstrip is towards Dhupgarh. It is overrun with grass and is seldom used.

[edit] Education

There is no college, and there is a state government school as well as a Kendriya Vidyalaya. The Indian Army's Army Education Corps Center and College is based here. The forest around the town is home to many rare varieties of birds and insects.

[edit] Places of Interest

Some of the places of tourist interest here are:-

  • Satpura National Park
  • Rajat Prapat (Silver Fall)
  • Bees Fall
  • Pandav Caves
  • Gupt Mahadev
  • Chauragarh (Shiv Devotees come here in huge numbers during Mahashivratri)
  • Dhupgarh (The highest peak of the Satpuras and Madhya Pradesh)
  • Handi Kho (Deep Valley)
  • Priyadarshini
  • Apsara Falls
  • Jatashanker
  • Saunderkund
  • Big Fall
  • Duchess Fall

[edit] Accommodation

Apart from Pachmarhi club that has an adjoining Hotel which are in British vintage houses, there is also a New Hotel, closer to Pandava caves run by MP Tourism. There are some hotels in the town, which are not of very good quality. Apart from these there are several government Guest houses, belonging to the M.P govt as well as the Forest department. The A.E.C Center also has a mess and rooms, but these need military contacts.

[edit] Trivia

Dr Rajendra Prasad - the first President of India, loved to come here for a break. There is a hilltop Guest house built specially for him, called Rajendra Giri. It is towards Dhupgarh and near the airstrip. It is a very large property with large grounds and a good view. The following Hindi films were shot in Pachmarhi

  • Massey Sahib
  • Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jai
  • Tarkieb

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 22°28′N, 78°26′E

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