Chikhaldara

Chikhaldara
Hill station
Chikhaldara Location in Maharashtra, India
Coordinates: 21°13′N 77°43′E / 21.21°N 77.72°E / 21.21; 77.72Coordinates: 21°13′N 77°43′E / 21.21°N 77.72°E / 21.21; 77.72
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Amravati
Elevation	1,088 m (3,570 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	4,718
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)

Chikhaldara is a Hill Station and a municipal council in Amravati district in the state of Maharashtra, India. Featured in the epic, the Mahabharata, this is the place where Bheema killed the villainous Keechaka in a herculean bout and then threw him into the valley. It thus came to be known as Keechakadara -- Chikhaldara is its corruption.

But there's more to Chikhaldara. The sole hill resort in the Vidarbha region, it is situated at an altitude of 1118 m and has the added dimension of being the only coffee-growing area in Maharashtra.

It abounds in wildlife -- panthers, sloth bears, sambar, wild boar, and even the rarely seen wild dogs. Close by is the famous Melghat Tiger Project which has 82 tigers.

The scenic beauty of Chikhaldara can be enjoyed from Hurricane Point, Prospect Point, and Devi Point. Other interesting excursions include Gavilgad and Narnala Fort, the Pandit Nehru Botanical Gardens, the Tribal Museum and the Semadoh Lake.

History

Chikaldara was discovered by Captain Robinson of the Hyderabad Regiment in 1823. The Englishmen found it particularly attractive because the lush green hue of the place reminded them of England. When the leaves fell in September/October, they were reminded of autumn in England. There was even a proposal to make it the seat of the Government of India.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[1] Chikhaldara had a population of 4718. Males constitute 58% of the population and females 42%. Chikhaldara has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 86% and female literacy of 72%. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Water supply

Water is supplied from Sakkar taalab.

Local features of importance

1. Melghat Tiger Reserve, which includes the Gugamal National Park
2. Gawilgad fort
3. Bhim-kund: This is the place where Bhima washed his hands off the blood of Keechaka.
4. Forest garden
5. Wildlife museum
6. Paratwada City

Chikhaldara Tourist Points

• Bhimkund (Kitchakdari)
• Vairat Devi
• Sunset Point
• Bir Dam
• Panchbol Point
• Kalapani Dam
• Mahadev Mandir
• Semadhoh Tiger Project
• Hariken Point
• Mozari Point
• Prospects Point
• Devi Point
• Goraghat
• Shakkar Lake
• Malviya and Sunrise Point
• Government Garden
• Museums
• Waterfall
• Dharkhura
• Bakadari
• Muktagiri

Connectivity

Chikhaldara is well connected to the cities of Paratwada,Amravati, Akola, Betul (M.P.),Khandwa (M.P.) and Nagpur by road. The nearest international airport is Nagpur: 229Km via Paratwada-Chandur Bazar-Katol route and 231Km via Paratwada-Amravati-Kondhali route. MSRTC plies buses from Nagpur to Chikhaldara via Amravati-Paratwada.

External links

• http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/Sanctuaries.aspx?strpage=Sanctuaries_chikhaldara.html
• Chikhaldara - Amazing Maharashtra
• Chikhaldara

References

	Dharni
	Chikhaldara
			Paratwada, Amravati

This article originally appeared in wikinews (Wikinews:Chikhaldara — probably deleted now), and was transferred over here, as this is a more suitable project. It was originally licensed under the Creative commons attribution 2.5 license, which is one-way compatible with the GFDL. Attribution goes to the wikinews community, and the only contributor to this article was the anonoymous IP address 61.2.143.77

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