Pachmarhi

Pachmarhi
पचमढी
Hill station

Pachmarhi valley
Nickname(s): Queen of Satpura
Pachmarhi
Coordinates: 22°28′00″N 78°26′00″E / 22.4667°N 78.4333°E / 22.4667; 78.4333Coordinates: 22°28′00″N 78°26′00″E / 22.4667°N 78.4333°E / 22.4667; 78.4333
Country India
State Madhya Pradesh
District Hoshangabad
Elevation[1] 1,100 m (3,600 ft)
Languages
 • Official Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 461881
Telephone code 917578
Vehicle registration MP-05
Nearest city Pipariya

Pachmarhi is a hill station in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It has been the location of a cantonment (Pachmarhi Cantonment) since British Raj.[2] It is widely known as Satpura ki Rani ("Queen of Satpura"), situated at a height of 1100 m in a valley of the Satpura Range in Hoshangabad district. Dhupgarh, the highest point (1,350 m) in Madhya Pradesh and the Satpura range, is located here.

History

The name Pachmarhi is believed to be derived from the Hindi words Panch ("five") and Marhi ("caves"). According to a legend, these caves were built by five Pandava brothers of Mahabharatha era during their fourteen years of exile. The caves are situated on a hilltop and provide an excellent vantage point.

British arrival, Pachmarhi region came under the kingdom of the Gond king Bhawut Singh, although it was a populated village or town at that time. Captain James Forsyth of the British Army along with Subhedar Major Nathoo Ramji Powar who was later made the Kotwal (Incharge of the armoury (Koth)of Pachmarhi, spotted the plateau in the Pachmarhi region in 1857, while leading his troops on the way to Jhansi.[3] It quickly developed into hill station and sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces of India.

The population in 1901 was 3,020, rising to double that number in the hot summer months. Pachmarhi also served as the summer capital for the Central Provinces.

The forest around the town is home to many rare varieties of plants. UNESCO added Pachmarhi park to its list of Biosphere Reserves in May 2009. The total area of Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve is 4981.72 km2. It is located at longitude 22° 11’ to 22° 50’N and latitude 77° 47’ to 78° 52’E. It covers parts of three civil districts, viz., Hoshangabad (59.55%),Chhindwara (29.19%) and Betul (11.26%). It includes three wildlife conservation units viz., Bori Sanctuary 485.72 km2), Satpura National Park (524.37 km2) and Pachmarhi Sanctuary (491.63 km2). These altogether has also been notified as Satpura Tiger Reserve (1501.72 km2) African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Vol. 5(9), pp. 717–721, September 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJEST ISSN 1996-0786 ©2011 Academic Journals[4][5]

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

A rarely used airstrip is situated near Dhupgarh. 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. The Indian army education corps is sited there.

Tourism

Pandav Caves Pachmarhi
Sunset Point at Pachmarhi
Boat Club Lake
Artificial cascade of water near Bee Fall
Catholic Church at Pachmarhi
Bee Fall
Famous sitting spot at Pachmarhi Lake
Orchestra of Pachmarhi Cantontment playing a melody

Pachmarhi is a popular tourist retreat. Tourists visit Pachmarhi throughout the year.There are lots of hotel mostly situated in market like Hotel shri krishna only few cottages and resort and mp tourism hotels are situated in peace full location of pachmarhi 2 or 3 km away from bus stand.

Pachmarhi also has a lot of cave paintings in the forests, some of which have been estimated to be as much as 10,000 years old. Shown in the picture is the garden at the base of a tourist attraction called Pandava Caves. The caves are 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:


Pachmarhi is blessed with very rich flora and fauna. It has endless nature spots, lush greenery, breath-taking views, waterfalls, mountain streams, rich and rare wildlife.

Wildlife

Large mammal species include tiger, leopard, wild boar, gaur (Bos gaurus), chital deer (Axis axis), muntjac deer, sambar deer (Cervus unicolor), and rhesus macaques.

The endemic fauna includes chinkara, nilgai, wild dogs, the Indian wolf, bison, Indian giant squirrels, and flying squirrels.

Herpetology

With an annual precipitation of 2 metres, Pachmarhi boasts of myriad habitats suitable for herpetofauna. Snakes are often found in this reserve.

It has been reported by Indian herpetologists that 31 species of the following snake families are present in the biosphere:[6]

Rich biosphere

The forests of Pachmarhi, particularly in summer, are full of fruit trees such as mangoes, jamun, custard fruit and lesser known but very delicious local fruits such khatua, tendu, chunna, khinni and chaar. The forest is also known for its richness in medicinal plants and herbs.

Dhupgarh

Highest point of Satpura ranges. It is known for sunrise and sunset view point. At night one can see the lights of the neighboring towns such as Itarsi. At the day time the view of the lush green valley offers a captivating view. One can reach the top either by road or by trekking.

Chauragarh

This the second highest peak. It is a pilgrimage site with Lord Siva's temple at the top. There is a Chauragarh fort there built by the king Sangram Shah of Gond dynasty It is also a very well known spot for sunrise viewing. The sunrising scene seen here is breathtaking and climbing 1300 steps to reach the point makes it worth.

B-Hill and B-Falls

This is the highest waterfall in pachmarhi. It is named as such because from a distance the waterfall sounds like a bee.

Duchess Fall

This waterfall is the remotest as well as the most beautiful. There are Doctor Fish in the pool made by the waterfall. The road to this waterfall is extreme, with very steep inclinations.

PanarPani

Panarpani has a natural fresh water lake with forest around.

Sangam

This is a conflux of mountain streams behind Dhupgarh. The water in these streams is crystal clear in all seasons except of course autumn.

Jatashankar and Mahadeo caves

These are mountain caves with fresh water dripping from them. One can witness ecosystem at work out here with mountains feeding the streams with fresh water, the water that they soak-in during autumn. As the name suggests, these caves and many others like these are abode of lord Siva.

Silver Falls

Also called Rajat Prapat/Big Fall. The falls comes 2800+ feet roaring down the gorge creating a sliver streak that gives its name. The view of dense, serene, virgin forest and stream is simply mesmerizing.

Apsara Vihar

This is a mountain stream that creates a beautiful natural water pool, cascades and waterfall in its course.

Other waterfalls

Pachmarhi's ecosystem is blessed with many waterfalls. To name a few are Silver Fall, B-Fall, Little Fall, Duchess Fall etc.

Film location

Access

Pachmarhi is well connected from Bhopal, Chhindwara, Indore, Jabalpur. Buses start from Habibganj ISBT of Bhopal and generally take close to 5–6 hours and from Indore it takes 10–11 hours via Bhopal to reach Pachmarhi. The buses move through different towns like Chhindwara, Babai, Babai, Sohagpur and Pipariya. Pipariya is the nearest railhead.

Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation buses are available for Pachmarhi from Indore, Bhopal. These buses are air conditioned

References

6. < Singh, Balendra P. and Upadhyay, Ravi (2011): "Ecotourism and its effects on wildlife of Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve". African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 5(9), pp. 717–721, September 2011. Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJEST .ISSN 1996-0786

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pachmarhi.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Pachmarhi.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.