| Pachmarhi | |
| | |
| Coordinates | 22°28′00″N 78°26′00″E / 22.4667°N 78.4333°E |
| Country |  India |
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
| District(s) | Hoshangabad |
| Nearest city | Pipariya |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
Pachmarhi (Hindi: पचमड़ी) is a hill station in Madhya Pradesh state of central India, 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 in Hoshangabad district. The highest point in the central India region and the Vindhya and Satpura range; Dhupgarh at 1100 m is located here.
History
The area was introduced to western world 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. 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.
Town
The town is not very large, and most of the area is under Indian Army's control and lies in Pachmarhi Cantonment, overall population of about 10,000 population, with the majority of it being the Army.
The civilian town is small and towards the tip of a lake. It has some hotels and a 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. Tigers are known to have been sighted near the airstrip. Panther sightings are common along the edge of the Pachmarhi Cantonment.
Tourism
Pachmarhi is a tourist retreat. During the Diwali and winters 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 into a larger wildlife conservation area -- 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 fauna, Pachmarhi needs a central and state government approval for any new construction outside the town area.
Some of the places of tourist interest here are:
- Rajat Pratap (Big Fall)
- Bee Fall
- Pandav Caves
- Bada Mahadev
- 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)
- Apsara Falls (Fairy Pool)
- Jatashanker
- Duchess Fall
- Pachmarhi hill
- Pansy Pool
- Waters meet
- Picadilly circus
- Patharchatta
- Crumps crag
- Lady Robertson's view
- Colletin Crag
- Mount Rosa
The town has many tourist hotels including the hotel run by Department of tourism (Govt. of Madhya Pradesh).private resort and cottage/hotel like chunmun cottage ph no.9424434599 n golf view are good. There is also a Bharath Scouts and Guides camping site about 4 km from the main town.
Flora and Fauna
The location is known for several rare plants including some rare orchids in its unique topography containing thick forests and rocky ravines, Tiger, Panther, Wild boar, peacock, monkeys and Langurs are found in the forests. It is a part of a National Park.Satpura National Park and two wildlife sanctuaries (Bori,Pachmarhi)within it.
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