Seoni (Madhya Pradesh)

"Seoni redirects here, for a town in Shimla District see Seoni (Himachal Pradesh)."

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Seoni | type = city | latd = 22.08 | longd = 79.53
locator_position = right | state_name = Madhya Pradesh
district = Seoni
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altitude = 611
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 89,799| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone =
postal_code =
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sex_ratio =
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Seoni is a city and a municipality in Seoni district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

Rudyard Kipling used the forests in the vicinity of Seoni, or as he spells it, Seeonee, as the setting for the Mowgli stories in "The Jungle Book" and "The Second Jungle Book" (1894 - 1895), although the area is not an actual rainforest.

Geography

Seoni is located at coord|22.08|N|79.53|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/35/Seoni.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Seoni] ] . It has an average elevation of 611 metres (2004 feet).

The city is 2,043 ft. above sea-level, half-way on the road between Nagpur and Jabalpur. As of 2004, the city had a population of 101,953. It was founded in 1774, and contains large public gardens, a fine market place and a handsome tank.It has 37% forest cover.Seoni district is located in the southern part of Madhya Pradesh. Geographically it is located between latitudes 21035' and 22058' N and longitudes 79012' and 80018' E and extends over an area of 8758 Sq.km. It is bordered by Jabalpur, Narsinghpur and Mandla districts in North, Balaghat in East and Chhindwara in West and the Southern boundary of the district lies in juxtaposition to Nagpur (Maharashtra). National Highway No.7 connecting Kanyakumari-Banaras passes through district from north to south. Fair weather roads connect the major towns in the district. The narrow-gauge Central Railway Chhindwara-Nainpur passes through Seoni connecting Jabalpur, Nagpur, Chhindwara, Balaghat, Katangi and Nainpur towns.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census [GR|India] , Seoni had a population of 89,799. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Seoni has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 71%. In Seoni, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

=Tourist Attractions=The Pench Tiger Reserve is named after the Pench river, which flows from north to south through the Reserve. The Reserve is located in the southern reaches of the Satpura hill ranges in the Seoni and Chhindwara districts in the Madhya Pradesh state of India. The terrain is undulating, with most of the area covered by small hill ranges, steeply sloping on the sides.

The Reserve is situated in an area that holds a significant place in the natural history of Central India. The description of its natural beauty, richness in flora and fauna has appeared in numerous wildlife books dating back to 17th century. Books written in the 19th and early 20th century by famous naturalists like Captain J. Forsyth and Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book explicitly present the detailed panorama of nature's abundance in this tract.

An extensive forest belt extends in three directions, north, east and south, covering forest tracts of Seoni, Balaghat and Nagpur districts. The contiguous forest on the southern side in the Maharashtra state of India, initially notified as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru National Park has been recently included in the Project Tiger network by the same name as this Reserve. A dam was constructed on the Pench river on south-eastern boundary of the Reserve.

The area is criss-crossed by numerous seasonal streams and nalas. The Pench river flowing through the central line of the Reserve is dry by the April-end but a number of water pools locally known as dohs are found, which serve as waterholes for wild animals. A few perennial springs also exist in this area. However, the water sources are not suitably distributed, hence large area remains unutilized by the wild animals. The Pench reservoir at the center of the Reserve is the only major water source during pinch period.

As the prey concentration is high along the Pench river, tigers usually inhabit this belt. Leopards, though, generally operate in the peripheral areas but are occasionally seen in deep forests also. Jungle cats are commonly seen. Leopard cats, Small Indian Civets and Palm Civets are common but seen very rarely.

Wild dogs are commonly seen in packs of 12 to 15, near Chhedia, Jamtara, Bodanala and Pyorthadi areas of the Reserve. Wild Boar is ubiquitous. Sloth bear occupy hilly, rocky out crops and favour mahul bel infested forest. Chinkara is present in very small number and is found in open areas around Turia, Telia, Dudhgaon villages. Jackals are seen occasionally near Tekadi, Alikatta and Chhindimatta villages.

References

*1911