Pachmarhi

range; Dhupgarh at 3500 feet is located here

History

The area was discovered in the modern times by Captain James Forsyth of the British Army in 1857Pachmarhi 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.

Details

Location

45 kilometres by road from Piparia station on the Indian Railways. Piparia is on the Itarsi Jabalpur train line, a 2 hrs train run from Jabalpur. All the trains on this line pass through Piparia, but only a few halt here. Its main connection to the world is the road link through Matkuli. The 35 km Matkuli - Pachmarhi road is the only metalled road to Pachmarhi. It is well maintained and offers an enjoyable drive with picturesque views. From here it is connected to Piparia, the nearest rail head. The nearest airport is BHOPAL from where it has good road connectivity too. Matkuli is also approachable from Sohagpur, Jabalpur, Chhindwara and Bhopal as well as Itarsi and Hoshangabad.

Economy

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 IndiaPachmarhi 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. Though the highly corrupt forest officials are playing havoc with the ecology. Clandestine felling of trees goes on uninhibited. 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.Activist Arundhati Roy's spouse was in the news for having an illegal house constructed here.

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. Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla the founding chief minister of Madhya Pradesh had a special affinity for Pachmarhi and did a lot for the development and preservation of the natural beauty.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. Tigers are known to have been sighted near the airstrip. Panther sightings are common along the edge of the cantonment. A word of caution though, the town area is inhabited by very unruly and dangerous mostly underprivileged people. Off lately some robberies have been reported. The police force is very small and inefficient. The tourists are therefore cautioned to be on their guard and take care of their luggage and belongings.

Education

There is one Art 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. All of the defence forces Band school is also part of this establishment.

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

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. In the past few years fewer and fewer wild life sightings have been reported. This is supposedly because of the high corruption amongst the forest officials and the consequent inefficiency.

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, like Hotel Kachnar, Abhimanyu, Saket which are very good quality & Service.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.

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 & English films were shot in Pachmarhi

* Massey Sahib
* Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jai
* Tarkieb
* Asoka
* Electic Moon

External links

*
* [http://www.gopachmarhi.com Book your Accommodation and Hire Transport in Advance!]
* [http://www.mptourism.com/dest/pachmarhi.html Pachmarhi at MP Tourism]
* http://www.tifr.res.in/~pnbhat/pach.html
* [http://www.retreat-to-pachmarhi.com A Travel Guide to Pachmarhi]