Panchgani

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Panchgani | type = city | latd = 17.92 | longd = 73.82
locator_position = right | state_name = Maharashtra
district = Satara
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altitude = 1293
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 13,280| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
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sex_ratio =
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Pānchgani (Devanāgari: पांचगणी) is a town with a municipal council in Sātārā district in Mahārāshtra, India .

History

Scenic Panchgani was discovered by the British during the British Raj as a summer resort, and a superintendent named John Chesson was placed in charge of the hill station in the 1860s. He is credited with planting many plant species from the western world in Panchgani, including silver oak and poinsettia, which have flourished since then in Panchgani.

Geography

Panchgani is located at coord|17.92|N|73.82|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/16/Panchgani.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Panchgani] ] . It has an average elevation of 1293 meters (4242 feet). It is nestled amidst five hills in the Sahyādri mountain ranges, and the Krishnā River flows nearby.

Panchgani is situated about 265 km, 60km and 20 km, respectively, from Mumbai, Pune and Mahābāleshwar.

The temperature in Panchgani is around 16C during the winter, and sometimes reaches 35C during the summer.

The five hills surrounding Panchgani are topped by a volcanic plateau, which is the second highest in Asia after the Tibetan plateau. These plateaus, alternatively known as "table land", are a part of the Deccan Plateau and they were raised by pressure between the earth plates. The area has high seismic activity, with an epicenter near Koynānagar where the Koynanagar Dam and a hydroelectric power plant have been built.

Demographics

According to 2001 census in India [GR|India] , Panchgani then had a population of 13,280. Males constituted 57% of the population, and females, 43%. Literacy in Panchgani was 82%, (which is higher than the national average of 65%), male and female literacy being 87% and 75%, respectively. As of 2001, 9% of the population was under 6 years of age.

Tourist Attractions

Sydney Point: This point is situated on a hillock facing the Krishna Valley. One can see from here the glittering waters of the Dhom Dam, and Pāndavgad and Mandhārdeo.

Table Land: This flat large expanse of laterite rock is the second longest mountain plateau in Asia. Some spacious caves including the “Devil's Kitchen” are visible from here.

Parsi Point: This scenic point is situated on the way to Mahabaleshwar, and overlooks the Krishna valley and the blue shiny waters of the Dhom Dam.

Devil's Kitchen: Situated at the south of the table land, the Devil's Kitchen has a mythology associated with it: It is believed that the Pāndavas of the Mahābhārat Indian epic poetry}epic had stayed here for a while. Pāndavgad Caves (near Wāi) are also said to be built by them then.

General Information

Panchgani attracts many tourists throughout the year, and many well-to-do people from Mumbai visit it on weekends. A well-known Ganesh Temple is located close by in Wai.

Panchgani's famous 'table land' has been the location for many Indian Movies (remember the flat hills in all those song and dance sequences?) and was also recently the location for the acclaimed movie, Tāre Zameen Par.

One Dr. Rustomji Bomanji Billimoria set up a tuberculosis sanitorium in Panchgani in the 1940s. (The Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan Award in 1961.) Panchgani has growm in popularity as a convalescence center.

In recent times, Panchgani has been facing ecological problems because of poorly controlled commercial activities, excessive traffic, and temperature inversion (because of humidity) from the new dams which have been built in the vicinity for water storage.

chools

Panchgani is known for its many boarding schools since the late 1800s. They attract student from the nearby cities of Mumbai and Pune, and also from abroad. There are now more than thirty boarding schools in Panchgani:

ANJUMAN-E-ISLAM Tel No :40315

ANJUMAN-E-ISLAM (S. S. C) Tel No :40249 ARAM VIDYALAYA Tel No :40492

BATHA S. M. Tel No :40205 BILLIMORIA HIGH SCHOOL Tel No :40314 / 40910

BHARATI VIDYAPEETH ACADEMY Tel No :40582-40583 CAMBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL Tel No :40519

CODESH Tel No :40668 DAWN ACADEMY Tel No :40390-40412

MARATHAVADA GURUKUL HOSTEL Tel No :40010 GODEVLI EDUCATION SOCIETY Tel No :40224

HAPPY HOURS Tel No :40386/40086 HILL RANGE Tel No :40332

Kimmins High School Tel No :40324 MAHATMA LAXMANDAS Tel No :40591

MAHATMA PHULE VIDYAMANDIR Tel No :40377 MAHATMA PHULE VIDYA JR. COLLEGE Tel No :40677

New Era High School Tel No :40246 [ [http://www.nehsindia.org New Era High School] ] OAKS HIGH SCHOOL Tel No : 40395

PINEWOODS HIGH SCHOOL Tel No : 40900-40901-40902-40290-40570-40590-40903-40904-40905
Sanjeewan Vidyalaya Tel No :40307-40308

SCHOLERS FOUNDATION Tel No :40399 SHALOM INTERNATIONAL Tel No Tel No :40201

SILVER DALE HIGH SCHOOL Tel No :40638 SWEET MEMORIES Tel No :403996,40496,40596

ST. JOSEPHS CONVENT Tel No : 40323
St. Peter's Boys School [ [http://www.st.peterspanchgani.org/ St. Peter's Boys School] ]

S. T. PAUL'S HOSTEL Tel No :40454

ST.XAVIER'S HIGH SCHOOL TENDER CARE Tel No :40095-40096

VIDYA NIKETAN HIGH SCHOOL Tel No :40591

External links

* [http://www.panchganimahabaleshwar.co.cc Panchgani Mahabaleshwar website]

References