Panchgani

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?Panchgani Maharashtra • India
Panchgani
Coordinates: 17°55′N 73°49′E / 17.92, 73.82
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 1,293 m (4,242 ft)
District(s)	Satara
Population	13,280 (2001)

Coordinates: 17°55′N 73°49′E / 17.92, 73.82 Pānchgani (Devanāgari: पांचगणी) is a town with a municipal council in Sātārā district in Mahārāshtra, India .

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Tourist Attractions[3] 5 General Information 6 Schools 7 External links 8 References

[edit] 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.

[edit] Geography

Panchgani is located at 17.92° N 73.82° E^[1]. 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.

[edit] Demographics

According to 2001 census in India^[2], 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 59.5%), male and female literacy being 87% and 75%, respectively. As of 2001, 9% of the population was under 6 years of age.

[edit] Tourist Attractions^[3]

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.

[edit] 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 has recently been used as a location to film a few Bollywood movies, including 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.

[edit] Schools

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

BATHE 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

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 Tel No : 40313 http://www.st.peterspanchgani.org/

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

[edit] External links

• Panchgani Mahabaleshwar website

[edit] References

1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Panchgani
2. ^ Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
3. ^ Panchgani Hotel Panchgani Hotel Panchgani Resort Panchgani Resorts Panchgani Hotels Panchgani Package Tour Panchgani Guide Panchgani Maharashtra Tourism India