Pachmarhi,
Madhya Pradesh's serene hill station,
which happens to be its only one,
stands at an altitude of 1067
metres. It is a large plateau,
ringed by the lofty hills of the
Satpura range. The landscape is
characterised by rugged hills,
forests and deep ravines. Known
as the verdant jewel of the hills,
the all - pervading greenery of
the region is what strikes the
observer. Various hues of green
greet the eye - tranquil emerald
pools, the green shades that embrace
the hills, and the thick, impenetrable
forest cover that dominates the
region.
One
side the Tawa dam reservoir
and the other side the Satpura
forests, leading to Pachmarhi
- the only hillstation of Madhya
Pradesh. [1]
Pachmarhi Biosphere
Reserve
The Pachmarhi Biosphere
Reserve is a conservation area in
the Satpura Range of Madhya Pradesh
state, India. It was created on March
3, 1999 by the Indian Government,
and covers parts of Hoshangabad, Betul,
and Chhindwara districts.
The Biosphere reserve's
total area is 4926.28 km². It
includes three wildlife conservation
units, the Bori Sanctuary (518.00
km²), Satpura National Park (524.37
km²), and Pachmarhi Sanctuary
(461.37 km²). Satpura National
Park is designated as the core zone,
and the remaining area of 4501.91
km², including the Bori and Pachmarhi
sanctuaries, constitutes the buffer
zone.
The reserve is mostly
covered in forest, part of the Eastern
highlands moist deciduous forests
ecoregion. It is an important transition
zone between the forests of western
and eastern India; the forests are
dominated by Teak (Tectona grandis),
but include the westernmost groves
of sal (Shorea robusta), which is
the dominant tree of eastern India's
forests. Large mammal species include
tiger, leopard, wild boar, muntjac
deer, gaur (Bos gaurus), chital deer
(Axis axis), sambar (Cervus unicolor),
and Rhesus Macaques. [2]
Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi 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.
The area was introduced
to western world in the modern times
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.
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.
During our 5th trip
to India we visited Pachmarhi, Madhya
Pradesh, India.
