Pachmarhi Madhya Pradesh

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 1130 m is located here.

The area was introduced to western world 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.

The town has many tourist hotels including the hotel run by Department of Tourism (Govt. of Madhya Pradesh). Private resorts and cottage/hotel facilities are also available.

There is also a Bharath Scouts and Guides camping site about 4 km from the main town.