Panchgani - The five hills
पाच = five गणी = hills
District - Satara
State - Maharashtra
Elevation - 4242 ft
Weather conditions - cool & pleasant all year round
Winter temperature - 12℃
Summer temperature - 34℃
Monsoon - June to September
Winter months - October to February
Landform - Nestled between 5 villages
Population - 13,280 (2011 Census )
How to reach - By road
Distance from major cities :-
Pune - 102 km
Mumbai - 250 km
Mahabaleshwar - 19 km
Satara - 49 km
Distance from neighboring Railway stations :-
Pune - 95 km
Satara - 45 km
Transportation services :-
Buses from major cities like Pune, Mumbai, Satara, Mahabaleshwar,Kullu, Hyderabad,Mahad.
When to visit - Summer & Winter months
Famous for - Premier residential educational institutions
Kimmins High School
St. Peter's School
St. Joseph's School
Anjuman-I-Islam School
Billimoria School
New Era High School
Sanjeewan Vidyalaya
Panchgani is a hill-station / town in the Sahyadri mountain ranges of Maharashtra.
It was built by the British in a region that was surrounded by 5 villages. Hence the name. It was developed along the lines of British towns with colonial architecture, planting species of trees brought from the western world.
In time it developed into a renowned residential school for the British children that still hold prestige & reverence of the Colonial times.
As a place of tourist interest , it is ideal due to its climatic conditions, natural beauty of the picturesque Sahyadri ranges, historical importance that dates back to the Mahabharat ; with the Pandavas residing here for some time during their period of exile.
Serene valleys, beautiful locales, hills & plateau, natural greenery, invigorating climate, plenty of scenic tourist points make it an ideal weekend getaway.
The following are the places of tourist attractions :-
Table Land - The second largest mountain plateau of Asia lying at a height of 1387 m above sea level. It offers a range of opportunities for adventure sports like paragliding, rock-climbing & horse riding. Ideal for movie & TV shootings.
Kaas plateau - A UNESCO world heritage site due to its amazing biodiversity that includes almost 850 species of colourful wild flowers and butterflies. It has a lake as well, making it perfect for photography, picnics , hiking etc.
Sydney point - Perfect place for activities like nature gazing and hiking as it is a hillock facing the Krishna valley, the Dhom dam, Pandavgad and Mandhardeo.
Parsi point - Similar in beauty to the Sydney point with a view of the Krishna valley and the Dhom dam.
Devil's kitchen - Situated at the south of the Table Land it is of religious and historical importance as the Pandavas had built caves for residing during their period of exile.The caves, Pandavgad are worth a visit.
Mapro Garden - Located in the village of Gureghar on the way to Mahabaleshwar, Mapro Garden offers a range of attractions ranging from their strawberry farms ,a chocolate factory, children's play area, henna counters, restaurant serving goodies like pizzas, sandwiches, ice-creams, milkshakes. It has a tasting and retail outlet for their in-house crushes, jellies , jams, juices, mocktails etc.
Panchgani Market - Worth a visit for gift shopping, home decor ,wooden and leather handicrafts, kolhapuri chappals, jams, jellies, fresh strawberries, chikkis etc.
Places to stay - Budget & 5 star hotels, luxury resorts,camping sites.
Activities - Boating, horse-riding, Paragliding, rock-climbing, nature treks, hiking, Strawberry festival, shopping.
Picture sources - wikipedia and travel triangle.com
