Panchkula


Panchkula is a city and district headquarter in the Panchkula district in Haryana, India. It is a satellite city of the state capital Chandigarh. Panchkula is a border city with Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. The origin of the name Panchkula came from "the place where five irrigation canals meet". It is approximately southeast of Chandigarh, southwest of Shimla, from Ambala and northeast of New Delhi, the national capital. It is a part of the Chandigarh capital region or Greater Chandigarh. The Chandigarh-Mohali-Panchkula metropolitan region collectively forms a Chandigarh Tricity, with a combined population of over two million.
The city hosts the Chandimandir Cantonment, the headquarters of the Western Command of the Indian Army. It is a planned city like Chandigarh, with a sector system.

Etymology

The word is derived from the local word panch kula "The city of 5 canals", possibly referring to five irrigation canals that distribute water from the Ghaggar River and these kuls pass through the Chandimandir Cantonment area to Mata Mansa Devi Mandir area. Kuls or canals were made along the contours of the hillocks in a way that they collect the water upstream and convey it downstream at the contour height higher than the actual level of the Ghaggar river at the same spot. One of the canals is called the Singh Nalla which was being beautified in 2021 by building a walking track and by planting plants and flowers.

History

The city is named after Panchkula village, which is situated on the Ambala Kalka highway, near the junction with the Chandigarh road. The city was planned and developed by the state of Haryana in the 1970s. Panchkula was supposed to be the capital.

Ramgarh Fort and Mata Mansa Devi Temple

The fort was built by the rulers of Kahlur State, the headquarters of which was Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh. The King of Bilaspur built the Ramgarh Fort 360 years ago. In 1687, its rulers offered Guru Gobind Singh a horse, a sword, and Rs 500000 when he was relocating his troops from Paonta Sahib to Anandpur Sahib after the Battle of Bhangani. In the 1750s, it eventually fell to the status of a fief under the Sirmur State, but became independent again in 1804. It is currently occupied by the progeny of Kalee Chand, younger son of King of Bilaspur Sangar Chand, and runs as a heritage hotel.
Mata Mansa Devi Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti, in the Panchkula district of Haryana state in India. The temple complex is spread over. It is one of the prominent Shakti Pitha temples of North India involving seven Shakti goddesses, namely Mata Mansa Devi, Naina Devi, Jawalamukhi, Chintpurni, Brajeshwari, Chamunda Devi and Jayanti Devi. Nearby is the Saketri Shiv Mandir, a historic temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and a popular pilgrimage site, especially during Maha Shivratri. Thousands of devotees visit the shrine from various parts of the country, and especially during the Navratra mela, this number rises to lakhs every day for the nine auspicious days.

Geography and climate

Panchkula district has a sub-tropical continental monsoon climate with hot summers, cool winters, and monsoon rainfall. It has great variation in temperature. Sometimes winter frost occurs during December and January. The district also receives winter rains from the western disturbance. The rainfall is mostly received in the monsoon. Morni hills constitute the highest point of the district as well as of Haryana. The Ghaggar is the only perennial river, which is very shallow outside of the monsoons. The mountains and hills of Kasauli are clearly visible from Panchkula.
Generally, the slope of the district is from northeast to southwest, and in this direction, most of the rivers/streams rain-fed torrents flow down and spread much gravel and pebbles in their beds. Only the Sirsa River, in Kalka Tehsil flows towards the northwest. The soils in the district are mainly light loam.
The underground water in the district is generally fresh and suitable for domestic and irrigation purposes. The underground water level is generally high in the southern parts and low in the north and northeast which is a hilly tract. The district lies in the Himalayas boundary fault zones and earthquakes of moderate to high intensity have occurred in the past.

Average temperature

  • Spring: It lasts from February-end to early April. Temperatures vary from and .
  • Autumn: In autumn, the temperature may rise to a maximum of. Temperatures usually remain between in autumn. The minimum temperature is around.
  • Summer: The temperature in summer may rise even above. Temperatures generally remain between.
  • Monsoon: During the monsoon season, Panchkula receives moderate to heavy rainfall and sometimes heavy to very heavy rainfall. Usually, the rain-bearing monsoon winds blow from southwest/southeast. The city mostly receives heavy rain from the south but it generally receives most of its rain during monsoon either from the northwest or the northeast. The maximum amount of rain received by the city of Panchkula during monsoon season was in a single day.
  • Winter: Winters are mild but it can sometimes get quite chilly in Panchkula. Average temperatures in the winter remain at and . Rain usually comes from the west during winters and it is usually a persistent rain for 2–3 days, sometimes with hail-storms.

    Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, the people of the city are overwhelmingly Hindu, with Sikh and Muslim micro minorities.
In 2011, Panchkula had 48,772 households in the city, with a population of 211,355, of which male and female were 111,731 and 99,624 respectively.

Government and politics

The city is a part of the Ambala Lok Sabha constituency represented by INC's Varun Chaudhary, and the Panchkula State Assembly constituency, represented by INC's Chander Mohan since 2024.

City administration

Panchkula municipality is governed under the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973. According to the 2011 Census, Panchkula is governed by a municipal council, but it has since upgraded to the status of a municipal corporation. The population of the municipality, as per Census 2011, is 210,175.
Since 2017, Rajesh Jogpal headed the corporation as its municipal commissioner. In December 2019, he was transferred and replaced by IAS Sumedha Kataria. The first woman Mayor of Panchkula was Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia, who served the term from 2013 to 2018. In 2018, the state decided to hold direct elections for the post, and as of now, the mayor of Panchkula is Kulbhushan Goyal of BJP. In a closely contested mayoral election in Panchkula, Bharatiya Janata Party's Kulbhushan Goyal trumped the Congress’ Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia by 2,057 votes.
BJP also secured a majority in the 20-member municipal corporation House by winning 11 seats along with its alliance partner Jannayak Janata Party. Congress won seven seats, and two went to Independent candidates.
In July 2020, the Panchkula Municipal Corporation was bifurcated, with Kalka and Pinjore separating from the corporation and getting their own municipal council status. The city is divided into 20 wards for the purpose of administration, and is built over an area of.

Civic utilities

Water supply and sewerage in Panchkula is maintained by Haryana Urban Development Authority, the Public Health and Engineering Department of the state, as well as the municipal corporation at the local level. As of 2008, 80 MLD of water is supplied to Panchkula city, and it is treated by chlorination.
Panchkula also produces of waste per day, out of which only about is processed. As per the National Institute of Urban Affairs report, 100% door to door collection has been ensured in all wards through waste pickers. Jhariwala village has a sanitary landfill for the waste, where unsegregated waste is dumped. The city also has a community composting facility, material recovery facility, and biogas plant. As of 2008, the city generated 64 MLD of sewage and had three sewage treatment plants that were functional with a capacity of 18, 39 and 15 MLD respectively.
Panchkula city has an interim master plan that has been published by the Town and Country Planning Department of Haryana state.

Economy

Employment

is the state-of-the-art infrastructure to facilitate information technology in the city. It spreads over 74 acres developed by HSIIDC situated in sector 22 on the foothills of Shivalik Hills or outer Himalayas and on the banks of the Ghaggar River. It is well connected to Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh.

Tourism

There are various tourist attractions in and around Panchkula including:
File:A temple in Mansa Devi temple complex, Panchkula near Chandigarh.jpg|thumb|Patiala temple, constructed 1840 AD by Maharaja of Patiala, within the Mansa Devi temple complex in Panchkula
  • Mata Mansa Devi Mandir is one of the most prominent temples in North India and is dedicated to Goddess Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti.
  • Bhima Devi Temple Site Museum, nicknamed Khajuraho of North India for its erotic sculptures, comprises the restored ruins of an ancient Hindu temple dating from between the 8th and 11th century AD.
  • Nada Sahib is a Sikh Gurudwara in the Panchkula district of the Indian state of Haryana. Situated on the banks of the Ghaggar-Hakra River in the Sivalik Hills.
  • Morni, the hill resort at Morni Hills, an offshoot of the Sivalik Hills, are about from the city. The hills were named for Queen Morni, who is said to have ruled this city.
  • Pinjore Gardens, also known as Yadavindra Gardens, are about from the city and cover a total area of. The work of creating the gardens began in the seventeenth century. Pinjore Gardens is the venue for an annual mango festival. The garden houses a mini zoo, historic places, a Japanese garden, a nursery, and a number of picnic spots. According to Hindu theology, the Pandava brothers rested in Pinjore during their exile.
  • National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre a cactus garden in the center of Panchkula, was established in 1987 and is known for its rare and endangered species of Indian succulent plants.
  • Kaushalya Dam is an earth-filled barrage dam on the Kaushalya river in Pinjore. It is an important wetland that is home to many endangered migratory birds.
  • Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary, Khol Hi-Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary, Pheasant Breeding Centre, Morni, Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore, Pheasant Breeding Centre, Berwala.