The Panchgani Diary

Panchgani
Panchgani, is a small hill-station in the State of Maharashtra – India, about 100kms, South-West of Poona.
This mountain resort is (1,259mtrs. above msl.) on one of the ranges of the Sahyadris, and is almost hidden among stands of tall silver-oaks, and is shrouded in mist during the rains.
Though Panchgani gets only 200cms of rain it enjoys, as against that of Mahableshwar, its twin hill station, about 20kms from Panchgani, which is a better known place, gets 750cms of rainfall. Panchgani enjoys an equable and invigorating climate
From Mahableshwar; it takes only twenty to twenty-five minutes to reach Panchgani. It can also be easily visited from Pune or Mumbai. Panchgani derives its name from the five hills around it and the smaller ranges of the Sahyadris.
Only sixteen kms from Mahabaleshwar, the hillstation of Panchgani is lesser known to tourists but no less inviting. Swoops around bends with abandon, offering heart stopping views of the river krishna on one side & the coastal plains on the other. Once strongly recommended for consumptive Britishers, the air here is rich in oxygen content and the water is said to contain traces of hemoglobin boosting iron.Panchgani is the quintessential hill station, with the Raj stamped indelibly all over it. It can be seen in the old architecture of the old British buildings, the parsi houses, & the boarding schools that have been for a century or more. A key geographical feature is the table topped plateau (panch = five, gani=plateaus) shaped by flattened volcanic rock.

Exotic Panchgani
In the evenings it turns into a makeshift fair with ferris wheels, pony rides and a variety of food stalls.Panchgani is often referred to as the 'Mecca of Maharashtra' If you want to enjoy the beauty of the hill Station Panchgani you may go for a pony ride. The ride through the hamlets, farms and ravines with the gorgeous greens and the ravishing river Krishna of Panchgani will surely enchant you.

Location And Environment
The hills of Panchgani is about sixteen km from another popular hill station of Maharashtra namely, Mahabaleshwar. Situated in the Western Ghats Panchgani is close to important cities like Mumbai and Pune.
The campus of the Sanjeewan Vidyalaya is situated on the ridge of Sahyadris mountain, with the Kudal valley to the south, and the back-waters of the Dhom dam on the Krishna river to the north.




Places to See
In Panchgani there are so many old British buildings and Parsi houses though the most famous are the educational institutes. There are as many as twenty boarding schools in Panchgani.
Panchgani with its pristine natural beauty and rejuvenating oxygen levels boats of a TB Sanatorium. Patients are known to get better faster at Panchgani owing to the pure environs offered at Panchgani.



Weather
 Panchgani is a pleasant hill resort that does not experience major temperature variations. Though the monsoons are rather heavy. The temperature ranges between sixteen and thirty-five degrees throughout the year. Panchgani is inviting at any time of the year, particularly between September and May. Average summer temperatures are 35° C and winter is 16° C.