Welcome to Panchkula District

MANSA DEVI TEMPLE lies in Bilaspur village, about three kilometers east of Mani Majra (Chandigarh UT). Mata Mansa DeviThere are two temples dedicated in the goddess here. The older one is said to have been built by the ruler of Mani Majra (C.A.D.1815). The legend is that originally the shrine was in the territory of earst while Princely state of Nahan and the stream which supplied water to the pilgrims visiting the temple, was cut off by some hill people causing great distress to the pilgrims. There upon the goddess appeared in dream of Gurbax Singh, ruler of Mani Majra and asked him to construct a temple for her at this place. This temple contains thirty-eight panels of wall paintings besides floral designs painted all over the ceiling and the arches leading into the temple. The drawings of the temple are not of high standard but a great variety of themes is illustrated. The other temple is said to have been constructed by Maharaja Karam Singh of earst while Patiala State 9C.A.D. 1861) to commemorate his success in the battle against the Gurkhas.The fairs are held twice a year in March-April (Chat shudiashtami) and September-October (asoj shudi ashtami).

Yadvinder Garden, Pinjore

PINJORE is an ancient historical and religious place. It is said to he the earliest habitation of man and it is said that the early man lived in Pinjore region round about Chandigarh, one and half crores years ago. Tools of Tower Paleolithic period fabricated on Quartzite have been found from the region stretching from Pinjore to Nalagarh. The place is associated with five Pandvas who enroute to Himalayas during their exile stayed here for sometime. The place was then known as Panchpura Later corrupted to Pinjore. The name Panchpura was deciphered from the Pinjore Baoli inscription found from here. Important sculptures and other antiquarian remains recovered from the place can be assigned to the period ranging between 9th century A.D. to 12th century A.D. Pinjore is famous for the beautiful Mughal Garden, perhaps the loveliest and the oldest in northern India.

It is said to have been made by Fidaikhan in the 17th century. The Haryana Govt., of late, have recreated the whole complex by adding Colored illuminations to the play of fountain water, providing rest places pinching facilities and mini zoo. It has also been renamed as Yadavindra Garden as a mark of respect to the late Yadavindra Singh Maharaja of the earst while princely state of Patiala. The main gate of the garden opens on the highest terrace and seven terraces descend gradually into the distant boundary of the garden. In the middle of the first terrace is the shish Mahal in the Rajasthani Mughal style with small windows and apertures. There is a lyrical Hawa Mahal Approached by steps on the side of the wall. The second terrace is uplifted by large arched doorways, above which there is the Rang Mahal, Cleverly devised by the architect, the view of lower terraces is from the open hall way below. The palace has an enormous upon courtyard. We descend, by concealed steps on both sides of the big house, to the third terrace where the cypresses and flowerbed lead down to dense groves of fruit trees on each layer. The density of the dark green foliages evokes brooding depths. The upward flow of water from the fountains cools the eyes. There is a cube like Jal Mahal, with a square fountain bad and a plinth to sit down on for pleasure. The next terrace is flanked by denser groves of trees, lightened by the water devices in the middle. The end structure of the doorway has recently been made into a disc-like open-air theatre. The stiff outer wall of the garden is reminiscent of the fort walls, which has now all around dieter pavilions housing the zoo. A Bhima Devi Temple and an old baoli in the town have legendary connection with Pandas. The place became more prominent with establishment of HMT Factory in 1963 near the garden which has an independent municipal committee known as H.M.T., Pinjore.

Morni Hills

MORNI HILLS (BHOJ JABIAL) are offshoots of Shivalik range, which run in two parallel ranges. The village of Morni (Bhoj Jabial) lies on the mountainside, at 1220 meters above mean sea level. Traditions assign the name of Morni to a Queen who is believed to have ruled this area.
Among the spurs of hills, lie two lakes, the larger is about 550 meters long and 460 meters broad and the other about 365 meters either way. A hill divides the two lakes but there is some Hidden channel, as the level of two lakes remains the same. The people look upon the lakes as sacred. There is an old fort, which is now in ruins. The hills are covered by pine trees. The climate is salubrious and the area is suitable for trekking. The Haryana Govt. has developed this hill resort and provides facilities to tourists, a motorable road was constructed to connect the Morni hills with Haryana State Highway near Panchkula. A forest tourist hut "Lal Munia" and a PWD rest house were also constructed to accommodate tourists and trackers.

Nada Sahib

There are a number of religious places in and around Chandigarh. One among them is the Chandigarh Nada Sahib Gurudwara. Situated at the Panchkula district on the banks of river Ghagar, it lies at a distance of 15 kms from the city of gardens. Gurdwara Nada Sahib in Chandigarh, India has a lot of reverence for Sikhs, as after having fought the battle with Mughals, Guru Gobind Singhji along with his victorious fellow Sikh warriors had stayed over here, while on their way back. Here, they were given a warm welcome by a follower of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, named Nadu Shah. The Guru showered his blessings on him and also said that the Gurudwara would be named after him. Lakhs of worshippers visit the Nada Sahib Gurdwara on the full moon day (Pooranmashi) of every month.

Cactus Garden

The Cactus Garden in Sector 5, which is Asia’s biggest garden devoted to rare and endangered species of Indian succulents, was named after its founder Dr J S Sarkaria today.

The Cactus Garden is a regional collection of cacti grouped by growth forms and specific genera. While walking through the garden you will be able to view dozens of species. Popular groups are Opuntias (prickly pears and chollas), Ferocactus (barrels), other succulents include Agaves, Columnar cacti, Echinocereus (hedgehogs), and Mammillarias (pincushions).

The enormous popularity of cacti among gardeners and plant collectors is surpassed only by that of roses and orchids. Their appeal extends far beyond their native habitat; there are legions of devotees in North America, Europe, and Japan. The desire to possess these strange yet beautiful plants supports hundreds of specialty nurseries; the largest shops grow and sell millions of plants annually. Cacti are one of the reasons tourists visit the American southwest.

Most people think they know a cactus when they see one, but they are often mistaken. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Agaves, ocotillos, aloes, and the succulent euphorbias (such as African milk trees) are among the swollen or spiny plants often mistaken for cacti. However, the term cactus refers to a particular family of plants defined by a distinctive flower pattern. To be a cactus, the plant must produce flowers with the following characteristics: many tepals (combined sepals and petals) that intergrade with each other; many stamens (usually hundreds), and numerous stigma lobes (rarely only three). If a plant lacks such a flower, it cannot be a cactus.

The majority of cactus species are pollinated by numerous species of bees, a number of which specialize in cacti. Cactus bees are all solitary, but in some species the females congregate by hundreds of thousands at nesting sites to dig their individual nest burrows, which are densely concentrated in an area of a few thousand square feet. Cactus pollen is packed into these burrows to feed the grubs, which the parents do not tend. Some cacti are pollinated by birds, moths, or bats.

Kali Mata Mandir, Kalka

Kalka acts as a gateway to the eastern part of Himachal Pradesh, 'The land of Gods', which is about 14 kilometers from Chandigarh. Kalka, a major town of Panchkula district in Haryana, lies en route on NH 22 on the road from Chandigarh to Shimla. Kalka is the main endpoint of the Kalka-Shimla Railway. The town derives its name from the Goddess Kali of the Hindu pantheon. An old temple of Goddess Kali is found in Kalka.

A narrow-gauge railway was completed in 1904 between Kalka and Shimla. Although the time taken by train takes four and a half hours as compared to two and a half hours by road, the railway trip has an aura of relaxation that cannot be matched. . The track follows the old tonga (horse-drawn cart) road for 96 kilometers and it passes through appproximately 103 tunnels. Three daily trains operate daily between between Kalka and Shimla, two of which connect with trains from Delhi. Flights are available from Delhi and Chandigarh.

The road criss-crosses the railway track for much of the way. At Dharmpur about 33kilometers from Kalka, there is a turning to the quaint hill station of Kasauli, 15 kilometers away at an altitude of 6,400 feet. On a neighbouring ridge, a few kilometers to the north, is, the Lawrence School at Sanawar-one of India's foremost schools where Kipling sent his hero, Kim, to be educated. Kalka was an important rest town for the British that went over to Shimla. Shimla, the summer capital of India at a height of 2076 meters offers a bird's-eye view to experience the magnificence of the picturesque Himalayas.

Shalimar & Bella Vista

The year 2009 will witness the opening of the much awaited malls, Shalimar and The Bella Vista. Promising to bring in night life to the city, Shalimar is all set to be open in the first half of January, while Bella Vista is in its last leg of construction. Work on the project to make the Zirakpur-Parwanoo stretch four lane has started, and the district will see completion of several under-passes, bridges and other structures that have been proposed under the project by the end of the year. The Haryana Urban Development Authority, too, claims to go ahead with the Pinjore Kalka urban complex project in 2009 with the process of land acquisition almost on the verge of completion.

Urban Estate

The new urban estate of Panchkula is west of Chandigarh. The Chandigarh railway station is near the Chandigarh Panchkula boundary, and has an exit toward Panchkula. The area's of Shivalik Enclave,and Manimajra are towards the Northwest of Panchkula Urban estate. The Cantonment of Chandimandir is north of Panchkula urban estate, toward's the Urban estate's southern edge is Zirakpur in Punjab. Most of the developed sectors are West of the Ghaggar river. The Simla highway cuts through the estate mostly parallel to the Ghaggar. and it's newer sectors are on the western banks of the Ghaggar. It is developed on outskirts of Chandigarh, amongst the picturesque background of the Shivalik hills and the Ghaggar River. The township has been sub-divided into residential sectors, industrial sectors, parks and areas for regional recreation, major institutions, markets, and government and semi-government offices. The Eastern sectors are on the edge of Ramgarh, through which a road runs south to Dera Bassi in Punjab via Mubarakpur. East of Ramgarh on the road to Naraingarh ( in Ambala district) is Barwala where an industrial estate has been set up and Raipur Rani where Sabeer Bhatia is proposing to set up a Nano city. The road to Nahan- Paonta- Dehradun goes through these towns. Short of Raipur Rani is a turn that goes to Dosarka between Ambala and Yamunanagar.

A large area south of Old Panchkula between Ambala-Kalka national highway and the Ghaggar River has been developed for recreation. The area has a golf course, and a sports complex, named Tau Devi Lal Sports complex. Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex has been popular due to the ICL Cricket Tournaments here.

North of Chandimandir are hills and Pinjore as well as Kalka, due west of Pinjore is the industrial area of Baddi. HMT factory is in Pinjore and An ancillary industrial estate of HMT with built-up sheds has been established. Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL-A government of India Enterprise) was set up on approximately 23 hectares of land in Panchkula Industrial Area and today employs a large work force.