Panna, India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Panna | |
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| Coordinates | 24°43′N 80°12′E / 24.72°N 80.2°E |
| Country |  India |
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
| District(s) | Panna |
| Population | 45,666 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 433 m (1,421 ft) |
Panna is a city and a municipality in Panna district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is famous for its diamond mines. It is the administrative center of Panna District.
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[edit] History
Shri 5 Padmavatipuri Dham, Panna and its sacred places. Adorned with divine lustre Padmavatipuri Dham is in Panna town at the centre of Vindhyachal in Madhya Pradesh. Moving around in different places along with his disciples Mahamati Prannath reached Panna with a divine message of awakening one's soul. Seeing a desert island he decided to unfurl the flag of Jagani there. He helped the brave king Chhatrasal and adorned him by the title of Maharaja. He remained there for elevan years, and took samadhi inside the dome itself. The place, therefore, is known as the seat of salvation [Muktipitha] or Padmavatipuri Dham.
Panna was the capital of Chhatar Sal, the Bundela Rajput leader who led a revolt against the Mughal Empire. Upon his death in 1732, his kingdom was divided among his sons, with one-third of the kingdom going to his ally, the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I.
The kingdom of Panna went to Harde Sah, the eldest son of Chhatar Sal. In the early 19th century, Panna became a princely state of British India, and gained control states of the states of Sohawal and Nagod. Raja Nirpat Singh assisted the British in the Revolt of 1857, and the British rewarded him with the title maharaja. Maharaja Mahendra Yadvendra Singh acceded to the Government of India on January 1, 1950, and the kingdom became Panna District of the new Indian state of Vindhya Pradesh. Vindhya Pradesh was merged into Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 1956.
[edit] Tiger Reserve
Panna has a tiger reserve which is called Panna National Park. The sightings of tigers in Panna have fallen over recent years, and official tiger population figures were disputed by naturalists. There were plans to relocate two tigresses to Panna in 2009 [1][2], which actually happened, but the last male tiger meanwhile disappeared[3]. The reserve is home to a wide variety of other animals[4], many of which can be seen at closer quarters than in other reserves, because Panna has fewer visitors. There are jungle lodges and hotels near the reserve, it can also be reached from Khajuraho.
[edit] Diamond Mining
A large group of deposits extends south-west from Allahabad for 150 miles (240 km) or so, and is known as the Panna group. [5] They do not cover an area of more than 20 acres (81,000 m2). Great pits, 25 feet (7.6 m) in diameter and, perhaps, 30 feet (9.1 m) in depth, are dug for the sake of reaching the Diamond conglomerate, which, in many cases, was only a very thin layer. [6]. According to Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, Tieffenthaler was the first European to visit the mines in 1765 and claimed that the Panna diamonds could not compare in hardness and fire with other locations in India. No really large diamonds have come from this area.
The most productive mines were in the 1860s and were found in Sakaria, around 20 miles (32 km) from Panna. Four classifications were given to the Panna diamonds: first, Motichul, clear and brilliant; 2nd, Manik, with a faint orange tint; 3rd, Panna, verging in tint towards green; 4th, Bunsput, sepia coloured. [6]
Diamond mines in Panna are managed under the Diamond Mining Project of National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC Ltd) of Government of India. Every year the land is leased to prospective miners by the government agency. The diamonds unearthed are all collected by the district magistrate of Panna and are auctioned in the month of January.
[edit] Bundela rajas of Panna
- Chhatar Sal (died 1732)
- Raja Harde Sah (1731-1739)
- Raja Sabha Singh (1739-1752)
- Raja Aman Singh (1752-1758)
- Raja Hindupat Singh (1758-1778)
- Raja Anirudh Singh (1778-1779)
- interregnum (1779-1785)
- Raja Dhokal Singh (1785-1798)
- Raja Kishor Singh (1798-1834)
- Raja Harbans Rai (1834-1849)
- Maharaja Mahendra Nirpat Singh (1849-1870)
- Maharaja Rudra Pratap Singh (1870-1893) born 1848.
- Maharaja Mahendra Lokpal Singh (1893-1898)
- Maharaja Mahendra Madho Singh (1898-1902)
- Maharaja Mahendra Yadvendra Singh (1902-January 1, 1950)
- Maharaja Anurag Pratap Singh (1983-till now)
[edit] Geography
Panna is located at 24°43′N 80°12′E / 24.72°N 80.2°E[7]. It has an average elevation of 433 metres (1420 ft).
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census[8], Panna had a population of 45,666. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Panna has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 90%, and female literacy is 67%. In Panna, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=897fa85e-5f56-41ec-a202-23ac52825cce
- ^ http://www.centralchronicle.com/20081103/0311303.htm
- ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health--Science/Earth/Flora--Fauna/articlelist/articleshow/4324877.cms
- ^ http://www.kenriverlodge.com/ib.html
- ^ See for a more extensive geological explanation: Goodchild: Precious Stones (1908) Page 113
- ^ a b Streeter: Precious Stones and Gems, (1899) on Indian Diamonds
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Panna
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
