PATALKOT

'Patalkot' situated in the hilly block 'Tamia' of Chhindwara District, has acquired great importance because of its Geographical and Scenic beauty. Patalkot is a lovely land scape located at a depth of 1200-1500 feet in a velley. Because of the great depth at which it is located this place is christened as 'Patalkot' ('Patal menas very deep, in Sanskrit). When one looks down the place sitting at the top of the valley, the place looks like a horse shoe in shape. People belive it as the entrance to 'Patal'. There is one more belief that after worshipping 'Lord Shiva' Prince 'Meghnath' had gone to Patal-lok through this place only. People say that this place was ruled by Kings in 18th and 19th Century and that there was a long tunnel connecting this place to 'Pachmarhi' in Hoshangabad District.

The place is spread over an area from 22.24 to 22.29 Deg. North, 78.43 to 78.50 Deg. East. The place is located at a distance of 62 Km from the district headquarters in the North-West direction, and 23 Km from Tamia in North-East direction. Patalkot is spread over an area of 79 Sq.Km. at an average height of 2750-3250 feet above Mean Sea Level. 'Doodh' river flows in the picturesque valley. It is a treasure of forest and herbal wealth. There are 12 villages and 13 hamlets in this valley, with a total population of 2012 (1017 male and 995 female). Most of the people belong to 'Bharia' and 'Gond' tribes. Because of the inaccessibility of this area, the tribals of this region were totally cut off from the civilised world. But, with the constant efforts being made by the Government, tribals of this area started tasting the advantages of adopting civilised life. 'Patalkot Development Agency' has taken up the overall development of this area and people. Now, there are Primary Schools, Primary Health Centres, Veterinary Health Centres etc. serving the needs of these people. The Government has built stop dams for irrigation purpose, people started using modern cultivation methods, tools. They employ diesel/ electric pump sets to irrigate their land, use improved seeds, fertilisers. Every effort is being made to bring these people to the main stream. The day is not far away when we can see our tribal brothers of Patalkot mixing well with the modern world. 'Patalkot' is attracting many tourists because of its geographical location, scenic beauty, culture of the people who live here, and the immense and rare herbal wealth.