Located on the route to Mahabaleshwar, Parsi Point in Panchganj offers splendid views of the Western Ghats, Krishna Valley and the waters of the Dhom Dam.
The Western Ghats or the Sahyādri constitute a mountain range along the western side of India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the eight hottest hotspots of biological diversity in the world. This range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The range starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the Tapti River, and runs approximately 1,600 km through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala ending at Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India.
The area is one of the world's ten "Hottest biodiversity hotspots" and has over 5000 species of flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species and 179 amphibian species. Therefore, it is likely that many undiscovered species live in the Western Ghats. At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.The Western Ghats are not true mountains, but are the faulted edge of the Deccan Plateau. They are believed to have been formed during the break-up of the super continent of Gondwana some 150 million years ago.
The major hill range starting from the north is the Sahyadhri or the benevolent mountains range. This range is home to many hill stations like Matheran, Lonavala-Khandala, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Amboli Ghat, Kudremukh and Kodagu. Maharashtra has been gifted with the Sahyadri ranges. This range is well populated with many forts which offers chance to observe the beauty of nature and to add a little thrill to our life.
Panchgani is a magnificent hill station under the municipal council of Satara district in Maharashtra, India. It is nestled in the middle of five hills in the Sahyādri mountain ranges, also there are five villages around the Pachgani are Dandeghar,Khingar,Godwali, Amral & Taighat . The temperature in Panchgani is around 12C during the winter, and sometimes reaches 34C during the summer; however the humidity level is very low. The Monsoon rains hit here hardest and the rainy season spans between June and February, allowing the region three months of relatively dry and sunny spring. The five hills surrounding Panchgani are topped by a volcanic plateau, which is the second highest in Asia after the Tibetan plateau. These plateaus, alternatively known as "table land", are a part of the Deccan Plateau and they were raised by pressure between the earth plates. The area has high seismic activity, with an epicentre near Koynānagar where the Koynanagar Dam and a hydroelectric power plant have been built.
Scenic Panchgani was discovered by the British during the British Raj as a summer resort, and a superintendent named John Chesson was placed in charge of the hill station in the 1860s. He is credited with planting many plant species from the western world in Panchgani, including silver oak and poinsettia, which have flourished since then in Panchgani. Panchgani attracts many tourists throughout the year. A well-known Ganesh Temple is located close by in Wai. Panchgani is known for its many boarding schools established since the late 19th century. They attract students from the nearby cities of Mumbai and Pune, and also from abroad.
Source - Wikipedia
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