Shivpuri
| Shivpuri शिवपुरी | |
|---|---|
| city | |
|
Madhav Chauk, a market in Shivpuri | |
  Shivpuri   Shivpuri Location in Madhya Pradesh, India | |
| Coordinates: 25°26′N 77°39′E / 25.43°N 77.65°ECoordinates: 25°26′N 77°39′E / 25.43°N 77.65°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
| District | Shivpuri |
| Named for | Shiva |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10,278 km2 (3,968 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 468 m (1,535 ft) |
| Population (Provisional Figure of 2011) | |
| • Total | 179,972 (Provisional Figure of 2,011) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 473551 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-MP |
| Vehicle registration | MP-33 |
| Website | http://shivpuri.nic.in/ |
Shivpuri is a city and a municipality in Shivpuri district located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is in the Gwalior Division of northwest Madhya Pradesh and is the administrative headquarters of Shivpuri District. It is situated at an altitude of 1,515 feet (462 m) above sea level. Shivpuri district shares border with Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh towards the east and Rajasthan towards the west. It has nine tehsils: Badarwas, Karera, Kolaras, Narwar, Pichhore, Pohri, Bairad, Shivpuri and Khaniyadhan.
The city is a popular tourist attraction in the monsoon season as it has a number of minor waterfalls and lakes. The city is known for its lush greenery, thick dense forests and also as the summer capital of the Scindia rulers of Gwalior.
History
Shivpuri was the summer capital of the rulers of Gwalior - the Scindias. The kings used to spent their summer here in Madhav Vilas Palace to escape the gorging heat of Gwalior. Therfore, the city came to be known as 'mini Shimla'. The rulers had constructed the famous Chattri, George Castle and the Madhav Vilas Palace in Shivpuri.
The vast dense forests of Shivpuri served as the hunting grounds for the Scindias and the Britishers. In 1564, Mughal emperor Akbar came with his hunters to catch elephant herds from the dense forests of Shivpuri and Gwalior.
Geography
Shivpuri is located at coordinates d|25.43|N|77.65|E|.[1] It has an average elevation of 468 metres (1535 feet)
Demographics
As of provisional figures of 2011 India census, Shivpuri had a population of 179,972. Males constitute 919,369 of the population and females 806,413. Shivpuri has an average male literacy rate of 76.2% and female literacy rate of 49.5%. Children population of shivpuri (0-6 years) is 2,85,770.
Cultural sites
Chattri
Chattri was built by the Scindia rulers. The structure has two main cenotaphs. The one shown in the picture is the older one dedicated to the dowager queen Maharani Sakhya Raje Scindia while the one built on opposite side is a newer one dedicated to her son Madho Rao Scindia, the grandfather of former railway minister of India Madhavrao Scindia.
Both cenotaphs are surrounded by mughal gardens and have a streak of fountains between them.
Chhatari (memorial or cenotaph) made of ornate marble is a fine example of workmanship.
Madhav National Park
The Madhav National Park surrounds the Sakhya Sagar Lake. It has variety of wild animals and birds. It used to have a significant number of tigers but these have vanished due to poor maintenance and transference of tigers to other National Parks.
George Castle
George Castle stands on the highest point of the National Park. It was built by George Jivajirao Scindia for a overnight stay for tiger shooting by British king George V while he was to pass that way during his visit to India in 1911. However, the king shot tigers on the way itself and thus did not stop at the castle.
Madhav Vilas Palace
Madhav Vilas Palace was the official residence of the Scindias during summer. It is situated in the heart of the city and is surrounded by dense gardens and forest.
It has now been converted into a training centre of Intelligence Bureau of India giving the city a distinction of being among the very few cities in country that have a IB training centre.
Tatya Tope Memorial
Tatya Tope, a leader of Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a close aide of Rani of Jhansi, was publicly hanged on 18 April 1859 from a peepal tree. A memorial and a statue of Tatya Tope has been erected at the site.