Neemuch
Neemuch Location of Neemuch in Madhya Pradesh
Coordinates	24°15′N 74°55′E / 24.25°N 74.91°E / 24.25; 74.91
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
District(s)	Neemuch
Mayor	To Be elected soon
Population • Density	725,457 (2001[update]) • 170 /km2 (440 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	3,875 km2 (1,496 sq mi) • 452 m (1,483 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 458441 • Telephone • +07423 • Vehicle • MP-44
Website	www.neemuch.nic.in

Neemuch (Hindi: नीमच)^[1] or Nimach is a town in the Malwa region in state of Madhya Pradesh, India. Neemuch shares its north eastern border with state of Rajesthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Neemuch District. Nimach is an abbreviation of "North India Mounted Artillary & Cavalry Headquarters". Formerly a large British cantonment of Gwalior princely state, the town in 1822 became the headquarters of the combined Rajputana–Malwa political agency and of the Malwa Agency in 1895. It is a road junction and distribution centre for agricultural products. It is the birth place of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 1939. The town hosts a large scale recruit training center for CRPF, and still maintains Neemuch's British Military Cantonment, one of the first of its kind in India. Neemuch is known as India's eye-donation capital as it accounts for the highest per capita eye donation rate in the country. Neemuch has been known for the production of opium, through the government-owned Opium and Alkaloid Works. Handloom weaving is the major industry here. Cement industries and Soy-oil plants are there in vicinity.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Economy 5 Tourism and entertainment 5.1 Sukhanandji Ashram 5.2 Nava Toran temple 5.3 Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary 6 Gandhi Sagar dam 7 References

[edit] History

In 1857, Neemuch was the most southerly place to which the Mutiny extended. A brigade of native Bengal troops were stationed at Neemuch, then mutinied and marched to Delhi. European officers took refuge in the fort, and were later besieged by a rebel force from Mandasor. The Europeans defended the city until relieved by the Malwa field force. Since 1895 Neemuch has been the headquarters of the political agent in Malwa.

[edit] Geography

Neemuch district is part of Ujjain Division. Neemuch borders the Rajasthan state on the west and north, and by Mandsaur district to the east and south. It was split from Mandsaur District on 30 June 1998.

Geographically Neemuch is divided into three main parts: Neemuch city, Chhavani, and Baghana.

Chhavani is the main commercial area of Neemuch hosting Pustak bazar, Dusshera maidan, Satya Path, Tilak Marg, Budha Gopal Street, Bohra gali, Cloth market, Rabindranath Tagore Marg and Sabji market, bus stand, timber market, Ambedkar Road and Neemuch Mhow Highway. The Neemuch district has approximately 700,000 inhabitants as of 2001.^[2]

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[3] Neemuch had a population of 107,496. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Neemuch has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 62%. In Neemuch, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

It lies between the parallels of latitude 240.15 and 240.35 North, and between the meridians of longitude 740 45 and 750 37 East.

[edit] Economy

The local economy of Neemuch is mainly based on the agriculture produce market (called Krishi Upaj Mandi in local Hindi language) which is well known in the surrounding areas. Some of the crops traded in the agriculture market of Neemuch are garlic, groundnut, soybeans, wheat, corn, and different types of pulses. Neemuch has many cooking oil mills.

Neemuch district is one of the largest producers of opium in the country. Neemuch also has one of the only two opium factories in India. The climate of Neemuch district is apt for the production of opium and thus the opium trade is one of the major occupations in the region.

[edit] Tourism and entertainment

There are many tourist places around Neemuch, most of which are religious. Notably, Nava Toran temple at Khor, Sambharkund Mahadev (7 km) it is closer to suwakheda and Bhadwamata (20 km), Bhanwarmata (25 km), Sukhanandji (20 km) (it is closer to Jawad), Sitaram Jaju Sagar-Harkiakhal Dam (15 km), Gandhi sagar dam (around 100 km), Chittorgarh (56 km), and Udaipur (around 135 km). One of the main temples of Neemuch is Kileshwar which hosts yearly the Shivratri festival where thousands of devotees flock to the temple for the Darshan of Lord Shiva.

[edit] Sukhanandji Ashram

Sukhanandji Ashram is situated at a distance of about 20 km from Nimach on the border of Rajasthan in an ancient rock-cave. There is a temple of Shiva here. This place is site of scenic beauty. There is a spring of perennial water. It is said to be founded by Śuka, the son of Vedavyasa. He was also known as Sri Suka, Sukadev and Brahmarata. Śuka was born of his wife, sage Jābāli's daughter Pinjalā (Vatikā).^[4] A character in a number of Puranic texts belonging to various traditions, mainly Vaishnavism. He is believed to be a son of Vyasadeva. It also believed that Vedavyasa first wrote Bharata-Samhita which contained twenty-four thousand verses (slokas) and taught that to his son Śuka.^[5]

There are two annual fairs organized at this place: One on Haryali amavashya of Srawan month and other on Baisakh purnima.

[edit] Nava Toran temple

Nava Toran temple at village Khor near Vikram Cement campus is an important remnant of eleventh century temple which consists of ten decorative arches arranged in two rows - one length wise and the other width wise crossing each other at the centre and supported on a pair of pillars in the hall and porches. The temple is decorated with leaf shaped borders, heads of makaras, garland bearers etc. There is a statue of Varaha at the centre of the temple.

Neemuch has a rich sporting history especially in soccer. Despite being a small town, Neemuch has produced a number of players who have played in the Indian soccer league. Neemuch has about 12 local soccer clubs which participate in the tournament organized by local municipal council every year. Cricket is also a very popular sport.

[edit] Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

Main article: Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is wildlife sanctuary situated on the northern boundary of Mandsaur and Nimach districts in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is spread over an area of 368.62 km squire adjoining Rajasthan state in India. It was notified in 1974 and more area was added in 1983. The Chambal River passes through the sanctuary and divides into two parts. The western part is in Nimach district and eastern part is in Mandsaur district.

[edit] Gandhi Sagar dam

The Gandhi Sagar dam is the first of the four dams built on the Chambal river. It is located in the Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. It is a 64 metre high masonry gravity dam, with a live storage capacity of 6,920 Mm³ and a catchment area of 22,584 km². The dam was completed in the year 1960. The hydro-power station comprises five generating units of 23 MW capacity each. The water released after power generation is used for irrigation through Kota Barrage.

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.