Overview
Panna district is an administrative district in the Sagar division of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. The district takes its name from its headquarters town of Panna, a former princely state seat located in the Vindhya range. The district is widely known for its diamond mines, which are among the few commercially worked diamond deposits in India, and for the Panna National Park, an important tiger reserve along the Ken river.
Key facts
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
| Division | Sagar |
| Headquarters | Panna |
| Region | Bundelkhand |
| Major river | Ken |
| Notable protected area | Panna National Park / Panna Tiger Reserve |
| Known for | Diamond mining, temples, wildlife |
Geography
Panna district lies in the Bundelkhand region in the north-eastern part of Madhya Pradesh. It is bounded by Chhatarpur district to the north-west, Damoh district to the south-west, Katni district to the south, and Satna district to the east. The terrain is largely formed by the Vindhyan plateau, with forested hills, sandstone escarpments and shallow valleys. The Ken river, a tributary of the Yamuna, flows through the district and forms the spine of the Panna Tiger Reserve. Other minor streams drain the plateau into the Ken system.
The climate is tropical with a hot dry summer, a monsoon season from June to September, and a cool winter. Forest cover is significant compared with the state average, owing to the protected reserves and the broken upland topography.
History
The area corresponding to present-day Panna district was historically part of the Bundelkhand cultural region. It rose to prominence in the 17th century under Maharaja Chhatrasal, the Bundela ruler who established Panna as the capital of his kingdom and led resistance against Mughal authority in central India. After Chhatrasal's death, the territory was partitioned among his successors and the Maratha leader Peshwa Baji Rao I.
The princely state of Panna continued under Bundela rulers through the colonial period and acceded to the Union of India after independence in 1947. It became part of the state of Vindhya Pradesh, which was merged into Madhya Pradesh on the reorganisation of states in 1956. Panna has since functioned as a district within Madhya Pradesh.
Administration
The district is administered by a District Collector and Magistrate, with police administration headed by a Superintendent of Police. For revenue purposes the district is divided into tehsils and sub-divisions, and for rural local government into community development blocks and gram panchayats. Panna town serves as the seat of district administration, the district court, and the principal market.
Economy
Diamond mining
Panna is one of the most prominent centres of diamond mining in India. Diamonds occur in kimberlite pipes and in surface alluvial gravels around the town of Panna and adjoining areas such as Majhgawan. The Majhgawan mine is operated by the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC). In addition, the state government issues short-term shallow mining leases to local prospectors, and rough diamonds recovered in this manner are sold through periodic government auctions held at Panna.
Agriculture and other activities
Agriculture remains the principal occupation, with wheat, gram, soybean, oilseeds, pulses and paddy among the major crops. Forest produce, sandstone quarrying and small-scale industry contribute to the local economy. Tourism associated with the tiger reserve and temples is a growing source of employment.
Panna Tiger Reserve
The Panna National Park, notified as a national park in 1981 and brought under Project Tiger as the Panna Tiger Reserve in 1994, covers parts of Panna and Chhatarpur districts along the Ken river. The reserve became the focus of national attention in the late 2000s when its tiger population collapsed, after which a reintroduction programme using tigers translocated from other reserves successfully re-established a breeding population. The reserve hosts leopard, sloth bear, chital, sambar, nilgai, gharial and a wide range of birdlife.
Religion and culture
Panna town is an important pilgrimage centre. The Pranami sect, founded by Mahamati Prannath in the 17th century, has its principal seat at the Shri Padmavati Puri Dham (Shri Prannath Ji temple) in Panna. The town and its environs also contain several Jain temples, and the area is associated with traditions of the Bundela Rajputs. Folk traditions of Bundelkhand, including Bundeli language, music and dance forms, are part of the cultural fabric of the district.
Transport
Panna is connected by state and national highways to Khajuraho, Satna, Chhatarpur and Damoh. The nearest major railway stations are at Satna and Katni on the Mumbai–Howrah trunk routes, while the nearest airport is at Khajuraho, which offers domestic flights and lies a short distance to the north-west of the district headquarters.
Related topics
- Madhya Pradesh
- Bundelkhand
- Sagar division
- Panna National Park
- Ken River
- Khajuraho
- Maharaja Chhatrasal
- Diamond mining in India
- Pranami Sampradaya
References
- Wikidata: Panna district (Q2341630)
- Government of Madhya Pradesh, district portal for Panna.
- National Tiger Conservation Authority, Project Tiger reserve profiles.
- National Mineral Development Corporation, public information on the Majhgawan diamond mine.