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2021-07-27T18:36:07Z

Removed unsourced/poorly sourced claims

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{{For|the building|Panch Mahal Fatehpur Sikri}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Panchmahal District
| other_name =
| nickname =
| settlement_type = District
| image_skyline = SAT KAMAN, PAVAGHAD.JPG
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Sat Kaman, Pavaghad, Panchmahal District
| image_map = Panchmahal in Gujarat (India).svg
| map_caption = Location of district in Gujarat
| coordinates = {{coord|22|45|N|73|36|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Gujarat]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| seat_type = Headquarters
| seat = [[Godhra]]
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_total = 2,390,776
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code =
| registration_plate =GJ 17
| website = {{URL|https://panchmahaldp.gujarat.gov.in/Panchmahal/english/}}
| footnotes =
}}

'''Panchmahal''', also '''Panch Mahals''', is a district in the eastern portion of [[Gujarat]] State western [[India]]. ''Panch-mahal'' means "five tehsils/talukas" (5 sub-divisions), and refers to the five sub-divisions that were transferred by the [[Maharaja]] [[Jivajirao Scindia]] of [[Gwalior State]] to the [[United Kingdom|British]]: [[Godhra]], [[Dahod]], [[Halol]], [[Kalol (Panchmahal)|Kalol]] and [[Jhalod]], [[Devgadh Baria]]. The district had a population of 2,390,776 of which 12.51% were urban as of 2001.

The district is located on eastern end of the state. It is bordered by [[Dahod district]] to the north-east & east, [[Vadodara district]] to the southwest and [[Chhota Udaipur]] district to southeast, [[Kheda district]] to the west and [[Mahisagar district|Mahi Sagar district]] to the north.
<ref>{{cite news|title=Modi Announces Creation of New District|url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=774814|access-date=23 February 2013|newspaper=Outlook|date=September 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105102113/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=774814|archive-date=5 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Name ==
''Panch-mahal'' is a Hindi or Gujarati word derived from Panch ("five") and Mahal which adopted from its original usage in Arabic for a place or type of building, later adopted in Hindi to refer to a province, district or its division, an estate etc.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7tAOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA186 | title=An Anglo-Indian Dictionary: A Glossary of Indian Terms Used in English, and of Such English or Other Non-Indian Terms as Have Obtained Special Meanings in India| last1=Whitworth| first1=George Clifford| year=1885}}</ref> The district was originally called the [[Pavagadh]] Panch Mahals, because it consisted of five mahals administered from Pavagadh: [[Godhra]], [[Kalol (Panchmahal)|Kalol]], [[Halol]], [[Dahod]], and [[Jhalod]].<ref name="Census 2011">{{cite web |title=Census of India 2011: Gujarat District Census Handbook - Panch Mahals, Part A (Village and Town Directory) |pages=13, 23–43 |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/GujaratA.html |website=Census 2011 India|access-date=1 April 2020}}</ref>

== History ==
The history of Panchmahals district revolves around the city of [[Champaner]] and the nearby [[Pavagadh Hill]]. Champaner was established in the 7th century (647) in the territory of King [[Vanraj Chavda]] of [[Chavda dynasty]]. In the 13th century, [[Chauhans]] acquired the city from Muslim rulers under [[Alauddin Khalji]]. Their rule continued until 1484, when Sultan [[Mahmud Begada]] of [[Gujarat Sultanate|Gujarat]] captured the city. Thereafter [[Godhra]] became center of the district under the [[Mughal Empire]] (1575 to 1727). The author of the [[Mirat-i Sikandari]], writing in 1611, spoke high praise of the [[mango]]es of the region, calling them the best in the kingdom, and said that [[sandalwood]] grew abundantly here and was used to build houses. Throughout the 1600s, the forests around Dahod and Champaner were used as hunting grounds for wild [[Indian elephant|elephants]].<ref name="Census 2011" />

[[File:Panchmahal district British India 1896.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Panch Mahals district, 1896]]
In October 1997, Panchmahal was divided into two districts: Panchmahal, with district headquarters at Godhra, and [[Dahod district|Dahod]], a new district with headquarters at the town of the same name.<ref name="Census 2011" />

== Economy ==
In 2006 the [[Ministry of Panchayati Raj]] named Panchmahal one of the country's 250 [[Poverty in India|most backward districts]] (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).<ref name=brgf /> It is one of the six districts in Gujarat currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).<ref name=brgf>{{cite web|author=Ministry of Panchayati Raj|date=September 8, 2009|title=A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme|publisher=National Institute of Rural Development|url=http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf|access-date=September 27, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405033402/http://www.nird.org.in/brgf/doc/brgf_BackgroundNote.pdf|archive-date=April 5, 2012}}</ref>

The Panchmahal district is rich in [[Forestry in India|forestry]] resources. In 2011, 23.26% of the total land area of the Panchmahal district was covered by [[forest]]. 97.80% of the forested area in Panchmahal was classified as [[Reserved forests and protected forests of India|reserved forest]]. Common trees in the forests of Panchmahal include [[mahuda (tree)|mahuda]], [[teak]], and [[khakhra (tree)|khakhra]]. Since 1989, the Forest Department has planted new trees throughout the district in order to increase the total forest area and counter [[deforestation]].<ref name="Census 2011" />

Panchmahal district is the largest producer of [[quartz]], [[trap rock|trap]], and [[quartzite]] in Gujarat, for use as road material. [[Manganese|Manganese ore]] is also commercially mined in Panchmahal; quartz and manganese are the two largest mineral resources in the district, with total production of the two combined exceeding 400,000 tonnes in 2011. Panchmahal also has the most extensive [[graphite]] deposits in the state of Gujarat, and there are [[granite]] quarries in several parts of the district.<ref name="Census 2011" />

[[Agriculture in India|Agriculture]] is the main source of employment for the people of Panchmahal: 75.88% of the district's total working population was employed in agriculture in 2011, compared with 49.61% for the state as a whole. The main crops are [[rice]], [[maize]], [[tur (bean)|tur]], [[Gram#Agriculture and horticulture|gram]], [[Castor oil plant|castor]], [[cotton]], and [[wheat]]. Of these, the most widely cultivated are rice, maize, wheat, castor, and tur, in that order, owing to their relative profitability and ease of cultivation. In the hillier eastern parts of the district, gram is grown as a second crop, after rice and maize are harvested; its widespread cultivation is particularly characteristic of Panchmahal.<ref name="Census 2011" />

The main livestock animals in Panchmahal are [[Water buffalo|buffaloes]], particularly of the Mehsani and Surati breeds, [[cattle]], and [[goats]]. Many animals are kept for [[dairy products]], and [[dairy farms]] have traditionally been an important source of employment for many rural families. Additionally, around 3,000 people were employed in [[Fishing in India|fishing]] in the Panchmahal district in 2011, almost entirely in ponds and artificial tanks due to the lack of major year-round rivers in the area.<ref name="Census 2011" />

[[Industry in India|Industry]] is concentrated in Godhra, Kalol, and Halol. The largest manufacturing categories in the district in 2011 included [[Rubber]] and [[Plastic]] Products, Basic [[Metal]] Industries, [[Machinery]] and Parts Except Electrical, and [[Mining]] and [[Quarrying]].<ref name="Census 2011" />

== Demographics ==
{{bar box
|title=Religions in Panchmahal District
|titlebar=#Fcd116
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hindus]]|orange|92.90}}
{{bar percent|[[Muslims]]|green|06.63}}
}}
According to the [[2011 census of India|2011 census]], Panchmahal district has a [[Demographics of India|population]] of 2,390,776,<ref name=districtcensus>{{cite web | url = http://www.census2011.co.in/district.php | title = District Census 2011 | access-date = 2011-09-30 | year = 2011 | publisher = Census2011.co.in}}</ref> roughly equal to the nation of [[Latvia]]<ref name="cia">{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | access-date = 2011-10-01 | quote = Latvia 2,204,708 July 2011 est.
}}</ref> or the US state of [[New Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php|title=2010 Resident Population Data|publisher=U. S. Census Bureau|access-date=2011-09-30| quote =New Mexico – 2,059,179 }}</ref> This gives it a ranking of 187th in India (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).<ref name=districtcensus /> The district has a population density of {{convert| 458 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}} .<ref name=districtcensus /> Its [[Family planning in India|population growth rate]] over the decade 2001–2011 was 17.92%.<ref name=districtcensus /> PanchMahal has a [[sex ratio]] of 945 [[Women in India|females]] for every 1000 males,<ref name=districtcensus /> and a [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 72.32%.<ref name=districtcensus />

At the time of the [[2011 Census of India]], 96.52% of the population in the district spoke [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], 1.70% [[Urdu]] and 1.28% [[Hindi]] as their first language.<ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue]</ref>

{{historical populations|11=1901|12=2,81,876|13=1911|14=3,64,424|15=1921|16=4,23,992|17=1931|18=5,04,580|19=1941|20=5,80,563|21=1951|22=6,94,054|23=1961|24=8,88,549|25=1971|26=11,06,441|27=1981|28=13,75,101|29=1991|30=16,82,333|31=2001|32=20,25,277|33=2011|34=23,90,776|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html|title=Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|website=www.censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>|align=middle}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links and Sources ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{EB1911 |wstitle=Panch Mahals |volume=20 |page=673}}
* [https://panchmahals.nic.in/ Official website]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Gandhinagar district
|North = [[Mehsana district]]
|Northeast =
|East = [[Sabarkantha district]]
|Southeast =
|South = [[Ahmedabad district]]
|Southwest =
|West = [[Rajkot district]]
|Northwest = [[dholka district]]
}}

{{Gujarat}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Panchmahal district| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Gujarat]]
[[Category:1861 establishments in British India]]

Panchmahal district - Revision history

imported>Elamano: Removed unsourced/poorly sourced claims