Brief About Panchmahals District
Panchmahal, also Panch Mahal, is a district in the western India, in the eastern portion of Gujarat state. Panch mahal means "five districts", and refers to the five districts that were transferred by the Sindhia Maharaja of Gwalior to the British.

The district is situated in Eastern Gujarat. It is bounded on the north by Sabar Kantha district and Banswara district of Rajasthan, on the south by Vadodara district and Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh and on the west by Vadodara and Kheda districts. Total area of the district is 8866 sq. kms. The district headquarters is located at Godhra.

History
Panchmahal were conquered from the Mughal Empire by the Maratha leader Sindhia in the eighteenth century. The Sindhias became Maharajas of Gwalior, and after 1818 were forced to recognize British sovereignty. The Panch Mahals were transferred in 1861 by the Sindhias to British India, where they became a district in the northern division of Bombay Presidency. The British district consisted of two separate parts, divided by the territory of a princely state. The southwestern portion was for the most part a level plain of rich soil; while the northern, although it comprised some fertile valleys, was generally rugged, undulating and barren, with but little cultivation. The area of the British district was 1606 sq. mi., and the population was 261,020 in 1901. The administrative headquarters were at Godhra, pop. (1901), 20,915. The ruins of Champaner, the former capital of a Hindu kingdom and later of the Sultans of Gujarat, was included in the district. It was the only district of Bombay Presidency that is administered on the non-regulation system, the collector being also political agent for Rewa Kantha agency. The mineral products comprised sandstone, granite and other kinds of building stone. Mining for manganese on a large scale was begun by a European firm. The principal crops were maize, millets, rice, pulse and oilseeds; there were manufactures of lac bracelets and lacquered toys; the chief export was timber. Both portions of the district were crossed by the branch of the Bombay and Baroda Railway from Anand, through Godhra and Dohad, to Ratlam; and a chord line was opened in 1904 from Godhra to Baroda city. The district suffered very severely from the famine of 1899-1900, and its population decreased 17% from 1891 to 1901 owing to the famine.

Towns, Villages and Amenities
The district at present comprises of 11 talukas with an equal number of Community Development Block. It has 9 towns and 1906 villages (1889 inhabited villages and 17 uninhabited villages).

The district can be divided into two main physiographical sub-divisions. The entire northern and eastern portion comprising mainly of Jhalod, Dohad, Lunavada, Santampur, Limkheda and Devgad Baria talukas and Jambughoda mahal is covered by hills and forests and interspersed by plain cultivable land. The western part comprising mainly of Kalol. Shehera, Godhra and Halol talukas and parts of Lunavada taluka comprises plains rising gradually to the east and is drained by rivers and interspersed by sprinklings of low hills. Nearly two thirds of the district is covered with small hills. The Pavagadh hills in the south rises to a height of 819 metres above sea level. The soil of the northern and eastern regions of the district is shallow and rocky and black in texture. The district has commercially workable deposits of china clay feldspar, manganese ore

Places to Visit

Godhra
There is a big tank in Godhra called Godharak (Godhra-haka) said to have been built during the period when Champaner was the capital of Gujarat. It is said that cows from Champaner used to come as far as Godhra for grazing. Hence the town is called Godhra. The objects of interest in the town are the Ramsagar lake and the fort to its north-east. Among places of worship, mention may be made of the Ramji Mandir and Kalka Mata temple both remnants of Scindia’s regime, the Swaminarayan temple, the Ankleshwar Mahadev temple, the Gokulnathji temple, the Jhakurkhan Ara Masjid, the Bohora Masjid, and the Old Methodist Church. Round about the Ankleshwar Mahadev, there are ruins of SasuVahui Vav and AtiPati-no Chotro. Godhra is the birth place of the famous saint Rang Avadhoot of Nareshwar and has, therefore, become a place of pilgrimage for the followers of the Datta Sampradaya. A fair is held at the Ankleshwar Mahadev temple on the Janmashtami day.

It is known for natural hot water springs containing sulphur, Many people visit the place for taking bath in the hot water. It is believed that the saint Sharbang had lived here in an ashram. Lord Ramchandrari is also said to have stayed in this ashram during his exile. The scattered ruins of the old construction are found near this place.

Malav

There is a well-known ashram known as Krupalu Ashram named after its Mahant Shri Krupalu Swami who is devoted to the yogic practices.

Pavagadh Hill

The Pavagadh hill is a famous place of pilgrimage situated in the Halol taluka of the district. The gods send so large a hill that three quarter of it filled up the hollow and the rest standing out of the plains was called ‘Pavagdh’ the quarter hill. In old inscriptions, the name of the hill also appears as ‘Pavakgadh’ or ‘fire-hill’. The first historical reference to the Pavagadh is in the writings of Chand Barot of the eleventh century, who mentioned Ram Gaur, the Tuar, as lord of Pava. Pavagadh is well-known as the strongest hill fortress of the ancient Gujarat, like so many hill forts in India. Read More

Kakachia

The ‘Triveni Sangam’ or the sacred confluence of three rivers, viz. The Mahi, the Panam and the Veri, Near the village, there is an ancient Shiv Temple.

Kadana

There is a memorial stone (Khambhi) which is believed to have been erected in memory of a marty who died in the revolt of 1857. Near the site of the dam, on the opposite bank of the river Mahi, there is the temple of Nadinath Mahadev in the hills where a fair known as the Math-Kotal fair is held from Maha Sud 14 to Maha Vad 1 February. In the nearby hills, there is a Bhamaresnvari cave. It is believed that the underground portion of the cave is about 80 kms. long under the hilly area.

Mota Hathidhara

The sculpture on the outer sides of the temple includes Shiv in tandava pose and Mahakali with emaciated limbs. Brahma, Vamanavatara, Narasinhavatara and other unidentified sculptures in the niches point out that the temple belongs to the period when the sculptures were not sumptuous, but were put up with great restraint. The broken image of Bhairava lying on the debris of the temple is decidedly post-Gupta. It can be dated as not later than 9^th century A.D. A big fair is held here every year on Amali Agiarash, Falgun Sud 11.

Devgad Baria

A fair is held at Devgad Baria during Dassera festival every year. The old Kalika Mata temple is on the hill. There are also temples of Ranchhodji, Gokulnathji, Radha-Govind, Patalesh-war Mahadev, Garudeshwar Mahadev and the Sun temple.

Paroli

The place is a pilgrim centre for the Shwetambar Jains. There is a Jain temple dedicated to God Neminath, the 22^nd tirthankar. To the right of this image there is a Shivling which is believed to be swayambhu or self-emeged. To its left there is an idol of Laxminarayan. On every full moon day, the Jains visit this place in large numbers.

Ghoghamba

There is a Vaijanath Mahadev temple where there is a swaymbhuling. It was constructed during the time of Patai Raval of Champaner. Near this temple, there are two other temples of Hanuman and Adya-Shakti Devi. There is also a samadhi of the Mul Purush who built this temple. It is believed that this is the place where Vishvamitra Rishi performed a sacrifice to send to heaven the king Trishanku with his mortal body. It is said that the ling is installed at the place where the sacrifice was performed by Vishvamitra. The ling seems, therefore, to be very old.