History
This cantonment town was founded in 1818 by John Malcolm as a result of the Treaty of Mandsaur between the English and the Holkars who ruled Indore. It was after this battle that the capital of the Holkars shifted from the town of Maheshwar on the banks of the Narmada to Indore. Mhow used to be the headquarters of the 5th (Mhow) Division of the Southern Command during the British Raj. Tod
ay this small town is associated with the Indian Army and with B. Ambedkar, a political leader who was born here. Mhow was a meter gauge railway district headquarter during the British Raj and even after 1947.[3] The irony is that Mhow still has no broad gauge railway line. According to Hindu religious texts, Janapava kuti near Mhow is also said to be the birthplace of Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu. Etymology
There is total lack of unanimity on how Mhow got its name. There are many theories about this, but there is no confirmation about which theory is true. Many people believe that MHOW stands for Military Headquarters Of War. There is no proof for this as it is said that the village near Mhow has been called Mhow Gaon since time immemorial. Thus the Cantonment which came up in 1818 came to be known as Mhow Cantt. Sir John Malcolm spelt the name of this town as MOW in his writings. However, the Cantonment was referred to by British officers as Mhow at least as early as the end of 1823 (letter from Lt Edward Squibb to his father in London). The Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) tree which grows in profusion in the forests around Mhow has also been mentioned as a possible source for the name of this town. Demography
As of 2001 India census,[4] Mhow had a population of 85,023. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Mhow has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 65%. In, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. This small town has representatives of almost all communities. The Bhils who are the original inhabitants of this area still live in villages scattered around Mhow. The villages of Mhow (and Malwa) especially Badgonda, Gawli Palasiya, Kodariya, Kelod, Jamli and Harsola have a large number of Patidars who are originally from Gujarat. The Patels of Gujarat are a part of the Patidar community. Mhow has a sizable number of Marathis as it is part of Indore, the erstwhile state ruled by the Maratha Holkar family. "There are more than 5000 Sindhi Muslims living in the 6 villages of mhow tehsil they came here late before400 years ago most of them are farmers and jagirdars this community is one of the oldest community living in the area they are living long before the Mhow was originated they came from sindh (mohenjodaro) late before 400 years they were warriors who saved jodpur kingdom from attackers and were gifted with thousands acres land in mhow area which comprise almost 30% of mhow tehsil.they live in chopati,banjari, karondia, richabardi,kesarbardi,&dada.the people have even participated in 1857 war against Britishers in mhow." - (by abdul salam mehar nasrani, mhow market chowk, jive sindh)
Among the various communities settled in Mhow some have a distinctive Raj connection; these include the Parsis or Zoroastrians, the Goan Catholics, the Anglo Indians, a community of Hyderabadi Muslims and the Ahir Muslims of Banda Basti. The first three communities are very small numerically. The Parsis who were a thriving community at one time have now become a very small community in Mhow. They have a fire temple in Mhow town and a dakhma for the dead. The Tower of Silence is between Mhow and the Beircha Lake. The Parsis are very intimately connected with the growth and evolution of modern Mhow. Mhow has a large number of Shi'i and Sunni Muslims. Mhow also has a substantial number of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims from Gujarat who are mostly businessmen by profession. Besides the Dawoodi Bohras, the business communities in Mhow includes Marwaris, Chourasias, Punjabi Hindu Aroras, Sindhis, Jains and Gujaratis . The Sikhs also have a presence in Mhow, many of them having arrived here after the partition of 1947 along with the Hindu Punjabis. Each community listed above has contributed in its own way towards the growth of Mhow.[citation needed]
The Indian Army and Mhow
The Army has been here since 1818. Up until World War II, Mhow was the headquarters of the 5th Division of the Southern Army. According to local legend Winston Churchill also spent a few months in Mhow when he was a subaltern serving with his regiment in India (a local shop still boasts of him as its customer). The house on the Mall where he is supposed to have lived has gradually crumbled due to neglect and age. It has been pulled down and a jogger's park has been built on its grounds by the Infantry School, Mhow. It houses three premier training institutions-The Infantry School,The Military College of Telecommunication Engineering and The Army War College. In addition to these institutes, MHOW is where The Army Training Command or ARTRAC was born. ARTRAC was based in Mhow from 1991 to 1994, before it shifted to Shimla (Himachal Pradesh). At that time its General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC-in-C) was Lt. General Shankar Roy Chowdhary who went on to become the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Its first GOC-in-C was Lt. Kalkat who had earlier commanded the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. ARTRAC was housed in the campus of the present Army School Mhow. This was used as All Arms Wing of MCTE for many decades. It was originally built and used as the BMH (British Military Hospital).
[edit]The Infantry School
The Infantry School is the alma mater of the Indian Infantry which is the spearhead of the Indian Army. It conducts courses related to the infantry for men and officers of the various regiments of the Indian Army. The Commando Wing of this school is in Belgaum, Karnataka. The Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) which has produced many medal winning shooters for the Army and for India is a part of The Infantry School Mhow. Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw had served as the first Indian Commandant of this school in the fifties while he was a Brigadier. Present Commandant: Lt Gen P S Bajwa,UYSM,SM.
[edit]Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE)
Military College of Telecommunication Engineering is the alma mater of the Corps of Signals. The Corps of Signals is like the nervous system of the Indian Army as it is responsible for communications. MCTE and was known as the School of Signals till 1967. MCTE conducts telecommunications and Information Technology courses for officers, JCOS, NCOs and soldiers of the Indian Army. Officers and men from other countries also attend courses here. It also trains cadets for a Bachelors degree in engineering. These cadets get commissioned into the Indian Army's Corps of Signals on completion of their training. They are known as the 'Information Warriors' of the Indian Army. Present Commandant: Maj Gen Rajesh Pant, VSM.
[edit]The Army War College
The Army War College was known as the College of Combat till 2003. The Army War College conducts three courses—the Junior Command (JC) course, the Senior Command (SC) course and the Higher Command (HC) course. The former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General K. Sundarji was the Commandant of the College of Combat during the early eighties. His successor as COAS General V.N. Sharma also served as the Commandant of the College of Combat. Present Commandant: Lt Gen P G Kamath, AVSM, YSM, SM. Government and politics
Mhow has one seat in the State Legislative Assembly (the Vidhan Sabha). The first elected MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) was the Mr.R.C.Jall (Indian National Congress)who belonged to the Parsi community. The MLA from Mhow is Mr. Kailash Vijayvargiya of the BJP. According to the State Assembly results declared on Tuesday 9 December 2008 he defeated Shri Antar Singh Darbar of the Congress(I) party, who had been the MLA from Mhow for the last two terms, by a margin of more than 8800 votes. The MLA from Mhow before Shri Antar Singh Darbar was the late Shri Bherulal Patidar (1941–2005)of the BJP or Bharatiya Janata Party. Shri Patidar was also the Deputy Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha. He was the Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission at the time of his sudden and unexpected death on Sunday 13 November 2005. The late Mr. Prakash Chandra Sethi, former Chief minister of Madhya Pradesh
Until 2009 the people of Mhow resided in the Indore Lok Sabha constituency. Under the delimitation exercise carried out all over the nation Mhow is now in the Dhar Parliamentary constituency though it continues to be in Indore district for administrative purposes. The MP from the Dhar constituency is Mr. Gajendra Singh Rajukhedhi of Indian National Congress. Schools and colleges
No self promotional material here please. Institutes which are neither schools nor colleges are requested to not enter their names here. The sole purpose of this section is to list the names of schools, colleges and educational institutes like the IIM and the IIT. MPBSE SCHOOLS
Desire Academy (CBSE Pattern)
Govt. Higher Secondary School, Hari Phatak formerly K.B.E.P. Memorial High School
Government Girls Higher Secondary School Hari Phatak MHOW
Unique Higher Secondary School
New Era Public School
Vaishnav Bal Mandir High School. J.G.Gopinath Higher Secondary School
Jain Public School
Umiya Patidar Samaj Higher Secondary School
Maheswari Vidhyalaya
Arya Kanya Uchchatar Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Luniyapura. CBSE SCHOOLS
Colonel's Academy
Wishwood Cottage School
Little Angel's Higher Secondary School
Rajeshwar Vidyalaya formerly Sacred Heart High School (The oldest school of Mhow)
St Mary's Higher Secondary School. Kendriya Vidyalaya Mhow (The first CBSE School in Mhow)
Army Public School Mhow
Shri Sai Academy
Utkarssh Public school, Kodariya
COLLEGES
R.C. Jall Law College. Bherulal Patidar Govt Post Graduate Degree College, Mhow. Colonel Fateh Jang College of Education. Vikrant College of Engineering, Rasalpura. S D Bansal College of Engineering, Old AB Road, Umaria, Mhow. K C Bansal Technical Academy, Umaria,Mhow. NATIONAL LEVEL INSTITUTES (IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER OF ESTABLISHMENT)
College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Mhow affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya (JNKVV). Babasaheb Ambedkar National Institute Of Social Sciences, BANISS, Dongar Gaon, Mhow Tehsil. Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM Indore), Pigdamber, Mhow Tehsil. Indian Institute of Technology, Indore (IIT Indore), Simrol, Mhow Tehsil. DISTANCE LEARNING IGNOU (NEW DELHI)Study center AISECT -IGNOU Study center
Banks In Mhow
STATE BANK OF INDIA (SBI),Mhow - Two branches including the erstwhile branch of the State Bank of Indore near Town Hall Mhow. Syndicate Bank Mhow
Canara Bank Mhow
BANK OF MAHARASHTRA Mhow
Indore Premier Co-Operative Bank Mhow
O.B.C. Bank, Mhow
Corporation Bank,Kodariya, MHOW
Punjab National Bank, Main Street MHOW
Central Bank of India, Main Street MHOW
Bank of Baroda, Main Street MHOW
Bank of India, 334A, Simrole Road, Mhow. IDBI Bank
ICICI Bank
Axis Bank, Gawli Palasiya, Mhow. Picnic Spots Near Mhow
Patal Pani Water Fall
Mehndi Kund Water Fall
Choral Dam
Nakheri Dam
Berchha lake
Tinchha Water Fall
Jaana Paav
Jaam Gate
Bamniya kund Water Fall
Sitla mata Water Fall
Kala kund
The Temple of Janapav and the rivers Chambal and Gambhir
The river Chambal which flows through the dacoit infested areas of Northern India is said to begin at the hill of Janapav which is in a village named Kuti,around 15 km from Mhow town. On top of the hill of Janapav is a temple and ashram. According to local legend this used to be the ashram of Jamadagni, the father of Parashurama (an Avatar or reincarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu God of sustenance). A mela, or religious fair, is held at Kuti every year on the auspicious day of Kartik Purnima - the first full moon after Diwali, which is also celebrated as Guru Nanak's birthday by the Sikh community - and people from villages far and near come to pray and pay their obeisance. The next day the same mela shifts to the Balaji temple in Badgonda village. The river Gambhir which eventually joins the Kshipra - the river on whose banks the ancient, holy city of Ujjain is built - also begins at the hill of Janapav. From there it flows north towards Mhow. The demand for a broad gauge railway line
Mhow has been connected to Indore and Khandwa by metre gauge railway lines. On Jan 18 2008, when the Union Cabinet approved the gauge conversion for the Ratlam-Mhow-Khandwa-Akola railway line.(472.64 km). The cost of the gauge conversion would be about Rs.1421.25 crore. Ambedkar and Mhow
Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's father Ramji Maloji Sakpal was a Subedar Major—a VCO or Viceroy Commissioned Officer (the equivalent of a Sergeant Major)—in a battalion of the British Indian Army's Mahar Regiment. The Mahars are an oppressed caste from Maharashtra state of India and are part of the Dalits or downtrodden and untouchable people of India. Dr. Ambedkar had fought on behalf of the Dalits and is a very honoured figure in India today. He and hundreds of thousands of his followers had converted to Buddhism as they claimed disillusioned with Hinduism. A memorial to Dr. Ambedkar in the shape of a Buddhist stupa is being built at a spot where his father's quarters used to be. It is located by the Agra-Mumbai Road and is very near the temple, gurudwara and mosque of the Infantry School Mhow. Renaming Mhow after Ambedkar and the controversy
Mhow has now been renamed Dr. Ambedkar Nagar in honour of the father of the Indian constitution, who was born here. The renaming has not been without controversy. Many claim that it has been done due to the compulsions of vote bank politics. The new name is used for official purposes and has not been widely accepted. Ambedkar was born in Mhow as his father Subedar Major Ramji Maloji Sakpal - a VCO (Viceroy Commissioned Officer) of the Mahar Regiment - was stationed here. He had nothing to do with Mhow claim opponents of the renaming. They also claim that the name Mhow has a history of its own and is a name which the Indian Army and civilians are deeply attached to. These are also the views of many who say that they have nothing against Ambedkar or the Dalits but are attached to the name Mhow. Opponents of the renaming claim that Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, has not been renamed Gandhinagar and Jawaharlal Nehru's birthplace Allahabad is still Allahabad and not Nehrunagar hence it is not necessary to rename Mhow after Ambedkar. The Dalits claim that this opposition is mainly due to the ingrained bias that upper castes have against them. The controversy refuses to die. References to Mhow in the written form. Some books about Mhow include:
Diaries and letters from India, 1895-1900 by Violet Jacob; Non fiction
Last Post At Mhow by Arthur Hawkey; London: Jarrolds, 1969; Non fiction
Chinnery's Hotel by Jaysinh Birjepatil; Ravi Dayal Publishers (India); 2005; fiction
There are references to Mhow in the works of Rudyard Kipling. (i)His poem "The Ladies"
(ii) A reference to the train from Ajmer to Mhow in Chapter 1 of The Man Who would be King and
(iii) A reference to Mhow in chapter 11 of Kim. Mhow and Bollywood
Mhow has Bollywood connections too. Actors Pooja Batra and Celina Jaitley, who are born in Army families, have their parents settled here. Old time Actress Sheila Ramani also has a Mhow connection. Prakash Jaju, Ex Secretary to Priyanka Chopra belongs to Mhow. Sports and eminent sportspersons associated with Mhow
J.G. Grieg(1871–1958): This cricketer who played most of his cricket in India was born in Mhow. He played for the Europeans in the Bombay Presidency tournament (later known as the Triangulars and later the Quadrangulars and yet later the Pentangulars) and for Hampshire in county cricket. He was affectionately called 'Jungly' Grieg. Kishan Chand, captain of Indian Hockey Team which won gold at Olympics.[5]
An eminent sportsperson belonging to Mhow was Honorary Captain Shankar Laxman who played Hockey at the Summer Olympics as the goalkeeper of the gold medal winning Indian team at the Tokyo Olympics. In three Olympic finals against Pakistan from 1956 to 1964 he conceded only one goal. Shankar Laxman died of a heart attack in Mhow on Saturday,29 April 2006. He was undergoing alternative treatment for gangrene in one of his legs.Garrison Ground, Mhow has now been named after him in his honour
Salim Sherwani, the former star of Pakistani hockey is also originally from Mhow. Mukesh Kumar, one of India's top golfers belongs to Mhow and he has learnt the game playing at the Army golf course. In August 2004 Lt. Col (then Major) Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore of the Grenadier Regiment won a silver medal in the shooting event of the Athens Olympics. At that time Major (now Lt. Col) Rathore was posted to the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) which is based here and is a part of Infantry School Mhow. The AMU has produced many medal winning shooters for India like Ms. Seema Tomar and Ms.Rajkumari Dhodiya and Ms. Meena Dogra who are civilian employees of the army. The Indian shooting team for the Commonwealth Games 2010 included 36 shooters of which nine were from the Army Marksmanship Unit, AMU. These were: Seema Tomar, Vijay Kumar, Gurpreet Singh, AD Peoples, Imran Hasan Khan, C.K. Choudhary, Hariom Singh, Sushil Ghaley, Praveen Dahiya. 4 of these nine shooters won 5 Gold, 2 Silver and a Bronze medal either individually or in pairs. Their names: (1) Vijay Kumar - 2 Gold and a silver. Gold in 25 m (Pairs), Gold in Centre fire Pistol (Pairs), Silver in 25m Centre Fire Pistol (Individual. (2) Gurpreet Singh - 2 Gold and a Bronze. Gold in 25 m Pistol Rapid Fire (Pairs), Gold in 10 m Air Pistol (Pairs), Bronze in 25 m Pistol Rapid Fire (Individual). 3) Imran Hasan Khan - Gold in 50 m Rifle 3-Position (Pairs). (4) C K Choudhary - Silver in 25 m Standard Pistol (Pairs). Click here to read more about this great achievement. The English cricketer and footballer Denis Compton was stationed in Mhow during World War II and he had played cricket for the Holkar (Indore) team in the Ranji Trophy (India's National Cricket Championship). Besides hockey, shooting and golf Mhow is also famous for its wrestlers and footballers. Kripa Shankar Patel of Mhow has represented India and won medals in various wrestling competitions. The Brigadier Kale Memorial Football tournament is an annual event which football lovers look forward to every year. Young Brothers Mhow is a famous football team from Mhow. The Equestrian Squadron of the NCC (National Cadet Corps) which is associated with the Veterinary College Mhow has won many medals and honours in various horse riding competitions. Cricketer Rohan Shrivastava of Mhow has played for Madhya Pradesh in various junior teams including the under-22 team. He has also played in a senior T20 match against Maharashtra. Rajesh Jauhri, a journalist and educationist has represented the state 5 times in National Shooting championships and has won a gold, silver and bronze medals in All India G V Mavlankar Shooting championship. He won the gold in May'2011 at Kadarpur shooting range in Delhi. Mrs Sumer Roopsingh reowned basketball player. She has participated in many national basketball championships from Indian Railways and Madhya Pradesh. she is also participated in Netball Games. She Represented India in the World Net Ball Championship at Toronto CANADA, BARMINGHAM U.K. And Australia.She is Secretary Of Women Netball Association of MP and also Secretary of M P Korfall Association. Ajay Singh Shekhawat, A famous Basket Ball player. He represented Indian Railways basketball team in WORLD RAILWAYS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP at ROMANIA. He won 5 Gold Medal in National Basketball Championships as well as Junior Basketball championship. Human Rights Activists and Road Safety / Transport Specialist of Mhow
Rajeev John George (1970–2005): A Housing Rights Activist, who won an International Award called, "Housing Rights Defender Award", in November 2004. The award was given by Geneva based COHRE, "Center for Housing Rights and Evictions", for his tireless work among the slum dwellers. Rajeev was the founder of "Deenbandhu", a Housing Rights Organization. He was also the Convenor for, "National Forum for Housing Rights". Rajeev resided in Mhow for his early education. A leading Road Safety and Transport Systems Specialist: Kailash Chandra Tiwari, son of Shri Shambhu Prasad Tiwari, was born in Maharaj ki Oree, Bhagora-Kodaria in Mhow, in 1953. He has been involved in many countries to improve road safety and to alleviate traffic and transport problems. He studied in Grade 1-5 and 11-12 in Mhow and did his BE from SGSITS Indore. Next stop
Pithampur
See also
Military College of Telecommunication Engineering
[edit]References
^ http://www.mapsofindia.com/indore/excursions/mhow.html
^ Mhow city renamed as Dr Ambedkar Nagar
^ Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway (B.B.& C.I. Railway) which later got incorporated in Western Railway.
^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
^ Wikipedia article on Indore. External links
Mhow District, Madhya Pradesh, India
Google Images and Mhow
Blogposts on Mhow, results from Google Blog search
India 1933-36 Photographs clicked by a soldier of the 1st Glosters
Mhow Ki Khabrein: A weblog dedicated to Mhow
A blogpost on Jaisinh Birjepatil's novel Chinnery's Hotel
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Mhow". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. Quotations on Mhow
