Panchkula

The fort was built by the Rajput rulers of Kahlur State, headquarter of which was Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh. King of Bilaspur built the Ramgarh Fort 360 years ago.[5] In 1687, its rulers offered Guru Gobind Singh a horse, a sword and Rs 500000 when he was relocating his troops from Paonta Sahib to Anandpur Sahib after the Battle of Bhangani. In the 1750s, it fell to eventually a fief to Sirmur State, but became independent in 1804. It is currently occupied by the progeny of Kalee Chand, younger son of King of Bilaspur Sangar Chand (r. 1197-1220), and run as a heritage hotel.

Nada Sahib (named after Nada Shah who was a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh, 2 km south east of Panchkula), Lakhnaur Sahib (native place of Mata Gujri mother of Guru Gobind Singh, has a charpai belonging to Guru Gobind Singh, 6 kilometres south of Ambala), Panjokhra Sahib (visited by the 8th guru of Sikhs Guru Har Krishan, 8 km east of Ambala) and Haryoli (temple of Rishis Markandeya hold an annual fair in September–October where he meditated to lord Shiva at the age of 12, located 15 km to southeast of Ambala Cantonment) are the popular ancient religious sites.[6]

• Spring: It lasts from February-end to early-April. Temperatures vary between (max) 13 °C to 20 °C and (min) 5 °C to 12 °C.
• Autumn: In autumn (from September-end to mid-November.), the temperature may rise to a maximum of 30 °C. Temperatures usually remain between 10° to 22° in autumn. The minimum temperature is around 6 °C.
• Summer: The temperature in summer (from mid-April to June-end) may rise even above 40 °C. Temperatures generally remain between 30 °C to 39 °C (94 – 101F).
• Monsoon: During monsoon (from early-July to mid-September), Panchkula receives moderate to heavy rainfall and sometimes heavy to very heavy rainfall (generally during the month of August or September). Usually, the rain-bearing monsoon winds blow from south-west/south-east. Mostly, the city receives heavy rain from the south (which is mainly a persistent rain) but it generally receives most of its rain during monsoon either from North-west or North-east. The maximum amount of rain received by the city of Panchkula during monsoon season is 195.5  mm in a single day.
• Winter: Winters (November-end to February-end) are mild but it can sometimes get quite chilly in Panchkula. Average temperatures in the winter remain at (max) 5 °C to 14 °C and (min) -1 °C to 5 °C. Rain usually comes from the west during winters and it is usually a persistent rain for 2–3  days with sometimes hail-storms.[7]

Panchkula municipality is governed under the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973. According to the 2011 Census, Panchkula is governed by a municipal council,[10] but it has since upgraded to the status of a municipal corporation.[13] The population of the municipality, as per Census 2011, is 210,175.[14]

Since 2017, Mr Rajesh Jogpal (HCS) headed the corporation as its municipal commissioner.[15] In December, 2019, he was transferred and replaced by IAS Sumedha Kataria.[16] The first woman Mayor of Panchkula was Upinder Kaur Alhuwalia, who served the term from 2013-18.[17][18] In 2018, the state decided to hold direct elections for the post,[19] and as of August 2020, they are yet to be held.[20]

In July 2020, the Panchkula Municipal Corporation was bifurcated, with Kalka and Pinjore separating from the corporation and getting their own municipal council status.[21] The city is divided into 20 wards for the purpose of administration,[22][23] and is built over an area of 32.6 square km.[10]

Water supply and sewerage in Panchkula is maintained by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) of the state, as well as the municipal corporation at the local level.[24] As of 2008, 80 MLD of water is supplied to Panchkula city, and it is treated by chlorination.[25]

Panchkula also produces 115 MT (metric tons or 1000 kgs) of waste per day, out of which only about 40 MT is processed.[26] As per the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) report, 100% door to door collection has been ensured in all wards through waste pickers.[26] Jhariwala village has a sanitary landfill for the waste, where unsegregated waste is dumped. The city also has a community composting facility, material recovery facility and biogas plant.[26] As of 2008, the city generated 64 MLD of sewage and had three sewage treatment plants (STPs) that were functional with a capacity of 18, 39 and 15 MLD respectively.[25]

Panchkula city has an interim master plan that has been published by the Town and Country Planning department of Haryana state.[27]

Panchkula IT Park (also known as Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation Technology Park) is the state of art infrastructure to facilitate information technology in the city. It spreads over 74 acres developed by HSIIDC situated in sector 22 on foothills of Shivalik Hills or outer Himalayas and on the banks of Ghaggar River. It is well connected to Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

There are various tourist attractions in and around Panchkula including:

Patiala temple, constructed 1840 AD by Maharaja of Patiala, within the Mansa Devi temple complex in Panchkula

• Mata Mansa Devi Mandir is one of the most prominent temples in North India and is dedicated to Goddess Mansa Devi, a form of Shakti.
• Bhima Devi Temple Site Museum nicknamed Khajuraho of North India for its erotic sculptures, comprises the restored ruins of an ancient Hindu temple dating from between 8th and 11th century AD.
• Nada Sahib is a Sikh Gurudwara in the Panchkula district of the Indian state of Haryana. Situated on the banks of the Ghaggar-Hakra River in the Sivalik Hills.
• Morni, the hill resort at Morni Hills, an offshoot of the Sivalik Hills, are about 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the city. The hills were named for Queen Morni, who is said to have ruled this city.
• Pinjore Gardens, also known as Yadavindra Gardens, are about 20 km (12 mi) from the city, and cover a total area of 100 hectares (250 acres). The work of creating the gardens began in the seventeenth century. Pinjore Gardens is the venue for an annual mango festival. The garden houses a mini zoo, historic places, Japanese garden, nursery and a number of picnic spots. According to Hindu theology, the Pandava brothers rested in Pinjore during their exile.
• National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre a 7 acres (2.8 ha) cactus garden in the center of Panchkula, was established in 1987, and is known for its rare and endangered species of Indian succulent plants.
• Kaushalya Dam is an earth-filled barrage dam on Kaushalya river in Pinjore. It is an important wetland that is home to many endangered migratory birds.
  

  Kaushalya Dam
• Bir Shikargah Wildlife Sanctuary, Khol Hi-Raitan Wildlife Sanctuary, Pheasant Breeding Centre, Morni, Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore, Pheasant Breeding Centre, Berwala.

• Government College, Sector 1
• Government College for Girls, Sector 14
• Mother Teresa Saket College of Physiotherapy, Chandimandir Cantonment
• National Institute of Fashion Technology, Sector 26

• Army Public School, Chandimandir Cantonment
• Bhawan Vidyalaya, Sector 15
• Blue Bird, Sector 16
• CL DAV, Sector 11
• DAV Public School, Sector 8
• DC Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 7
• Doon Public School, Sector 21
• Hallmark Public School, Sector 15
• Hansraj Public School, Sector 6
• Haryana Model School, Sector 10
• Holy Child School, Morni Road
• Jainendra Public School, Sector 1
• Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 (KV1), Chandimandir Cantonment
• Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 2 (KV2), Chandimandir Cantonment
• Manav Mangal School, Sector 11
• New India Smart School, Sector 15
• St. Soldier Divine Public School, Sector 16
• Satluj Public School, Sector 4
• Shishu Niketan, MDC, Sector 5
• The British School Panchkula, Sector 8
• The Gurukul, Sector 20
• The Sky World School, Sector 21

• Little Flower Convent School, Sector 14
• St. Xavier's High School, Sector 20
• Saupin's School, Sector 9

• Command Hospital, Chandimandir Cantonment
• General Hospital, Sector 6
• Government Pet Animal Medical Center Cum Teaching Hospital, Sector 3
• Government dispensaries in some sectors
• Saket Orthopedic Hospital, Sector 1.

• Alchemist Hospital, Sector 21
• Alchemist Eye Institute, Sector 21
• Blessings Hospital, Sector 15
• Chakravarty Nursing Home, Sector 10
• Clove Dental, Sector 20
• Dhawan Hospital, Sector 7
• Drishti Eye Hospital, Sector 10
• Gokul Surgical Hospital, Sector 15
• Happy Family Hospital, Sector 5 MDC
• Institute of Reproduction & Child Cares, Sector 17
• Ivy Hospital, Sector 5C MDC
• Jindal Nursing Home, Sector 17
• Kare Partners Mother And Child Hospital, Sector 2
• Malhotra Super Specialty Hospital, Sector 25
• Mind Peace Clinic Sector 14
• Mirchia Hospital Sector 15
• Noheria Nursing Home, Sector 8
• Ojas Hospital, Sector 26
• Orthomax Hospital, Sector 15
• Paras Hospital, HSIIDC Park, Sector 22
• Paras Bliss Hospital Sector 5 MDC
• Phoenix Hospital, Sector 16
• Raffles Hospital Sector 14
• Sunny Hospital, Sector 4
• Wings Hospital, Sector 25