Mhow Fort

About:

Mhow is famous for its mild and pleasant weather, unspoilt countryside and the cool evening breeze known as Shab-e-Malwa which makes the summers less harsh and so much more tolerable. Some of the picnic spots in and around Mhow are: Patal Pani waterfalls, Choral dam, Nakheri dam, Beircha lake, the lakes near Mhow fort, Yashwantnagar Talaab, Janapav temple in Kuti Village, Sitlamata temple and falls (in Manpur, 20 km from Mhow).

Mhow (Hindi:महू) is a small cantonment town in the Indore District of the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh state, India. It is located 23 km south of Indore city towards Mumbai on the Agra-Mumbai Road. The city was renamed to Dr Ambedkar Nagar in 2003, by the Government of Madhya Pradesh.

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. Here are some of these in no particular order.

MHOW stands for 'Military Headquarters Of War'.

MHOW stands for 'Military Headquarters Of Western India'
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.

The mahua tree which grows in profusion in the forests around Mhow has also been mentioned as a possible source for the name of this town.

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History:

This cantonment town was founded in 1818 by Sir John Malcolm as a result of the Treaty of Mandsaur between the English and the Holkars who ruled Indore. Sir John Malcolm's forces had defeated the Holkars at the Battle of Mahidpur in 1818. 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 Division of the Southern Army during the British Raj. Today this small town is associated with the Indian Army and with Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a political leader who was born here. MHOW is an acronym for "Military Headquarters of War"

Mhow was a major railway division during the British Raj and till a few years after independence. Later the resources were shifted to Ratlam and Ajmer.The irony is that Mhow still has no broad gauge railway.

According to mythology Mhow is also said to be the birthplace of Parashurama - an avatar of Vishnu, the Hindu God of Sustenance.

The Indian Army and Mhow
Mhow and the Indian Army are inseparable. The Army has been here since 1818. Till World War II Mhow used to be the headquarters of the 5th Division of the Southern Army (a Division comprising only British units). According to local legend Winston Churchill had also spent a few months in Mhow when he was a subaltern serving with his regiment in India. 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 Infantry School Mhow.

Mhow is synonymous with the Indian Army and has been a training centre of the Army since the British days. It houses three premier training institutions: (i) The Infantry School - the alma mater of the Indian Infantry which is the spearhead of the Indian Army (ii) The Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), 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. (iii) The Army War College(formerly known as the College of Combat). These three institutions together form the backbone of Mhow. Each of these institutions is headed by a Lieutenant General.

The Infantry School, Mhow

The Infantry School Mhow 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 Commandant of this school in the fifties while he was a Brigadier.

MCTE Mhow

MCTE was known as the School of Signals till 1967. It is the alma mater of the Corps of Signals. 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 gentlemen 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.

Army War College, Mhow

The Army War College was known as the College of Combat till a few years ago. 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 General K. Sundarji was the Commandant of the College of Combat during the early eighties. His successor General V.N. Sharma also served as the Commandant of the College of Combat.

ARTRAC - Army Training Command

The Army Training Command or ARTRAC was born in Mhow in 1991 before it shifted to Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) in 1994. 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. General A.S. Kalkat who had earlier commanded the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka.

Attending a course in Mhow is something every Army officer looks forward to with eagerness and enthusiasm.

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Nearest Petrol Pump:

1.Petrol Pump
Indore, Madhya Pradesh 14.9 km

2.Petrol Pump
Indore, Madhya Pradesh 14.9 km

3.Petrol Pump
Madhya Pradesh 15.5 km

4.Petrol Pump
Madhya Pradesh 15.6 km

5.Petrol Pump
Madhya Pradesh 16.4 km

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Police Station:
1.Police Petrol Pump
Sadar Bazar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 22.4 km

2.Police Thana
South Tukoganj, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 21.6 km

3.POLICE STATION
Madhya Pradesh 24.8 km

4.Rajendra Nagar Police Station
NH 3, Bhim Nagar, Dhanvantri Nagar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 15.5 km

5.Indore Central Jail
Madhya Pradesh 22.8 km
Nearest Hospital:
1.Police Petrol Pump
Sadar Bazar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 22.4 km

2.Police Thana
South Tukoganj, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 21.6 km

3.POLICE STATION
Madhya Pradesh 24.8 km

4.Rajendra Nagar Police Station
NH 3, Bhim Nagar, Dhanvantri Nagar, Indore, Madhya Pradesh 15.5 km

5.Indore Central Jail
Madhya Pradesh 22.8 km
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