Mhow

Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a town in the Indore district in Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is located south-west of Indore city, towards Mumbai on the old -Agra Mumbai Road. It is the birthplace of the social and political reformer and the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee B. R. Ambedkar who was also independent India's first law minister. In 2003, the Government of Madhya Pradesh renamed the town Dr. Ambedkar Nagar in honour of Dr B R Ambedkar

Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a town in the Indore district in Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is located south-west of Indore city, towards Mumbai on the old -Agra Mumbai Road. It is the birthplace of the social and political reformer and the chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee B. R. Ambedkar who was also independent India's first law minister. In 2003, the Government of Madhya Pradesh renamed the town Dr. Ambedkar Nagar in honour of Dr B R Ambedkar ==Etymology== Some articles in popular literature state that 'MHOW' stands for Military Headquarters Of Warfare. However, this is a backronym, and there is no proof to support the theory that the name of the cantonment town comes from the acronym. ==History== This cantonment town was founded in 1818¹ by John Malcolm as a result of the Treaty of Mandsaur between the English and the Holkars who were the Maratha Maharajas of Indore. John Malcolm's forces had defeated the Holkars of the Maratha Confederacy at the Battle of Mahidpur on 21 December 1817. It was after this battle that the capital of the Holkars moved 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. Today this small town is associated with the Indian Army and with B. R. Ambedkar who was born there. Mhow was a meter gauge railway district headquarters during the British Raj and after 1947. Mhow now has a broad gauge connection with Indore, regular train services to Khandwa. are yet to commence. The metre gauge rail traffic in the Dr Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow) Railway Station is now history. According to Hindu religious texts, Janapav Kuti near Mhow is said to be the birthplace of Lord Parashurama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. ==Demographics== India census, 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%. The Mhow Cantt Cantonment Board has population of 81,702 of which 43,888 are males while 37,814 are females as per report released by Census India 2011¹. The population of children aged 0-6 is 9308 which is 11.39% of total population of Mhow Cantt (CB). In Mhow Cantt Cantonment Board, the female sex ratio is 862 against state average of 931. Moreover, the child sex ratio in Mhow Cantt is around 908 compared to Madhya Pradesh state average of 918. The literacy rate of Mhow Cantt city is 85.78%; higher than the state average of 69.32%. In Mhow Cantt, male literacy is around 90.42% while the female literacy rate is 80.37%. ===The Infantry School=== The Infantry School is a training establishment of the Indian Army. It is responsible for the training of officers and infantry. The Commando Wing of this school is in Belgaum, Karnataka. The Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) is a part of the Infantry School and has produced many medal-winning shooters. Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw was the first Indian commandant of this school from 1955 to 1956 when he was a brigadier. The present commandant is Lt Gen Gajendra Joshi. ===Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE)=== The first training institution in 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 there. It also trains gentlemen cadets for a bachelor's degree in engineering at the Cadets Training Wing (CTW). On completion of their training, most of the cadets get commissioned into the Indian Army's Corps of Signals, however, some are also commissioned into other branches. Indian Army has also set up a Quantum Computing and an Artificial Intelligence centre at MCTE. The present Commandant is Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi. ===The Army War College=== Army War College, Mhow (AWC) is a tactical training and research institution of the Indian Army. It develops and evaluates concepts and doctrines for tactics and logistics. The college trains about 1,200 officers, as well as paramilitary forces each year. The college was originally established as the College of Combat at Mhow on 1 April 1971. It was spun out of the Infantry School, Mhow. It continued to operate from the campus of the Infantry School until 1988, when the college moved to its new campus. In 2003, the college was renamed as the Army War College, Mhow. The college mainly conducts three courses—the Junior Command (JC) course, the Senior Command (SC) course and the Higher Command (HC) course. The former Chiefs of Army Staff (COAS) General K. Sundarji and General V. N. Sharma have served as the Commandant of the college. The present commandant is Lt Gen H S Sahi. ==Government and politics== Mhow has one seat in the State Legislative Assembly (the Vidhan Sabha). The first elected MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) was R.C. Jall (Indian National Congress) who belonged to the Parsi community. Since 2018, the MLA from Mhow is Ms Usha Thakur of the BJP. Previous MLAs: Kailash Vijayvargiya of the BJP and Antar Singh Darbar of the Indian National Congress who joined the BJP after the 2023 Vidhan Sabha elections. Until 2009, Mhow Tehsil was part of 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 current Lok Sabha MP for the Dhar constituency (which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes) is Savitri Thakur of the BJP. She was elected in the 2024 general election to the 18th Lok Sabha. Thakur is also currently the Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development. Mhow (and the rest of MP) went to the polls on Monday 25 November 2013. Mhow recorded what could well be its highest ever turnout in a Vidhan Sabha election - 78.11%. Total number of voters 220,553. As per Mhow Control Room: Men constitute 79.34% and Women 76.76% with Overall - 78.11%. On 8 December 2013 Kailash Vijayvargiya of the BJP was declared the winner from Mhow Vidhan Sabha constituency. He defeated Antar Singh Darbar of the Indian National Congress. On 11 December 2018 Usha Thakur of the BJP was declared the winner from Mhow Vidhan Sabha constituency. She defeated Antar Singh Darbar of the Indian National Congress. Rajendra Harshwal was the first vice chairman of MHOW cantonment for Bharatiya Janata Party,BJP. In 1999, he became the first leader from Mhow to be elected as district president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha,Indore. He has served three terms as a state minister in the Government of Madhya Pradesh. |alt=|320x320px]] Tourist spots in and around Mhow include: Bhim Janmabhoomi, a memorial Patalpani waterfall Janapav hill Temple Christ Church, Mhow JamGate === Janapav=== 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. === Infantry Research Center & Museum - Mhow=== |alt=|150x150px|left]] An Indian Army Museum showcasing the history, courage, valour, and sacrifices of the Infantry as a combat arm of the Indian Army has been established at Mhow. == Universities and colleges in the Tehsil== Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University of Social Sciences Army War College, Mhow Military College of Telecommunication Engineering College of Veterinary Sciences and Animal Husbandry, Mhow IIT Indore IIM Indore ==References==

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