Neemuch नीमच |
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Nimach | |
Location in Madhya Pradesh, India | |
Coordinates: 24°28′35″N 74°52′12″E / 24.476385°N 74.87°ECoordinates: 24°28′35″N 74°52′12″E / 24.476385°N 74.87°E | |
Country | India |
State | Madhya Pradesh |
District | Neemuch |
Government | |
• Body | Nagar Palika Parishad |
• Mayor | Mr. Rakesh Jain |
Area | |
• Total | 40 km2 (20 sq mi) |
Elevation | 452 m (1,483 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 128,095 |
• Density | 170/km2 (400/sq mi) |
Languages | |
• Official | Hindi |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
PIN | 458441 |
Telephone code | 07423 |
Vehicle registration | MP-44 |
Website | www |
Neemuch or Nimach is a town in the Malwa region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The town shares its northeastern border with state of Rajasthan and is the administrative headquarters of Neemuch District. Formerly a large British cantonment of Gwalior princely state, in 1822 the town became the headquarters of the combined Rajputana–Malwa political agency and of the Malwa Agency in 1895. The British Cantonment was disbanded in 1932 after which it was maintained by a British Municipal Board. Neemuch was the birthplace of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 1939 and is home to a large scale army recruitment centre for the organisation. The CRPF still maintains part of Neemuch's British Military Cantonment, which was the first of its kind in India. The bungalow area, native troops area, bazar area and fields and gardens were maintained initially by the municipal board and later by the Municipal Council. After independence Neemuch City and the Baghana area were included in the municipal area. Neemuch is known as India's Eye donation capital as it accounts for the highest per capita eye donation rate in the country'. Neemuch also has Asia’s biggestopium alkaloid processing plant which is a government-owned company named- Opium and Alkaloid Works. It is a road junction and distribution centre for agricultural products. Handloom weaving is the major industry here.
A number of myths surround the name Neemuch. One is that the city received its name because of the large number of neem trees found here while originality is that first people of this city were of the Meena caste, leading to the name "Meenuch", which over time became Neemuch. A further theory is that "Nimach" is an abbreviation of "North India Mounted Artillery and Cavalry Headquarters".
The city was the location of a palace in the district of the Ajmer. Originally a part of the territory of Malwa, it was given to the Rana in 1768 to pay off debts incurred by the rana (king) of Mewar. After that it became a British cantonment of the Gwalior princely state, except for short periods in 1794 and 1844 and 1965. The Neemuch cantonment played a significant role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and was the centre of disturbances in Malwa.