Also know as Panch Mahals, Panchmahal is a district situated in the eastern end of Gujarat State. Panch-mahal means "five tehsils or talukas", referring to the five sub-divisions namely Godhra, Dahod, Halol, Kalol and Jhalod, transferred by the Maharaja Sindia of Gwalior to the British. Godhra is the headquarters of the district. It shares boundaries with Dahod District in north-east & east, Vadodara District in the south, Kheda District in the west and Sabarkantha District in the northwest. It also borders the district of Banswara of Rajasthan State in the north-east.

Panch Mahals History

It was administered on the non-regulation system as part of the Bombay Presidency. The Collector used to be the agent to the Governor General of India for Rewa Kantha Agency. The sandstone, granite and other kinds of building stone are some of the minerals found here. A European firm began mining for manganese on a large scale. maize, millets, rice, pulse and oilseeds are the major crops. Manufacturing of lac bracelets and lacquered toys was done at allarge scale. The chief export was timber. The branch of the Baroda, Bombay & Central India crosse both the portions of the ditrict through Railways from Anand, through Godhra and Dahod, to Ratlam. In 1904 a chord line was opened from Godhra to Baroda city. There was a declie of 17% in the population of the ditrict from 1891 to 1901 due to the famine. Gujarat State was formed in the year 1960 was created with Panchmhals as one of its districts, with district headquarters at Godhra. It was dividied into two districts in the year 1997, Panchmahals and a new district of Dahod. Champaner is given the status of World Heritage Site. A temple of Kalika mata is situated in Pavagarh, whose holy shrine attracts about two million pilgrims per year.