Current Time in Satna, India

Satna lies in the north-east of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in the Baghelkhand region on the northern slope of the Vindhya range, on the small river from which it takes its name. Around three hundred thousand people live in the city, which serves as the headquarters of Satna district and as the commercial centre for a stretch of country between the Ganges plain to the north and the forests and plateaus of central India to the south.

Satna is known across India as a capital of cement. The hills around it hold extensive deposits of high-grade limestone, and since the mid twentieth century some of the country's largest cement manufacturers have built plants here, making the district one of the most important cement producing areas in the nation. Quarries, kilns, railway sidings and the constant movement of trucks define the industrial landscape, and the industry has attracted engineers, workers and traders from across the country.

Historically the town rose to prominence under British rule as the headquarters of the Baghelkhand Agency, which supervised a cluster of princely states including Rewa, Nagod and Maihar. Colonial-era offices, a cantonment and mission institutions date from that period, while the surrounding district holds far older remains. The village of Bharhut was the site of a great Buddhist stupa of the second century BC, whose carved stone railings and gateways, now largely in the Indian Museum in Kolkata, are among the earliest and most important examples of Indian narrative sculpture.

The district is also a pilgrimage crossroads. At Maihar, some forty kilometres away, the temple of Sharda Devi crowns a hill reached by more than a thousand steps or by cable car and draws vast crowds during Navratri; the town is equally famous in music as the home of the Maihar gharana founded by Ustad Allauddin Khan, teacher of Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, and of the celebrated Maihar band. To the north-east lies Chitrakoot, one of the most sacred landscapes in the Ramayana tradition, where Rama is said to have spent years of his exile. Within the city, the Venkatesh temple and the Shri Ram Van complex with its museum attract visitors, and the tiger reserve of Bandhavgarh is a few hours to the south.

Satna Junction is a major stop on the main railway line between Delhi, Allahabad and Mumbai, national highways cross the district, and an airport serves regional flights. A private university and colleges affiliated to the state university provide engineering, management and arts education.

Local life mixes industrial work with farming, Bagheli is widely spoken alongside Hindi, and festivals such as Navratri, Diwali and Holi are celebrated energetically.

Industrial yet surrounded by ancient sculpture, sacred hills and forest, Satna is a practical and interesting base for exploring central India.