Datia

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Datia
Town
Bir Singh Palace, District Court, Railway Station Datia
Datia Show map of Madhya Pradesh Datia Show map of India
Coordinates: 25°40′N 78°28′E / 25.67°N 78.47°E / 25.67; 78.47
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
Division	Gwalior
District	Datia
Region	Gwalior Chambal
Founded by	Bundela Rulers
Elevation	420 m (1,380 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	100,466
• Density	292/km2 (760/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi Bundeli
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	475661
Telephone code	917522
ISO 3166 code	MP-IN
Vehicle registration	MP-32
Website	datia.nic.in

Datia, is a town and the district headquarter of the Datia District of Gwalior Chambal region in north Madhya Pradesh, a state in Central India. Datia is world famous for Pitambara Peeth, a shakti pilgrimage site. It is an ancient town, mentioned in the Mahabharata ruled by King Dantavakra. The town is 78 km from Gwalior, 31 km from Jhansi , 441 km south of New Delhi and 360 km north of Bhopal. About 13 km from Datia is Sonagir, a sacred Jaina hill. Datia is also about 48 km from Orchha. The nearest airport is at Gwalior. It was former royal seat of the Bundela Rajputs, the Mughals and later to the Scindia dynasty during the British Raj. Datia is situated near Gwalior and on the border with Uttar Pradesh.

The old town is encircled by a stone wall and is home to gorgeous buildings and gardens. The 17th-century palace of Bir Singh Ju Deo built in 1614 for the stay for his friend emperor Jehangir is a notable example of the Rajput - Mughal architecture of North India.^[1] It is the seven-story up and seven-story down palace commissioned by Raja Vir Singh Deo. Its symmetry and hilltop perch inspired Edwin Lutynes design for New Delhi. The town serves as a trading center for grains and cotton products. Handloom weaving is an important industry. The town is also a thriving pilgrimage spot for religious devotees. There are many temples, including the renowned Shaktipeeth of Pitambara Devi, Dhumavati Temple, Gupteshwar Temple and Laghu Vrindavan. Pitambara Peeth is a famous Shakta Pitha dedicated to Goddess Baglamukhi, one of the ten Mahavidyas (wisdom goddesses), know for her powers of stambhana (paralysis of enemies) and protection. The temple is located at the entrance of Datia town gate. The spot is located about 1 km from Datia Bus Station and 3 km from Datia Railway Station on the Delhi-Chennai main line. The Dhumavati Main Temple, established by Golokwasi Swamiji Maharaj and the Vankhandeshwar temple, a Mahabharat period temple of Shiva are also the main attraction of the place. It was ruled by Bundela Rajputs until 1947 as vassals to Scindia dynasty.