Panvel Knowledge Guide

History

Panvel (also known as Panwell by the British) is about 300 years old, developed around trade routes (both land and sea), during the Mughal rule and hence after by the Marathas, British and the Portuguese. Once upon a time Panvel was famous for its rice market. Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) was established in the year 1852, and is the oldest municipal council of Maharashtra. Panvel Municipal Council's elections started in the year 1910. The first mayor of the PMC was Mr. Yusuf Noor Mohammed Master for the years 1910–1916. The sesquicentennial anniversary (150th anniversary) of the PMC was celebrated in the year 2002. The city prospered and grew due to the influence of large scale trade by land and sea. This was characterised by the large palace-like homes that came up during the Peshwa period. It is also said that old name of this city was Paneli (Panelim in Konkani). There were historic cannons (during the time of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) situated on Panvel fort. On 1 October 2016, Panvel Municipal Corporation came into existence.