About Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand became the 27th state of the Republic of India on 9th November 2000. The State came out of Uttar Pradesh. Demand for Uttarakhand was 1st made in 1930 at the Karachi session of INC. It occupies 17.3% of India's total land area with 51,125 sq km.
Uttarakhand is a place with great multiplicity of the region where snow flowing rivers, clad mountains, green hills, fertile valleys and thriving lakes add to the natural beauty.
Uttarakhand is as well recognized as the Abode of the gods, there are several highly venerated pilgrimage places. The tourists have to visit Hemkund Sahib, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Jageshwar, Bageshwar, Rishikesh and Haridwar for their religious importance on Uttarakhand Travel. Each hilltop or bent is known to have a temple, big or small, which are measured very sacred by the locals.
It’s a region with several natural thriving lakes, which are the center of Uttarakhand attraction of the town and good for sporting activities. The most famous hill stations of Uttarakhand are Mussorie, Nainital, Almora, Bhimtal, Munsiyari, Pithoragarh, Ranikhet, Joshimath, Chopta, Valley of Flowers and Lansdowne. For limitless serenity and tranquility in pleasant pollution free environs, hill station on Uttarakhand Travel are perfect for vacations.
Uttarakhand is as well perfect for several adventure sports activities because of its geographical attributes. The tourist here takes the maximum pleasure out of adventure sports such as trekking, sailing, boating, ice-skiing, white water rafting, kayaking, canoeing, water-skiing, yachting and parasailing. To climb the large mountain stretch or to pass the dense jungles of the hills is in itself very exciting. The big water-filled rivers and deep lakes are perfect for water sports.
People who come here as well prefer to visit the abundant wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the state. Also do not miss the chance to visit the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuaries, Nanda Devi National Park, Valley of Flower National Park, Rajaji National Park, Govind National Park, Assan Barrage National Park and Corbett National Park.
Districts:
Uttarakhand has 13 districts Champawat, Dehradun, Haridwar, Almora, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Nainital, Tehri, Udham Singh Nagarand, Uttarkashi, Pauri, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag.
Languages Spoken:
Langauges spoken here are Hindi, Garhwali and Kumaoni.
Pilgrimage Sites:
Panchkedar, Panchbadri, Panchprayag, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Hemkund Sahib, Purnagiri, Rettha Sahib, Chittai, Kaliyar Sharif, Nanakmatta Sahib,etc.
Tourist And Historical Places:
Dayara, Auli, Khatling, Bedni Bugyal, Nainital, Mussoorie, Pauri, Almora, Lakhamandal, Paataal Bhuvaneshwar, Ranikhet, Khirsu, Champawat, Valley Of Flowers, Lansdown, Dwarahaat, Someshwar, Baijnath, Pindari Glacier, Gangolihaat, Jolljivi, Kataarmal, Kosani, Jageshwar, etc.
History of Uttaranchal
The emperor of mountains Himalaya is said to consist of 5 segments i.e., Kangda, Ruchir Kashmir, Nepal Kurmanchal and Kedar. This Mid Himalayan area of Garhwal and Kumaon, which is commonly identified as Uttarakhand today was called by the name Kedarkhand and Manaskhand in the Purans. According to the well-known Historian Mr. Shiv Prasasd Dabral taking word from Uttarapad and khand from Kedarkhand formed the term Uttaranchal. This mountain area however is the same, which was once renowned in its snow covered form throughout the Vedic period and sang the saga of glorious deeds of the kings, Saints and Ascetics of the time.
It was referred to as Uttarakhand by the compilers of the Uttarkaushal, Upnishads by Valmiki and Uttarkuru by Ved Vyasa who wrote the epic Mahabharata. It is the similar place that was Uattarapatti for Panini and Kautilya, Khashadesh for the Khas, Kiratmandal for Kirats, Kartipur for Katayurs. It was Giryavali and Parvatkaran for the early historian and Uttaranchal or Uttarakhand of the present day politicians. The different parts of the Uttarakhand have been referred to Rudrahimalaya, Sapaldaksh, asIlawarat, Brahmpur, Shivalik, Kumaon, SarkarI, Kurmanchat Karajat Kamaugarh, Kamadesh and Garhwal lover the past 3000 years. The western part of this region that comprising of 52 fortresses has been referred to as Garhwal over past 500 years. Chamoli, Pauri, Samprat, Uttarkashi and Dehradun add to the pristine beauty of the Garhwal region. The eastern region comprising of Nainital, Almora and Pithoragarh districts together identified as the Kumaon region. On account of security reason the government has for the past four decades measured only Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts as Uttaranchal, but for the residents of the Uttaranchal this entire hilly region covers an area of 51,125 sq. km and comprising of 15,951 villages, 89 developmental sections and some adjoining plains as signal geographic social and cultural Unit.
The history of Uttarakhand State can be better understood through the history of Kumaon and Garhwal divisions individually, because they maintained independent uniqueness except the period of Nepali aggression.
Garhwal
The Garhwal Himalayas have nurtured civilization from the wee hours of olden times. It appears to have been a favorite locale for the voluminous mythology of the Pauranic period. The present name of Garhwal was Uttarakhand and excavations have revealed that it formed part of the Mauryan Empire. It as well finds mention in the 7th-century travelogue of Huen Tsang. However, it is with Adi Shankaracharya that the name of Garhwal will forever be liked, for the great 8th-century spiritual reformer visited the remote, snow-laden heights of Garhwal, established a math Joshimath and resorted some of the most sacred shrines, including Kedarnath and Badrinath.
The history of Garhwal as one unified whole began in the 15th century, when king Ajay Pal merged the 52 separate principalities, each with its own fortress or garh. For 300 years, Garhwal continued one kingdom, with its capital at Srinagar. Then Pauri and Dehradun were perforce ceded to the Crown as payment for British help, rendered to the Garhwalis during the Gurkha invasion, in the early 19th century.
Kumaon
Civilization has been around in Kumaon for a very long time. Proofs of Stone Age settlements have been found in Kumaon, mainly the rock shelter at Lakhu Udyar. The paintings here date back to the Mesolithic period. The early medieval history of Kumaon is the history of the Katyuri dynasty. The Katyuri kings ruled from the 7th to the 11th century, holding sway at the peak of their powers over huge areas of Kumaon, Garhwal, and western Nepal. The town of Baijnath near Almora was the capital of this dynasty and a center of the arts. Temple building flourished under the Katyuris and the main architectural innovation introduced by them was the replacement of bricks with stone.
On a hill top facing east, is the temple of Katarmal. This 900 year old sun temple was built throughout the declining years of the Katyuri dynasty. The intricately carved doors and panels have been removed to the National Museum in Delhi as a protective measure after the 10th century idol of the presiding deity was stolen. After an interregnum of a couple of centuries, the Chands of Pithoragarh became the dominant dynasty. The Chand rulers built the wonderful temple complex at Jageshwar, with its cluster of a 100 and 64 temples, over a span of two centuries. Dedicated to God , the evocative carvings are complemented by the beautiful deodar forest around it.