UTTARAKHAND:The Place called the “Abode of Gods” with Pristine beauty of misty hillstations,Simmering Lakes/Rivers/Glaciers,Spiritual centres of Eternal Salvation or Nirvana,Exotic Flora Fauna & a thrilling Adventurer’s Paradise.

I made numerous amazing trips (from 1979 to 2019)to the charming hillstations & the holy spiritual destinations of Uttarakhand alongwith friends and family & on each occasion there was a wonderful celebration of the natives’ warm-heartedness, bewitching vistas of the snow-capped peaks/mesmerising landscapes and spiritual enlightenment. Its a beautiful destination with amazing snow capped peaks, villages along winding mountaneous roads with rivers curling their way through hills/waterfalls and shimmering lakes in the midst of crowded towns. The numerous parks boast of states’ continued effort to conserve wild life,its rich culture & religious heritage. An adventurer’s paradise with sports like Skiing ,rafting, mountaineering , paragliding & trekking. People are warm-hearted, hospitable& religious always ready to extend generosity & help. Religion is pretty serious business not only to attract tourists but as an important part of day to day life.Almost every house has a corner for deities and daily prayers. Its a true family destination as peaceful and full of activity as one may like it to be.Ride on the rapids,walking down hilly roads,spiritual cleansing in the holy Ganges & offering prayers to our Deities in the temples in the quest for peace and salvation in this holy Devabhoomi state.Its known for Hindu pilgrimage sites .Rishikesh is a major centre for Yoga studies.The city holds the evening Ganga Aarti-a sacred gathering on the sacred Ganga river. Jim Corbett National park shelters Bengal tigers and other wildlife.Lakes and valleys like Nainital/Bhimtal/Naukuchiatal are scenic wonderlands along with snowcapped peaks and pine trees lined up in slopes with breathtaking beauty. Valley of flowers -A UNESCO heritage site. Great destination in all seasons but normally visitors come in summers it being mild & pleasant weather then.

About UTTARAKHAND : Its often referred to as the Devabhoomi due to numerous Hindu temples and Pilgrimage centres.It borders Tibet to the North,Nepal to East,UP to South,HP to West & NW.It has 13 districts with Winter Capital at Dehradun and summer capital at Gairsain-a town in Chamoli distt.The high Court is located at Nainital. Official language is Hindi& additional language is Sanskrit. 1)GEOGRAPHY :The state is divided into two divisions as follows : A)GARHWAL division consisting of Uttarkashi,Chamoli ,Dehradun,Pauri Garhwal, Haridwar,Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal, B)KUMAON division consisting of Haldwani ,Nainital,Rudrapur, Almora ,Pithoragarh,Mukteshwar,Ranikhet, Binsar &Jageshwar.Apart from Garhwali &Kumaoni,other tribes that exist in Uttarakhand are Jadh ,Marcha ,Tolcha, Shanka,Buksha,Tharu,Jaunsari,Bhatia,Raji, & Gujjars engaged in different professions . Nestled in the lap of Himalayas UK has a highly varied topography with snow-covered peaks,roaring streams,glaciers,deep canyons,beautiful lakes with some of the highest peaks in UK :1)NandaDevi-25646ft,2)Kamet-25446ft,3)Badrinath-23420ft 2)LANGUAGES :Pahadi is a beautiful amalgamation of Nepali,Sanskrit and Prakrit. 3)ECONOMY:Agriculture &tourism and farming are popular living source of revenue.In Doon valley,Haridwar and Rishikesh,Udahmsinghnagar and Nainital such as potatoes & Cauliflower in step farming/cascadingsteps of medicinal plants,herbs that are grown for Pharma Industries.For tourism industry, there are hotels,restaurants and tranportation .4)RELIGION :Its called ‘Abode of Gods’, Heterodox Buddhists and Hindus. Devabhoomi as many of the Hindu deities are enshrined here in mountains and along the rivers. Most sacred are the Char Dham Yatra in the four shrines of Gangotri, Yamnotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath-Pilgrimage to them is tough and supposed to ensure eternal salvation. The Ganga flowing down to the plains meets its tributaries at what are called the Panch prayag-five sacred sangams of the rivers at Vishnuprayag, Nandprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Devaprayag. Historical Gurudwaras of Hemkund sahib near the valley of flowers is an important centre for Sikhs. Piran Kaliyar is equally important for Muslims where Dargah & Hazrat Allauddin Sabri Kaliyan (a sufi saint)was built by Ibrahim Lodhi.Its between Haridwar and Roorkee. Tunganath is a Hindu pilgrimage of Lord Shiva .Nanak Matta is 60 km from Rudrapur -a Sikh pilgrimage and Gurudwara.5)Arts and Literature :a)Dehradun Literature festival,b)Sumitranandan Pant Museum, Kausani .6)CUISINE :Popular dishes-Gatta, Galbulas,Swal,Gulghut ,Arsa, Buckwheat, Other dishes -Dabuk, Chains, Kap,,Bhatiya, Jaula,Phana, Paliyo, Chutkani & Sei. Balmithai-a popular Kumaoni sweet.7)DANCES :Chholia dance of Kumaon, 8)SPORTS: Main sport is football. Other sports are skydiving, paragliding, trekking, bunjee jumping, rafting, etc. There is US Football Association and RG International Cricket Stadium at Dehradun and Haldwani,9)Population :As per 2011 Census-10,086,292… 10) LITERACY: 79.63% 11) SEX RATIO :963F/1000M

HISTORY OF UTTARAKHAND :As early as the 7th to the 14th century,the Katyuri dynasty dominated the region from Katyur(presently Baijnath)valley in Kumaon.Jaunsar -Bawar was part of Garhwal Kingdom which was captured sometime by Sirmour rulers being on the border area.Later on Garhwal kings defeated Sirmor winning back Jaunsar- Bawar.In 1829 Jaunsar-bawar was incorporated in Chakrata tehsil which had been part of Punjab state of Sirmour till British conquered it along with Dehradun after the 1814 war with Gurkhas.The area was established as Indian Army Cantonment in 1866.Jaunsary language is spoken by most people of the region.The medieval period was a time of great monetary and artistic prosperity when the region was consolidated under Garhwal kingdom in the West and Kumaon kingdom in the East.From 13th to 18th century Kumaon prospered under the Chand rajas .Garhwal was likewise unified under the rule of Parmar Rajas.In 1791,the expanding Gurkha empire of Nepal overran Almora the seat of Kumaon kingdom.In1803,the Garhwal kingdom also fell Gurkhas under Amar Singh Thapa.With the conclusion of Anglo Nepalis war in 1816, a rump portion of Garhwal kingdom was reestablished from Tehri and British Garhwal and Kumaon ceded to the British as part of Treaty of Sugauli.After Independence,the Garhwal kingdom was merged into UP State.Then in 1990 there was Uttarakhand movement for statehood.In Sept 1998 the UPLA Council passed the UP Reorganisation bill which began the process of formation of a new state.Indian parliament passed the UP Reorganisation act 2000 and on 9th Nov.2000, UK became the 27th state of India.This day is celebrated as the Foundation day of Uttarakhand when there is a week-long celebration with numerous programes of states heritage and culture.

TOURIST DESTINATIONS OF UTTARAKHAND STATE :

1) DEHRADUN :Its the capital of UK at the Himalayan foothills and is the seat of administration.It offers serene environs,mild climate,proximity to Mussourie,Rishikesh &Haridwar and favoured destination for adventure ,Pilgrimage,business and education.Main landmarks are: a)Clock tower -a business and education hub.2)Tapkeshwar Shiv mandir-known for Shivratri festival celebration.3)Shahastradhara is a thousandfold spring which has medicinal benefits.4)Shopping centre of basmati rice/Lichis &Dussehri mangoes,5)Forest Research Institute ,Dehradun.6)Paltan bazar,7)Sikh temple and Gurudwara, Nanaksar.8)Mindrolling Monastary with great stupa,9)Robbers cave,10)Indian Millitary academy,11)Doon school.

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2)MUSSOURIE :Its one of the most mesmerizing hillstations in Dehradun distt.popularly called the Queen of hillstaions.located at 35 km from DDN at the foothills of Garhwal Himalayan range at an elev. of 6578ft surrounded by Doon valley and Shivalik range.Major landmarks:1)Landour a)Millitary Cantt.2)Township of Barlowganj,c)Muncipal garden,d)Happy valley and Jaripani falls.Its a large Tibetan settlement with delicious variety of food in Chardukan square,Lakhamandal,2)Dhanaulti hillstation at 24 km from Mussourie.Doon valley and snow covered Garhwal Himalayan range can be viewed from here.3)Camel back,4)Mall road,5)Lal Tibba,5)Kempty falls,6)Gun hill,7)Lake mist,8)Nagdevata mandir,9)Himalayan weavers,10)Jwala devi temple,

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3)CHAKRATA; Pristine little hillstation about 92 km from DDN occupying Chakrata and kilani hills with great view of Great himalayas with sloping forests of Deodar/Himalayan oak. 4)KANATAL :A little hamlet at 2600mts offers captivating view of snow clad Garhwal himalayas with various adventure sports.

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5)NAINITAL :At a height of 1937 mts is a glittering jewel in the Himalayan neclace dotted with lakes.It has its own legend wovenarond the lake,name derives from Indian Goddess Naina devi the presiding idol of the region.1)Lakes with paddle boats and yatch :Sattal,Bhimtal,Nauku-Chiatal ,2)St John’s Church,3)Cheena peak or Naina peak.4)Ropeway at mall,5)Sunset at Hanumangarh Temple.6)Bhimtal is 22km from Nainitalnamed after Bhim ,the strongest of the 5 Pandavas.in the epic Mahabharata.7)Nakuchiatal -lake with nine corners.

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6)CHAMBA :At an elevation of 1600mts &about 50km from Mussourie is an ideal spot for a quiet vacation. Offers majestic view of Himalayas and Bhagirathi river.

7)OLD & NEW TEHRI :Its a city in Garhwal distt.and derives its name from ‘Trihari’ signifying a place that washes away the 3 types of Sins-sins born out of Mansa,Vacha,and Karmana(through thoughts,words and deeds).Tehri Garhwal is surrounded by distts. of Rudraprayag,Dehradun ,Uttarkashi and Pauri Garhwal. Tehri dam is the highest dam in India on the Bhagirathi river near Tehri with Tehri Hydroelectric Complex phase-I (1000MW=250 MW X4) completed in 2006 with a reservoir for Irrigation ,muncipal water,etc.! HISTORY OF TEHRI GARHWAL : In 1803.Sudarshan Shah’s father King Pradumn Shah was killed in war with Gurkhas!king Sudarshan shah established his capital at Tehri town. His successors Pratap Shah ,Kirti Shah and Narendra Shah established Capitals at Pratapgarh, Kirtinagar and Narendranagar repectively.Their dynasty ruled for 1815 to 1949.Manabendra Shah ruled from 1946 to 1949.Parmar dynasty (12th to 15th century) and Shah dynasty (from 15th to 20th century) !Old town of Tehri was located at the confluence of Bhagirathi and Bilangana rivers.Tehri was the capital of Princely state of Tehri Garhwal in British India. Construction of Tehri dam totally submerged the old tehri in Oct.2005 after 90 yrs of its establishment after which New Tehri came into existence with total 11 wards in it. PLACES WORTH VISITING:1)Pantwari village,2)Kirtinagar,3)Ghansali,4)Chandrabadani devi temple.5)Tehri dam,6)Devi Kunjapuri temple,7)Sri Adinath Digambar temple,8)Panwali Kantha-a popular trek of UK ,9)Narendra nagar is tourist attraction to view river Ganga & Doon valley.10)Mahaseer taal,11)Sehastra taal,,12)Khatling Glacier,13)Tehri mahal.14)Koteshwar dam is a gravity dam 22km downstream of Tehri dam. Its a part of Tehri hydroelectric Complex

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8)MUKTESHWAR :At 2286 mts elev. it Sri Adinath Digambar templeoffers 180* view of Himalayan range.It is famous for the classic novel-“The man eaters of Kumaon”written by Jim Corbett who hunted many tigers and leopards.The temple is devoted to Lord Shiva with a white marble Lingam.See peaks of Nanda Devi,Nanda Ghunti,Trishul and Panchchauli at sunrise.

9)LANSEDOWNE :At 1706 mts elevation,it is a beautiful and picturesque hillstation in Paudi Garhwal.Main landmarks are-1)Garhwal Rifles Regimental centre,2)Garhwal office of Indian army command office,3)War memorial,4)Tarkeshwar mahadev Shiv temple,5)St Mary’s Church.Here tourism is not commercial but eco-friendly.

10)RANIKHET :Pretty hillstation town in Almora distt. Main Landmarks-1)Indian army Kumaon Regiment headquarter,2)Golf Course ,3)Rich flora and fauna with amazing mountain views.Known for delicious fruits.4)Nearby destinations-Dwarahat,Sitalakhet and Tarikhet.

11)DHANCHULI :Enchanting little village with enchanting view of Himalayas,lush forests.1)Potato and fruit orchards on terrace cut hillsides,2)Trekking through mountain trails,

12)ALMORA :A town with a unparallelled charm with mesmerising views. In the Kumaoni hills of snow-capped himalayan range with Koshi and Suyal rivers. Rich cultural heritage: Unique handicrafts,Kumaon’s cuisine and magnificent wildlife-400 species of plants.Many temples-Kesar Devi,Banari devi,Chitai ,Binsar mahadev,Garhwal and Baijnath .A sun temple is located at Katarmal. Very creative people-Govind Ballabh Pant,dancer Udaisharan, Nobel Leureate Sir Donald Ross and Lyricist Prasoon Joshi are people with roots in Almora.

13)KAUSANI :Famous for mountain views and tea gardens.Mahatma Gandhi spent some time here!Its considered jewel of Himalayas.Literature lovers must visit -1)Pant museum dedicated to Sumitranandan Pant.2)Beautiful view of the Himalayan peaks.3)Trekking to Pinakeshwar. 4)Shiva temple.

14)CHAUKORI :Its a tiny hillstationin Pithoragarh distt. in western Himalayas in Kumaon division at an elev. of 2010mts with views of Nandadevi and Nanda kot. Its at 10 km from Berinag another picturesque hillstation.

15)PITHORAGARH :Its the easternmost distt. of Uttarakhand and shares its boundary with Nepal and Tibet-rich in ecological diversity popularly known as Solar valleys!A place of exquisite natural beauty and serenity and is often referred as mini Kashmir.There is Kapileshwar mahadev mandir dedicated to Lord Shiva.From here Pilgrims take journey to holy shrines of Kailash mansarovar .This valley also nestles the snow crested peaks Nanda devi east and west, below these mighty peaks lie the Alpine valleys and glaciers like Milam,Ralam ,Namik and Sunderdunga.

16)LOHAGHAT :Experience the Historical riches of little town and mythological in banks of river Lovahati.Worth Visiting Places:1)Mayavati ashram,2)Shyamal Taal,3)Abbot mount,4)Forti village,5)Gurudwara sahib,6)Galchauraha,7)Varansur fort,8)Fight carnival called Bagwal.

17)KHIRSU :Its an alluring fairy tale land of matchless and unsullied beauty.Pristine silence reins the atmosphere,birdsong create a symphony of serenity that makes it a rare Himalayan treat!

18) BINSAR :Its a hillstation in Almora distt with natural beauty &landscapes offering amazing glimpses of Himalayan range.It has cool and soothing weather essential to rejunevate our spirits. ATTRACTIONS :1)Binsar is an adventurer’s delight for trekkers,2)Binsar valley is home to unique flora fauna. 3)Bineshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva built in 16th century by King Kalyan Chand.4)Binsar national park. 19)BARKOT, 20)GUPTAKASHI ,21)GAURIKUND.

SPIRITUAL & PACIFYING DESTINATIONS: Coming here for peace of mind & returning happier! 1)HARIDWAR :One of the holiest cities Gateway to the 4 major Pilgrim sites.Here Ganges leaves the mountains and enters the great plain of north. Thousands of pilgrims come here yearly take a dip in the Ganges and encounter the vibrant mix of folklore,mythology and tradition.Every 12 yrs Kumbha Mela is celebrated here and Ganga aarti is performed in the evening along the bank of river at Har ki Paudi with diyas lit.Haridwar means Gateway to the Gods associated with Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Places of Interest :1)Har ki Paudi,2)Kankhal ghat,3)Mansa devi,4)Chandi devi temple,5)Maya devi temple.

2)RISHIKESH :Its 25km from Haridwar comes under Dehradun distt.Its a centre of Yoga, meditation &Spiritualism !Taking a dip is essencial part of Pilgrimage Laxman Jhula ,a suspension bridge is famous landmark.It is haven for spiritual seeekers and as the Yoga capital of the world.It hosts the International yoga festival hosted by excellent vegetaranian food,masala chai ,cold lassi.Adventure sports:hub of white water rafting on rough rapids,hiking,backpacking &bungee jumping.

3)JAGESHWAR :At 35 km from Almora its a pilgrimage centre and an archeological delight .There are 124 large and small temples under the ASI having interesting display of sculptures and idols.Nageshwar temple is one of the 12 Jyitirlings is believed to be located here.Also there is the Jageshwar mahadev temple in Jageshwar.

4)PATAL BHUVANESHWAR :Its a limestone cave temple located at 14 km from Gangolighat in Pithoragarh distt.The cave is 160 mt long and 90ft deep.Legend has it that this cave enshrines Lord Shiva &33crore Gods.Devotees claim the forms of Ganesha,Sheshnag,Garudh,Shivlinga and Kalbhairavi distinctly visible.The temple was built in 12th century by Chand kings.Adi Shankaracharya visited this cave in AD 1191.

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5)CHAR DHAM YATRA (The challenging circuit):Means the four abodes and the purpose of yatra of Himalayas is pilgrimage to the Heavenly abodes-Yamnotri,Kedarnath,Gangotri &Badrinath all in the beautiful mountains of UK not to be mistaken with the longer Chardham yatra of Jagannath Puri,Rameshwaram,Dwarika,and Badrinath shrines located on the 4 different corners of India.Badrinath features in both the yatras.A)YAMNOTRI :Place of origin of sacred river Yamnotri with temple of Goddess located here. B)GANGOTRI :Its the origin of river Ganga-the holiest of rivers though it orinpginates at Gaumukh around 18km away. Aarti on the bank of river is mesmerising ritual . C)KEDARNATH:It is dedicated to lord Shiva.Its one of the 12 Jyotirlingas where Lord Shiva permanently resides.Temple was built in 8th century AD by Shankaracharya himself. D)BADRINATH :The shrine is dedicated to Lord Vishnu at a height of 3750mts.Legend goes that when Lord Vishnu was living here ,Goddess Laxmi,his wife took the form of a Badri,a berry tree to protect Vishnu from direct heat of sun. Lord Vishnu announced the name of the temple to be Badrinath after the Goddess.

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6)NANDADEVI RAJ JAT YATRA:Its a festival celebrated every 12 years in UK .There is a charming legend that Goddess Nanda devi returning to her abode the Gangauti peak supposed to be Shivas residence through a trek of 280km whose starting point is Nauty village of Chamoli distt.where the descendents of royal priests live.Idols of Goddess made of gold is placed on Ringal in Chantoli(an umbrella alongwith 4-horned ram that acts as a guide) All this ends on the 22nd day at Homkund.Here Goddess is decorated as a bride and people bid farewelland ceremonially send off as she has reached her destination. Its a joyous and sorrowful occassion as festivities come to an end.(During my Roopkund Trek-2013,I passed through many points of the Nandadevi Raj jat yatra)

7)KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA :Journey to the abode of Shiva.

8)HEMKUND SAHIB

9)TUNGANATH 10)PIRAN KALIYAR 11)NANAK MATTA

ADVENTURE SPORTS :From trekking to white water rafting to paragliding are venues for travellers wanting some thrilling moments in life.Uttarkashi is a trekkers paradise TREKKING: Some famous treks worth taking up if you are a trekking enthusiast: 1)Almora-Jageshwar-Binsar Trek,2)Almora-Doonagiri-Kausani trek,3)Nag-Tibba trek,4)Joshimath -Auli-Kwari pass trek,5)Pindari Glacier trek,6)Kafni Glacier trek,7)Sunderdunga Glacier trek,8)Gangotri-Gaumukh-Nandanvan-Tapovan trek.9)Nandadevi base camp trek,10)Gangotri -Bhojkhark-Kedartal trek,11)Roopkund trek (I performed this strenuous trek in 2013-Interested readers may kindly go through my blog on ‘Roopkund’ on my site)

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2)CAMPING ON BUGGYALS :a)DAYARA BUGGYAL, b)Bedini Buggyal(I have camped here during my exciting Roopkund trek in Jun 2013.

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3)SKIING IN AULI :(16km from Joshimath).Auli offers a 180*panoramic view of Himalayas and peaks such as Nandadevi,Kamet and Mana parwat.GMVN provides state of the art facilities for winter sports and conducts short term skii courses at Auli.

4)RAFTING :Streches along Alaknanda ,Dhauliganga and Kali rivers have several challenging rapids.Alaknanda and Bhagirathi are main tributaries of Ganga and meet at Devprayag. Rafting courses are conducted by GMVN.

5)ANGLING :The golden Mahasheer fish is available in Kosi river and at Yamuna Bridge near Kempty fall.

6)MOUNTAIN BIKING/CYCLING :Both Kumaon & Garhwal regions provide good trails for mountain bikers. Dehradun to Mussourie (35km), and at foothills of Nainital near Ramnagar.

7)PARASAILING &PARAGLIDING in Pithoragarh, Rishikesh ,Mussorie, Dayara Buggyal, Dhanaulti ridge and Bedini Buggyal

WILDLIFE DESTINATIONS :

1)CORBETT NATIONAL PARK named after well known author & wildlife conservationist Jim Corbett who created this oldest reserve.It was established in 1936 in Nainital distt. having 1200 species of flora &fauna.Project tiger for conservation of Royal bengal tiger. 2)GOVING PASHU VIHAR,3)RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK,4)KEDARNATH SANCTUARY , 5)NANDADEVI NATIONAL PARK,6)BINSAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY at 35km from Almora.It was the summer capital of Chand kings and popular tourist destination. There are more than 200 bird species.

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NOTE :-MY DEAR READERS ARE REQUESTED TO KINDLY INFORM ME ON THIS SITE FOR REQUIRED CORRECTIONS(IF ANY) ALTHOUGH I HAVE REFERRED WIKKIPAEDIA FOR THE MUCH-NEEDED DETAILS IN THE WRITEUP.I HAVE TAKEN GUIDANCE OF UTTARAKHAND TOURISM (DISCOVERING UTTARAKHAND)WEBSITE-TO WHOM I AM VERY MUCH THANKFUL FOR PROMOTION OF TOURISM IN UK ! HAPPY READING !