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Carved out with 14 hilly districts of former Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal is the 26th state of the Indian union. The state is rich in flora and fauna, natural and touristic ambience, and houses some of the most important pilgrimage centers in the country. Breathtaking in its natural splendor, grand in its wild denizens, and simplicity in its people, the region is bound to be a unique experience for you

Location Uttaranchal is a part of the Western Himalayan ranges starting from the Shivalik foothills to Greater Himalayas with Tibet as its northeastern border. In the northwestern corner of the state is Himachal Pradesh, while Haryana celebrates its union with the newly formed state with a gentle kiss. The state is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh for most of its western and southern boundary.

Physical Features

Apart from the Terai region in the Shivalik foothills, the entire state of Uttaranchal is a part of the Himalayan ranges. At 7,817 m above sea level, Nanda Devi in the district of Chamoli is the highest point in the state. The region has many glaciers, passes, meadows, and trekking routes with several major rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna originating from here. A major part of this Himalayan state comes under rainforests and alpine forests that are home to some of the highly endangered wildlife species.

Climate

The state has two distinct climatic regions: the predominant hilly terrain and the small plain region. The climatic condition of the plains is very similar to its counterpart in the Gangetic plain-that is, tropical. Summers are hot. Winters can be chilly with temperatures going below 5°C at times.
The Himalayan region has Alpine conditions characterized by cold winters with snowfall for quite a long time, good rainfall in the monsoon, and mild summers. This climate also provides the state with its only livelihood, i.e., tourism.

Flora and Fauna

The alpine and tropical rainforests that cover most parts of the state make natural habitats of some of the best-known wildlife creatures India has on offer. The Jim Corbett National Park is home to Royal Bengal Tigers and ground for the plot of Jim Corbett’s Man-eaters of Kumaon. Another rainforest in the region is Rajaji National Park famous for its large number of pachyderms. Alpine forests in the region include Valley of Flowers National Park (known for its amazing variety of flowers), Nanda Devi National Park, Govind National Park, Gangotri National Park, and many more.

History:

Garhwal

The Garhwal Himalayas have nurtured civilization from the wee hours of history. It appears to have been a favorite locale for the voluminous mythology of the Puranic period. The traditional name of Garhwal was Uttarakhand and excavations have revealed that it formed part of the Mauryan Empire. It also finds mention in the 7th-century travelogue of Huen Tsang. Adi Shankaracharya 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 Badrinath and Kedarnath.

The history of Garhwal as one unified whole began in the 15th century, when king Ajai Pal merged the 52 separate principalities, each with its own garh or fortress. For 300 years, Garhwal remained one kingdom, with its capital at Srinagar (not to be confused with the capital of Kashmir). 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

Humankind has been around in Kumaon for a very long time. Evidences of Stone Age settlements have been found in Kumaon, particularly 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 seventh to the 11th century, holding sway at the peak of their powers over large 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 hewn stone.
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Arts and Crafts

The peace and tranquility of Uttaranchal laid the foundation for a treasure house of paintings and art. Out of the two major art forms, the art of stone carving and woodcarving are fairly well known. The art of stone carving gradually died down, but woodcarving continued. Woodcarving could be seen on almost every door of a Garhwali house until only half a century ago. Woodcarving can still be seen in hundreds of temple all over Garhwal. The remains of architectural work have been found at the Chandpur Fort, temple of Srinagar, Pandukeshwar (near Badrinath), Devi Madin (near Joshimath), and Devalgarh Temple.

Music and Dance

Garhwal

The Himalayas have inspired generations of singers, balladeers, and musicians throughout the ages. The natural beauty of the mountains-which inspires a deep spirituality-and the harshness of life-which darkens the heart with adversity and anguish-have invigorated Uttarakhandi music, heightening its poignancy and enriching its lyrical texture. Although, increasingly influenced by trends in Hindi film music (with Garhwali songs set to film-style music), the more traditional forms of Himalayan music have remained deeply popular. This has been especially true of the Pahari penchant for folksy values, biting humor, raw honesty, loving devotion, and soaring spirits that shines through each song. Indeed, in face of other homogenizing trends in India, Uttarakhandi music has distinguished itself in retaining its cultural uniqueness and vibrant sound, while remaining popular among the masses.

Major dance forms of the region are Langvir Nritya, Barada Nati folk dance, Pandava Nritya, Dhurang, and Dhuring.

Kumaon

The Kumaonese are fond of music, folk dance, and songs accompanied by local musical instruments like murli, bina, and hurka. The hurka is played by the “jurkiya” and the dancer accompanying him, known as “hurkiyari,” is usually his wife or daughter. They go from place to place narrating folklores, singing the praise of their gods and goddesses. During fairs and festivals and at harvest time, the Kumaonese often dance the Jharva, Chandhur Chhapalior, and many other forms of folk dances. The popular folk songs are Malushahi, Bair, and Hurkiya Bol.

Fairs & Festivals

The major fairs and festivals of the Garhwal region are Hatkalika Fair, Tapkeshwar Fair, Surkhanda Devi Mela, Kunjapuri Fair, Lakhawar Village Fair, and Mata Murti Ka Mela.

The major fairs and festivals of Kumaon region are Uttarayani Mela, Shravan Mela (Jageshwar), Kartik Poornima at Dwarahat, Kasar Devi fair, and Nanda Devi melas.

Opportunities for tourism are immense in this state, be it nature, wildlife, adventure, and pilgrimage tourism. The major destinations are Haridwar, Rishikesh, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Almora, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Jim Corbett National Park, Nainital, Ranikhet, and Pithoragarh.
f you are adventurous and like tough challenges, you can go for high- and low-altitude trekking, river rafting, para gliding, hang-gliding, mountaineering, skiing, and many others.

Set at the edge of Naini Lake, this sprightly and bustling hill station is welcoming, hospitable and open.

Full of hidden surprises, it also has its constants: and one of these is its beauty. Perhaps that is why generations of pleasure seekers have surrendered to its seductions.

Mussoorie, like other hill resorts in India, came into existence in the 1820s or thereabouts, when the families of British colonials began making for the hills in order to escape the scorching heat of the plains. Small settlements grew into large stations and were soon vying with each other for the title of “queen of the hills.”.

Almora is one of the three hill districts of Kumaon. The other two being Nainital and Pithoragarh. It is

the cultural capital of Kumaon. Almora is also referred to as the unspoilt child of nature. It is situated on a three-mile long horse saddle-shaped ridge and is surrounded by four hill ranges – Banari Devi, Kasar Devi, Shayahi Devi and Katarnal. The three peaks have temples of Goddesses while Katarnal has an ancient Sun temple worth visiting.

Ranikhet is a small hill station set in the Kumaon hills. It offers the tourists a panoramic view of the mighty Himalayan peaks. The environs of Ranikhet are sylvan, peaceful and attractive. Ranikhet is a cantonment town and is known for its ancient temples.

Set up in 1936 as India’s first national park and possibly the finest, the Corbett National Park was first delimited in consultation with that great hunter and conserver, Jim Corbett. The park spans across some 920.9 square km at an altitude of 600 to 1100 metres about the foothills of the western Himalayas in the districts of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal.

In April every year the mountain fairies take up their abode in this valley lying high in the Himalayan ranges of Garhwal, and enter into a conspiracy with Nature. Ringed in by snowy, cloud bedecked mountain summits standing sharply against the blue sky, the waterfalls flashing white against the mountainsides, Nothing can be more striking than the valley’s absolute bloom of stunning perfection. On what is a lifeless, frozen wasteland of snow for most of the year, a multi-hued, fragrant, six miles long carpet of exotic flowers unrolls itself. As far as the eye can see, down the length of the valley, up the lower mountain slopes, there are flowers and flowers, and still more flowers. More than a thousand Himalayan varieties of flowers, ferns and herbs cover valley in all their frail beauty and sweetness.

Rishikesh is the birthplace of yoga. It attracts thousands of tourists every year, who come to seek mental peace in the midst of the humdrum of modern life. The various ghats and temples assist the human spirit in its endeavor to be one with the ultimate source of all creations. It is also an attraction for the ones in search of adventure and passion. Rishikesh is located in the northern part of Uttar Pradesh. It is 238 km

northeast of Delhi and 24 km north of Haridwar and spreads on the right banks of the Ganges, at its confluence with the Chandrabhaga stream. It is surrounded by hills on three sides and is perched at an altitude of 356 meters above sea level.

Kedarnath is one of the most sacrosanct pilgrim spots of north India and is flocked by people from all corners of the globe. Besides its religious significance, it is also visited by those who love to conquer the rough terrain of Garhwal. Lapped in the green hills of the Himalayas, the serene atmosphere here, with its cool and gentle breeze, offers an ideal tourist retreat.

Auli, located in the northern state of Uttaranchal, is a new entrant in the tourist map of India. Located in

the cradle of snow-capped mountains, Auli is one of the very few places in India where skiing is a major pastime. The bitter cold winds, the vast snow-covered landscape, the sylvan mountains, all add up to make Auli a skier's paradise. Representing man's constant endeavor to triumph over nature, Auli proves to be an ideal locale for the daring.

By Air Jolly Grant near Dehradun is the only airport. There are regular flights to Delhi by Indian Airlines. Otherwise, one has the option to travel to Delhi by road or rail and then take the air route to various destinations.

By Rail Dehradun, Haridwar, and Kathgodam are the major railway stations connected to almost all parts of the country with regular trains. Not many places in the state are connected by rail because of tough terrains. For those visiting places in the higher altitudes, trekking and road routes are the only options available.

By Road Almost all the important places in the state are connected by all-weather metalled roads. Many places in the higher altitudes may still remain off for a period in the year due to landslides and snowfall. National Highways such as 58, 73, 74, and 87 connect places in the state to other parts of the country.