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The king of mountains
Himalaya is said to consist of five segments i.e., Nepal
Kurmanchal, Kedar, Kangda and Ruchir Kashmir. This Mid
Himalayan region of Garhwal and Kumaon, which is commonly
known as Uttarakhand today was called by the name
KEDARKHAND and MANASKHAND in the Purans. According to the
famous Historian Mr. Shiv Prasasd Dabral taking the word
Uttarapad and khand from Kedarkhand formed the term
Uttaranchal. This mountain region however is the same,
which was once renowned in its snow-covered form during
the Vedic era and sang the saga of glorious deeds of the
kings, Saints and Ascetics of the time. |
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It was
referred to as Uttarakhand by the
compilers of the Upnishads, Uttarkaushal by Valmiki and Uttarkuru
by Ved Vyasa who wrote the epic Mahabharata. It is the same place
that was Uattarapatti for Panini and Kautilya; Kiratmandal for
Kirats, Khashadesh for the Khas, Kartipur for Katayurs. It was Parvatkaran and Giryavali for the early historian and Uttaranchal
or Uttarakhand of the present day politicians. The different parts
of the Uttarakhand have been referred to asIlawarat, Brahmpur,
Rudrahimalaya, Sapaldaksh, Shivalik, Kurmanchat Karajat Kamaugarh,
Kamadesh, Kumaon, SarkarI 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. Samprat,
Chamoli, Pauri, Uttarkashi and Dehradun add to the pristine beauty
of the Garhwal region. The eastern region comprising of Almora,
Nainital and Pithoragarh districts together known as the Kumaon
region. On account of security reason the government has for the
past four decades considered only Chamoli and Pithoragarh
districts as Uttarakhand, but for the residents of the
Uttarakhand this entire hilly region covers an area of
51,125 sq. km and comprising of 15,951 villages, 89
developmental" segments and some adjoining plains as
signal geographic social and cultural Unit.
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The history
of Uttarakhand State can be better understood through the
history of Garhwal and Kumaon divisions separately, because
they maintained independent identity except the period of
Nepali aggression.
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Garhwal |
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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
Pauranic 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.
However, it is with Adi Shankaracharya that the name
of Garhwal will always 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 Badrinath and Kedarnath. |
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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 garh or fortress. For
300 years, Garhwal remained one kingdom, with its capital
at Srinagar (on the left bank of Alaknanda river). 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. |
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Kumaon |
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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 11 th
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 stone.
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On a
hilltop facing east (opposite Almora), is the temple of
Katarmal. This 900-year-old sun temple was built during
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 magnificent temple complex at Jageshwar,
with its cluster of a hundred and sixty-four temples, over
a span of two centuries. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the
evocative carvings are complemented by the beautiful
deodar forest around it. |
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