History

History of Uttaranchal

Uttaranchal finds mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manakhand and Himavat. The Kushanas, Kudinas, Kanishka, Samudra, Gupta, the Pauravas, Katuris, Palas, the Chandras and Pawaras and the British have ruled in turns. It is often called the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines. The hilly regions of Uttaranchal offer unspoilt landscapes to the tourist -pilgrim. The present state of Uttaranchal was earlier a part of the United Province of Agra and Awadh, which came into existence in 1902. In 1935, the name of the state was shortened to the United Province. In January 1950, the United Province was renamed, as Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal remained a part of Uttar Pradesh before it came into being on 9 November 2000, the 27th state of India.

The traditional name of Garhwal was Uttarakhand and some archeologists found evidence which shows that it was part of the Mauryan Empire. The history of Uttaranchal began in the 15th century, when Emperor Ajai Pal merged the 52 principalities into his unified kingdom. Srinagar was the capital of Garhwal during that time. Medieval history of Kumaon carved the history of Katyuri Dynasty. Brijnath, a small town near Almora, was the capital during Katyuri Dynasty. At that time, it was also a major center for arts.

Nainital one of the most beautiful cities of the state, depicts the history of Uttaranchal. According to ancient belief, When Goddess Parvati died, parts of her corpse fell on Earth. Nainital was the place where one her eyes fell and formed a large crater, which is now known as Naini Lake. There are many temples, monuments and places situated in Uttaranchal which reflect the rich history of uttaranchal.