Land of Gods - Uttarakhand, India

A land of Gods – Uttarakhand  (India)

 “Uttarakhand" is in the northern part of the Indian Map. Definition of Uttar in Hindi language means North. The state was earlier known as Garhwal and Kumaon , and also 'Dev Bhumi’ (Land of Gods) because the land is filled with many pilgrimages and temples of Hindu Gods.

It is a beautiful hill station, which is popular for its utmost beauty that is immensely blessed by nature and is one of the popular  tourist places in India.

It is situated in the Mid-Himalayan region and was earlier known as Kedarkhand and Manaskhand in the Hindu Purans (Ancient Holy Scriptures).

Geographical Aspect

It consists of a total area of 53,484 square km that is mostly covered by mountainous and forest. The northern part of the state is covered by the high Himalayan peaks covered with glaciers.

This beautiful place shares its border with the Tibet Autonomous Region in the north, the Mahakali Zone of the Far-Western Region, Nepal in the east; and the Indian States of Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the northwest.

The state was earlier divided into two regions known as Garhwal and Kumaon, with a total of 13 districts in both the regions as given below:

Garhwal

Chamoli Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Rudra Prayag, Haridwar, and Dehradun.

Kumaun

Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar.

Dehradun is presently the provisional capital of Uttarakhand and is also the largest city in the region. However, the State will have its permanent capital in a few years when a suitable place is built with modern infrastructure and amenities required for the functioning as a Capital of the State.

Sharing the beauty of the Himalayas, both Garhwal and Kumaon hold their beauty in nature at perfection.

People of these two Regions are named after the place of origin as Garhwali and Kumauni. They speak their regional languages  with each other, however, Hindi is the most common language and also an official language exchanged in these two places for education, business,  and general awareness among the local population. Mostly this state consists of Rajputs and Brahmins along with Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and other religions.

Religious Aspect

Apart from other aspects that complete it as a State, Uttarakhand is known for their unique quality that makes it different from all other States in the country.

It is a state or a place that has been defined to have a rich history and existence of human are provided from the pre- historic times as well. It has been named in many holy books and by many saints. There are some names by which this place had been known mentioned in  many of the holy books and novels, for example, it was referred to as Uttaranchal the compilers of the Upanishads, Uttarkaushal by Valmiki and Uttarkuru by Ved Vyasa who wrote the epic Mahabharata (as per History).

The Holy River Ganga at Gangotri and Yamuna at Yamunotri are the two holy rivers that shower their utmost blessings on the place with their existence. Due to the presence of Badrinath, Kedarnath and these two holy rivers in the State, this place is also known for forming the 'Chhota Char Dham', means Holy pilgrimage for Hindus.

Popularity

The State, apart from the temples and the pilgrimages, is also famous for the Bengal Tiger in Jim Corbett National Park. It is the one of the oldest national parks in the Indian subcontinent.

Apart from it, this place also holds The Valley of Flowers, which is a site identified by the UNESCO World Heritage located in the upper expanses of Bhyundar Ganga near Joshimath in Garhwal region. This valley is known for its variety and rarity of flowers and plants. Along with the valley of flowers the Nanda Devi National Park in Chamoli District is also identified as the UNESCO World Heritage site.

The place is famous for its unique plants and animals that are protected by the sanctuaries and Reserves.

Apart from the above-mentioned parks and renowned places in Uttarakhand, Rajaji National Park in Haridwar District and Govind Pashu Vihar National Park and Sanctuary and Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi District are some other protected areas in the State.

Economical Aspect

With the inception of an independent State, Uttarakhand can become a fastest growing economy and also can a great role in contributing towards tourism in the country. The States earns a handsome amount of Revenue on the Tourism and Heritage.

Like other states in India contributing towards GDP growth, Uttarakhand population is also found to be engaged in Agriculture mostly. The most common and widely grown crops are Basmati rice, wheat, groundnuts, soya beans, coarse cereals, oil -seeds, pulses etc.

The city is also known for exporting Liches, medicinal herbs and plants and basmati rice to the other parts of the country.

It is also famous for growing fruits as apples, oranges, litchi, plums, pears and  peaches.

Tourism

Due to its existence in the stretch of the Himalayas and covered by hills, mountains, and forests, it automatically gets listed in the list of the most visited tourist places in India.

Transport

The place being a hilly region does not support a very good railway and airways and thus the city’s transport is handled mostly by buses, auto rickshaws, cycle rickshaws and shared jeeps. Almost 1000 State owned buses are running through the roads which include national and intercity bus services by the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation.