Uttarakhand is a state located to the north of India and was carved out of Himalayan and Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India.
In Hindu scriptures and old literature the region is referred as Uttarakhand, and in January 2007, the name was officially changed from Uttaranchal (the interim name) to Uttarakhand in accord to the large section of its inhabitants. Dehradun is the provisional capital, and the High Court of the state is in Nainital.
Uttarakhand is known as “The Land of the gods” because of the several highly venerated pilgrimage places like: Kedarnath, Badrinath, Henmkund Sahib, Ganotri, Yamunotri, Jageshwar, Bageshwar, Rishikesh and Haridwar. Each hilltop or bent is known to have a temple, big or small, which are considered very sacred by the locals.
Originally the region was settled by aboriginal of the austro-asiatic type, the Kols joined to Indo-Aryan Khas tribes.
Among the first major dynasties are the Kunindas in the 2nd century B.C who practiced an early form of Shaivism. By the medieval period, the region was consolidated under the Garhwal Kingdom in the west and the Kumaon Kingdom in the east. During the period of 13th-18th century new forms of painting, the Pahari School of art, were deveoped.
In 1791, the expanding Gurkha Empire of Nepal, overran Almora, the seat of the Kumaon Kingdom. In 1803, the Garhwal Kingdom also fell to the Gurkhas. With the conclusion of the Anglo-Nepalese War in 1816, a rump portion of the Garhwal Kingdom was reestablished from Tehri, and eastern British Garhwal and Kumaon ceded to the British as part of the Treaty of Sugauli.
In the post-independence period due to rivality between Garhwal and Kumaon, they created strong bonds between the two regions forming the basis of the new political identity of Uttarakhand, which gained significant momentum in 1994, when demand for separate statehood (within the Union of India).
Most notable incident during the period 1994-2006 occurred in the region; Uttarakhand became in the 27th state in the Republic of India and adopted the official name of Uttarakhand.
The native people of Uttarakhand are called Kumaoni or Garhwali depending of the origin region. The languages spoken are Kumaoni, Garhwali and Hindi. Jaunsari and Bhotiya dialects are also spoken by tribal communities.
The great diversity of the region as snow-clad mountains, green hills, fertile valleys, flowing rivers and thriving lakes are added to its natural beauty. The several natural lakes in the region are the centre of attraction of the town and good for sporting activities. In addition Uttarakhand is ideal for several adventure sports activities due to its geographical attributes with big mountains, dense jungles, huge water-filled rivers and deep lakes.
Most of the northern parts of the state are part of Greater Himalayan ranges, covered by the high Himalayan peaks and glaciers, while the lower foothills were densely forested. The unique Himalayan ecosystem hosts several animals including bharal, snow leopards and tigers; such as plants and rare herbs.
The Ganga and the Yamuna, two of India’s mightiest rivers take birth in the glaciers of Uttarakhand. The climate varies with elevation, from glaciers at the highest elevations to tropical.
While you are on a visit to Uttarakhand, make sure to visit the Valley of Flower National Park among other important parks like Jim Corbett National Park (the oldest national park of India) at Ramnagar in Nainital District, Nanda Devi National Park in Chamoli District, Rajaji National Park in Haridwar District, and Govind Pashu Vihar National Park and Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi District.