26-538: Sarola Brahmin , also called Saryul and Serul are the oldest Garhwali Brahmins from Uttarakhand , India . These families were founded in the 6th and 7th centuries by scions of multiple Brahmin magnate clans to rule as the sacerdotal aristocracy of the Himalayan Kingdoms. The Sarolas originally were 12 ancient houses: Nautiyals , Maitwanas, Khanduras, Raturis, Thapliyals , Chamolis, Semwals , Lakheras, Semaltis, Gairolas , Kothiyals and Dimris. However,
52-431: A boon from "Shiva" that turned a head into Bhasma or ashes whenever he touched with boon to anyone's head. Lord Shiva accompanied by another one reached to a cave which was the home of Lord Shiva, and finally lord "Vishnu" helped him by killing the demon. The temple is filled with fantastic energy/aura, and one can feel it. Few drops of water are continually running through the hill. Dhari Devi temple of "Dhari Devi"
78-409: A link road of Jurana . It can also be reached via (1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi)) long bridle path. The temple administration body organises several annual events including cultural and religious seminars. Umra Narayan is situated between the mystic and peaceful hills of Rudraprayag where "Devine" temple of Lord Umra Narayan (Isth Dev of gram sann) is located. According to mythology, this temple
104-645: A series of encroachments by them on British territory led to the Anglo–Nepalese War in 1814. At the termination of the campaign, Garhwal and Kumaon were converted into British districts, while the Tehri principality was restored to a son of the former chief (that is King Pradymun), King Sudarshan Shah . A part of this kingdom was taken by the British, and later, it became known as the British Garhwal which spread over
130-536: A small stone made shrine known as Thaan where they are represented by small rocks placed inside the thaan. Usually during the crops were offered to Bhumiyal as a way to thanking them for protecting the village. Garhwal Himalaya The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand . This range is also a part of the Himalayan Sivalik Hills , the outer most hills of
156-421: Is believed to be form of Krishna according to local legends), Pandav and Draupadi etc. This pantheon was headed by Durga and Mahadev , who is referred to by many names such as Bhagwati, Surkanda, Kali, Bhavani, Nanda etc. They also worship their ancestors who were locally known as Bhumiyal, which literally means guardians of Land each and every Garhwali villages have their own Bhumiyal they are worshipped in
182-932: Is primarily spoken by the Garhwali people of the north-western Garhwal Division from the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas. The Garhwali language is classified as a Central Pahari language belonging to the Northern Zone of Indo-Aryan languages . Garhwali is one of the 325 recognised languages of India which is spoken by over 2,267,314 people such as Tehri Garhwal , Pauri Garhwal , Uttarkashi , Chamoli , Dehradun , Haridwar and Rudraprayag districts of Uttarakhand . The language has many regional dialects including: Srinagari, Tehri (Gangapariya), Badhani, Dessaulya, Lohbya, Majh-Kumaiya, Bhattiani, Nagpuriya, Rathi, Salani (Pauri), Ravai, Parvati, Jaunpuri, Gangadi (Uttarkashi), Chandpuri. Srinagari dialect
208-420: Is situated on the banks of the river Alaknanda. One has to travel 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Srinagar (Pauri Garhwal) on Srinagar-Badrinath highway to Kaliya Saur, and then turn down where one has to travel half of a kilometre towards Alaknanda river. The upper part of Goddess "Kali" is worshipped here. According to the local people, the face of the idol changes as a girl, a woman, and an old lady according to
234-686: Is the literary standard, while Pauri is generally regarded as the prominent one. However, for a number of reasons, Garhwali is a rapidly shrinking language. The UNESCO Atlas of the World's Endangered Languages book authored by "Theo Baumann" has described Garhwali language one of the moribund languages that needs to be protected. Chandrabadni Devi Temple is located in Tehri Garhwal. The temple can be reached either from 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long rout Kandikhal to Srinagar-Tehri or 9 kilometres (5.6 mi)) long Jamnikhal en route Dev Prayag-Tehri via
260-574: Is used to refer to anyone whose linguistic, cultural, and ancestral or genetic origins is from the Garhwal Himalayas . Their ethnonym is derived from the word ' Garhwal ' or ' Gadwal ' . The earliest reference to this region is in the Skanda Purana which called it Kedar Khand and Himvat . It describes the area that contained Gangadwar (Haridwar and Kankhala), Badrinath, Gandhamardan, and Kailash. The Kingdom of Garhwal
286-521: The "Navratras". There are 108 Shakta pithas in India, and this is one of them as described in the "Srimad Devi Bhagwat". The upper part of goddess Kali is worshipped in "Dhari Devi". Goddess Kali killed the demon "Raktavija" here in this area. After killing the demon, they went under the earth. Usually they have their own pantheon consisted of rural deities who are worshipped through Jagar (ritual) , these deities include Narsingh , Bhairav , Nagaraja (Nagaraja
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#1733086337380312-672: The 4 Pontifical Thrones of the Char Dham (Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka) and the 4 High Sees of the Chota Char Dham (Badrinath - Joshimath , Kedarnath - Nanda Devi , Yamunotri, Gangotri) as well as the 12 Jyotrlingas of which Kedarnath is the highest and most sacred due to its proximity to the divine abode of Lord Shiva at Kailasa. The Sarolas and Chauthokis settled as Rajpurohits (grand viziers), Royal Astrologers, High Priests , Ritual Cooks, Royal Gurus , and as Royal Advisors and Ministers. Along with this they were also designated
338-580: The British as an army. Garhwali Kingdom was one of the few kingdoms that never came under the Muslim rule influence. The history of Garhwal is older than that of Ramayana and Mahabharata . Worshipping Lord Shiva is attributing reverent honour and homage to him. According to the great Mahabharata, Garhwal is believed to be the land where the Vedas and the Shastras were made. The Garhwali language ( गढ़वळि भाख/भासा )
364-569: The Himalaya located in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand . The cities which are included in these ranges are Pauri , Tehri , Uttarkashi , Rudraprayag , Chamoli , and Chota Char Dham pilgrimage namely Gangotri , Yamunotri , Badrinath and Kedarnath . Some of the sites of the location are the hill stations of Mussoorie , Dhanaulti , Auli , Chakrata , Chopta , UNESCO World Heritage Site , Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks
390-831: The Uniyals, Gangotri under the Semwals, Kedarnath under the Dimris, Joshimath under the Joshis, Nanda Devi under the Nautiyals, and the highest Hindu ecclesiastical authority in the north: the temple of Badrinath under the Nambudris who bore the dynastic title of 'Shankaracharya' (pontiff) due to their direct descent from Adisankara of the eighth century who established all these great temples in North India. The greatest ecclesiastical seats of Hinduism are
416-467: The area of 5,629 mi (14,580 km ). After the British rule, Garhwal made rapid development. Two battalions of the Indian army (the 39th Garhwal Rifles ) were deployed in the area, stationed at the military cantonment of Lansdowne . Grain was one of the major corps of this area. Apart from this, cloth, while salt, borax, livestock, and wool were imported from Tibet . The administrative headquarters of
442-594: The area were established at Pauri. Srinagar (Garhwal) was the largest city and served as an important trade center along with the town of Kotdwara which is situated at Oudh and Rohilkhand railway tracks. Later, it became a part of the Punjab Hill States Agency of British India . Most of the Uttarkashi district acceded to the Union of India in 1949. Garhwali are known for their courage because they were preferred by
468-499: The incarnation of "Vishnu" itself. Koteshwar Mahadev is located about three kilometres inside the 'heart' of Rudraprayag, Koteshwar Mahadev temple. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This place is presumed to be the same spot where Lord Shiva was stopped for meditation where he was on his way to Kedarnath. According to local mythology, this temple has its presence since the time of Bhasmasur (the Deadly Asur/demon), who received
494-797: The oldest families, often exclusively Sarola and with the most illustrious lineages, such as the Kanyakubja Joshis (the oldest of the leading Satkuli or 7 Brahmin lineages of Kumaon where they served as hereditary prime ministers since the Sixth Century) or the Rajpurohit Gaur Nautiyals (hereditary prime ministers in Garhwal) or the Maithil Uniyals (in Garhwal) held a higher ducal status as Taluqdars or Thakurs and were themselves descendants of royal and leading Brahmin ducal houses from
520-500: The passage of time. This idol is located in an open area. Many times, villagers and some philanthropists tried to build a roof for Goddess, but their efforts returned empty handed as the roof gets dismantle every time. As per "Srimad Devi Bhagwat", there are 108 Shakta pithas as in India, and this is one of them. Kalimath , also known as "Kaviltha", is a village which is regarded as a divine place and Shakta pitha . It lies at an altitude of around 6,000 feet (1,800 m) (1,800 m) on
546-511: The pre-medieval kingdoms of their origins such as the Nautiyals of Malwa , Joshis of the Carnatic or Uniyals of Magadha . The Uniyals , Bahugunas , Dobhals, and Dangwals were the oldest Gangari Brahmins founded in the 8th century after the first Sarola families, but due to their ancient lineage from classical dynasties of the Gangetic Plains of Bihar, Bengal and Ayodhya, they were afforded
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#1733086337380572-519: The river Saraswati in the Himalayas, surrounded by the peaks of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Kalimath is situated close to Ukhimath and Guptakashi . It is one of the "Siddha Peeths" of the region and is regarded a respectful place with religious importance. The temple of the goddess Kali is located in this village and is visited by many devotees throughout the year, especially during
598-716: The same high status as the Sarola Houses and formed the class of Chauthoki aristocrats. The Chauthoki houses were pre-eminent nobility in Tehri Garhwal as counterpart to the Sarolas being the high lords in Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli Garhwal . These Brahmin houses maintained vast interests in landholding, finance and hereditary ministerial positions along with custodianship of the great temples of North India as hereditary 'Ravals' (high priests or archbishops) such as Yamunotri under
624-661: The task of cooking ritual temple offerings on auspicious occasions and also on royal occasions by the King of Garhwal, thus named "Sarola" ( Garhwali for cooking offerings) due to the ritual purity of the Sarola Brahmins which meant only their hand could prepare the oblations. Garhwali people The Garhwali people are an Indian ethnolinguistic group native to the Garhwal , in the Indian state of Uttarakhand , who speak Garhwali , an Indo-Aryan language . In modern usage, "Garhwali"
650-477: Was built during the time of Adi Shankracharya , and is believed that it was constructed by Adi Shankracharya when he was on his way to Lord Badrinath's temple. The temple has been now renovated and is 5–7 kilometres (3.1–4.3 mi) away from the central city of Rudraprayag. It is also believed that most of the "Isth Devas" in the Garhwal region are the incarnation of "Lord Vishnu" (Narsingh Dev Ji), and sometimes even
676-499: Was founded by Parmars . The area comprises 52 principalities called garhs (fortresses). These were small and had their own chiefs who were responsible for the welfare of the garhs . The Parmar dynasty ruled the Kingdom until 1803 before the "Gurkhas" invaded Kumaon and Garhwal, driving the Garhwal chief into the plains. For 12 years the Gurkhas ruled the country with an iron rod, until
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