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82-640: Uttarkashi District is a district of Garhwal division of the Uttarakhand state in northern India, and has its headquarters at Uttarkashi city. It has six Tehsils namely Barkot , Dunda, Bhatwadi, Chinyalisaur , Purola and Mori. The district contains the source of the Bhagirathi (traditionally considered the headstream of the Ganga ) at Gangotri and Yamuna at Yamunotri , both of which are highly significant and popular pilgrimage sites. Uttarkashi town, which lies on

164-589: A Chinese invasion of Nepal caused the Nepalis to retreat from Garhwal. The Garhwal ruler Pradyuman Shah agreed to pay a tribute to the Gorkha rulers and send an agent to Kathmandu, an arrangement that lasted for 12 years. In the beginning of 1803, Uttarkashi in particular was devastated by an earthquake . The next year Gorkha generals including Amar Singh Thapa led a second invasion against Garhwal. The Garhwal raja, Pradyuma Shah , retreated via Uttarkashi to Dehradun, where he

246-420: A literacy rate of 75.98%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 24.41% and 1.06% of the population respectively. Languages of Uttarkashi district (2011) According to the 2011 census, 80.77% of the population spoke Garhwali , 7.28% Hindi , and 2.17% Nepali as their first language. Various indigenous Tibetic languages (returned under a variety of different names) such as Jad were spoken by 3.06% of

328-539: A composite of Uttara and Kashi , literally means the North Kashi where Kashi refers to Varanasi . Both Uttarkashi and Varanasi are highly significant Hindu pilgrimage sites on the sacred Ganges . Both Kashi and Uttarkashi have important Shiva temples called Kashi Vishwanath temple. The area now made up by Uttarkashi district has been known since the times of the Rig Vedic period. The Aitareya Brahmana mentions it as

410-465: A former minister of Kumaon Kingdom and king Lalit Shah joined forces to attack Kumaon and captured Almora , the seat of Kumaon Kingdom, expelled the ruling king Mohan Chand and placed his own younger son on the throne. However, later Mohan Chand on (1786–1788) overthrew Pradyumna Shah and retained Kumaon Kingdom. In 1791 Gorkha forces of the Kingdom of Nepal, invaded Kumaon and took control of most of

492-560: A general restriction on human trafficking in Garhwal , Sirmur and other areas in 1812 A.D. Anti-bribery regulations were issued against regional governors and declared it illegal to give or take any form of bribes or gifts from people. He established Hulak ( postal ) system through a relay of porters up to Yamuna river in Garhwal . Regulations issued in July 1809 states: In areas west of Bheri river and east of Jamuna river , make an estimate of

574-539: A result of the Treaty of Sugauli , the British annexed half of the Kingdom of Garhwal ( Pauri Garhwal ) and converted the other half ( Tehri Garhwal ) into a subsidiary princely state. Sudarshan Shah, the heir to the Kingdom of Garhwal received approximately half his ancestral territories, limited to western Garhwal region and received recognition as Raja of a new princely state of Garhwal. The British established their rule over

656-489: A rod of iron and the country fell into a lamentable decay. Its villages became deserted, its agriculture ruined and its population decreased beyond computation. It is said that two lakhs, (200,000) of people were sold as slaves, while few families of consequence remained in the country; but, to avoid the severity of the tyranny, they either went into banishment or were cut off or forcibly driven away by their tyrant. The Mukhtiyar (prime minister) of Nepal, Bhimsen Thapa imposed

738-535: A series of encroachments by the Gorkhas on British territory led to the Anglo-Nepalese War in 1814. Sudarshan Shah, son and heir of the defeated ruler of the Kingdom of Garhwal who was in exile in British territory, saw his chance and entered into an alliance with the British in 1812. When the expected war erupted, he joined forces with them in the conquest of the hill territories. At the war's end on 21 April 1815, as

820-635: A slave market at Das Bazar in Haridwar. Harak Dev Joshi, a prominent minister from the Kumaon court wrote letters to Fraser, the resident at Delhi describing the atrocities committed by the Gorkhas on the Garhwali people. British writer and explorer Captain F.V. Raper (of the 10th Bengal) has written an eye-witness account of it in the Asiatic Researches (vol. xi.): At the foot of the pass leading from Har Ki Pauri

902-624: A unique identity. Garhwal division Garhwal (IPA: /ɡəɽʋːɔɭ/) is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand . Lying in the Himalayas , it is bounded on the north by Tibet , on the east by Kumaon , on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the northwest by Himachal Pradesh state. It includes the districts of Chamoli , Dehradun , Haridwar , Pauri Garhwal , Rudraprayag , Tehri Garhwal , and Uttarkashi . The people of Garhwal are known as Garhwali and speak

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984-500: A year of ascending to the throne in 1717, subsequently Pradip Shah ascended and his rule led to rising fortunes of the Kingdom, this in turn attracted invaders, like Najib-ud-daula Governor of Saharanpur , who invaded in 1757 along with his Rohilla Army and captured Dehradun. However, in 1770, the Garhwali forces defeated the Rohillas and retrieved possession of the Dun region . 'Harshadev'

1066-452: Is a Gurkhali 'chauki' or post, to which slaves are brought down from the hills and exposed for sale. Many hundreds of these poor wretches, of both sexes, from three to thirty years of age, are annually disposed of in the way of traffic. These slaves are brought down from all parts of the interior of the hills, and sold at Haridwar at from 10 to 150 rupees. Scottish travel writer and artist, J. B. Fraser wrote: The Gorkhas ruled Garhwal with

1148-658: Is currently part of the Garhwal Division of the Uttarakhand state of India which was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000. Former royal palace of the Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal at Narendranagar , now houses the Ananda in the Himalayas spa, established 2000. The flag of Garhwal was known as Badrinathji Ki Pataka or Garuda Dhwaj . It was in use since pre-1803 as a symbol of Garhwal State; and continued to be used from 1803 to 1949 as

1230-582: Is most known for taking part in the Battle of Bhangani on 18 September 1688, where combined forces of many Rajas of the Shivalik Hills (Pahari rajas) fought with 10th Sikh Guru Gobind Singh 's army. During his reign, Sikh Guru and the ex-communicated eldest son of Har Rai , Ram Rai settled here, upon recommendations of Aurangzeb , which eventually led to the establishment of modern town of Dehradun . Fateh Shah died in 1716, and his son Upendra Shah died within

1312-440: Is unknown whether this story is merely apocryphal. His descendant, Ajapal, lived during 1358-70 and was attacked by the raja of Champawat, but defeated him. Ajapal also seemingly created an alliance of the many chieftains of Garhwal and overthrew the raja of Chandpur. His descendant Rajapal led an unsuccessful expedition against Tibet that probably passed through modern Uttarkashi district. The Garhwal rajas, although friendly with

1394-555: The Char Bhutia tribe. According to the 2011 census Uttarkashi district has a population of 330,086, roughly equal to the nation of Belize . This gives it a ranking of 567th in India (out of a total of 640 ). The district has a population density of 41 inhabitants per square kilometre (110/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.75%. Uttarkashi has a sex ratio of 959 females for every 1000 males, and

1476-649: The Delhi sultanate in the plains, were never subordinate to them. Rajapal's descendant Man Shah led raids north into Tibet and south into the plains in the mid 16th century. His descendants defended against the rising power of the Kumaon kingdom , which was encroaching on Garhwal's eastern boundaries, but Uttarkashi was not affected. Mahipati Shah was the first Garhwal Raja to fully control the entirety of Kumaon, including all of Uttarkashi, from his capital at Srinagar in around 1580. The Garhwal Rajas, although not directly controlled by

1558-627: The Garhwali language . The administrative center for Garhwal division is the town of Pauri . The Divisional Commissioner is the administrative head of the Division, and is a senior Indian Administrative Service officer. As the administrative head of the division, the Commissioner is overall incharge of the 7 districts in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, and is aided in his duties by an additional commissioner and

1640-454: The Indian army (the 39th Garhwal Rifles) were recruited in the district, which contained the military cantonment of Lansdowne. Grain and coarse cloth were exported, and salt , borax , livestock and wool were imported. Trade with Tibet was considerable. The administrative headquarters was at the village of Pauri , but Srinagar was the largest city. It was an important mart, as was Kotdwara ,

1722-517: The Mughals , still had to pay tribute. The historian Firishta records Garhwal (modern scholars believe he confused it with Kumaon) was a wealthy and powerful mountain kingdom that produced significant amounts of copper and gold, both metals mined from ancient times in Uttarkashi district. In 1635, a famine struck Garhwal and the year after, a Mughal force invaded the region. However the raja soon starved out

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1804-517: The Skanda Purana as ' Kedarakhanda ' and in the Mahabharata as ' Himavat ' to describe the area that contained Gangadwar ( Haridwar and Kankhal ), Badrinath , Gandhamardan, and Kailash . Traditionally the region finds mention in various Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand being home to the Garhwali people . The Kuninda Kingdom also flourished around the 2nd century BC. Later this region came under

1886-497: The non-regulation system . Since the capital Srinagar was now part of the British Garhwal, a new capital was established at Tehri , giving the name of Tehri state (popularly known as Tehri Garhwal). Sudarshan Shah died in 1859, and was succeeded by Bhawani Shah, who in turn was succeeded by Pratap Shah in 1872. The kingdom had an area of 4,180 square miles (10,800 km ), and a population of 268,885 in 1901. The ruler

1968-415: The 52 rulers called garhpals (fort holders, from where Garhwal derives its name). Bhanupratapa had two daughters, one of whom he married to a Paramara prince from Malwa, Kanak Pal , who was on pilgrimage. Kanak Pal was made his heir, and ascended the throne in 888 CE. Kanakpal and his descendants began establishing their hegemony over the other petty chiefs, some of whom had headquarters in Uttarkashi, as

2050-581: The Bharat/Jagar of Maula, Jiyarani, a Katyuri princess, as narrated in Doti (modern-day Nepal ) and Uttarakhand (present-day India ) is an example of this common heritage. In the book of Rahul Sankrityayan , Himalaya Parichaya: Garwahl (Allahabad 1953) it is written that, "The kings of Kumaon-Garhwal were called, Kedare Khasamandale which means Kedar region as the residence of Khas people ". The royal dynasty of Garhwal started with Kanak Pal . Garhwal Kingdom

2132-644: The Garhwal Kingdom (1946–1949), accepted the sovereignty of the Union of India . Tehri Riyasat was merged into the Garhwal District of United Provinces (later renamed to Uttar Pradesh ) and was given the status of a new district, the Tehri Garhwal district . Subsequently, on 24 February 1960, the state government separated one of its tehsils which was given the status of a separate district named Uttarkashi . It

2214-557: The Garhwal Kingdom. He and his ancestors ruled over Garhwal and the adjacent state of Tehri-Garhwal , in an uninterrupted line till 1803, when 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 a series of encroachments by them on British territory led to the Gurkha War in 1814. At the termination of

2296-565: The Garhwalis during the Gurkha invasion, in the early 19th century. The earliest ruling dynasty of Garhwal known is of the Katyuris . The Katyuri Raja of Uttarakhand ( Kumaon and Garhwal ) was styled 'Sri Basdeo Giriraj Chakara Churamani'. The earliest traditions record that the possessions of Joshimath Katyuris in Garhwal extended from Satluj as far as Gandaki and from the snows to plains, including

2378-425: The Gorkha onslaught from 1795. Garhwal had not yet recovered from the famine when a devastating earthquake struck the region. The Garhwal kings went into exile in British territory as the Gorkhas began their twelve-year rule over Garhwal region. The Gorkhas ruled Garhwal with an iron fist. Their excessive taxation policy, iniquitous judicial system, slavery, torture and lack of civilised administrative set up made

2460-566: The Gorkha rulers extremely unpopular amongst their subjects. Cultivation declined rapidly and villages were deserted. During the Gorkha rule, a revenue settlement for Garhwal was undertaken in 1811. The rates were so high that the land-owners found it difficult to honour, and the Gorkhas sold hundreds of their family members into slavery in satisfaction of the arrears. If a person or his family members were not purchased as slaves in auction, such people were sent to Bhimgoda near Har Ki Pauri , Haridwar for selling. The Gorkhas are said to have established

2542-505: The Gorkhas relinquished all territory west of the Kali river , including Garhwal and Uttarkashi district. Garhwal west of the Alaknanda , excluding Dehradun and all of Uttarkashi, was returned to the Garhwal rajas, who subsequently imposed violent retaliation on the remaining Gorkhas. Uttarkashi at this time was regarded as rocky and barren. In subsequent negotiations, Rawain tehsil, modern Uttarkashi,

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2624-399: The Gorkhas. The Battle of Khurbura took place on Magh 20, 1860 V.S. (January 1804) where the Gorkhas were under the command of Bada Kaji Amar Singh Thapa . Several causes are attributed to this defeat. Garhwal was perpetually in political turmoil since the time of Raja Jayakrit Shah and this was sapping the vitality of the kingdom. Nature also played havoc in the form of a famine before

2706-484: The Mughals and forced them to retreat, while another Mughal expedition in 1654 aided by the raja of Kumaon failed also. After Dara Shukoh's defeat in 1658, his son Sulaiman took refuge for a year with the Garhwal raja Prithvi Shah. However threat of invasion from Aurangzeb and the Kumaon rajas, as well as pressure from many in his court forced Shah to give up Sulaiman to Aurangzeb. Uttarkashi remained relatively uninfluenced by

2788-463: The Parmar rulers of Garhwal. Mola Ram the 18th century painter, poet, historian and diplomat of Garhwal wrote the historical work Garhrajvansh Ka Itihas (History of the Garhwal royal dynasty) which is the only source of information about several Garhwal rulers. Manabendra Shah was the last Maharaja of Tehri Garhwal before the princely state joined the newly independent India in 1947. He succeeded to

2870-537: The Skanda Purana and the Mahabharata in the Van Parva . Skanda Purana defines the boundaries and extend of this holy land. 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 linked, for the great 8th-century spiritual reformer visited the remote, snow-laden heights of Garhwal, established a Joshimath and restored some of

2952-866: The Taganas as the Taganoi and says they lived on the eastern side of the Ganges, while he says the Kulindrine (Kunindas) lived above the sources of the Beas , Sutlej , Yamuna and Ganga, and the Kiratas on the northern slops of the Himalayas. According to legend, Parshurama killed his mother Renuka at Nakuri, 10 km from Uttarkashi town. Also, it is said the Pandavas , after leaving their kingdom to Parikshit , halted at Patangini before continuing to Swargarohini , where they died. Historically,

3034-403: The agriculture, tourism and the defence industry. Native to 2.8 million people, Hindi has official status and is widely used in administration and education. Garhwali , spoken by about 2.3 million people as of the 2011 census, is the majority language in all but the two southern districts of Haridwar and Dehradun, where the language with the largest proportion of speakers according to the census

3116-425: The amount required for payment to Hulaki porters employed for the transport of mail on the basis of sum sanctioned in the previous order and the sum required according to arrangements made this year for different areas and submit a report accordingly. The royal court sent the following orders regarding abolition of slave trading: Let not there be injustice in any matter. We had sent orders previously also banning

3198-657: The application in March 2022, the rice was granted the GI tag in 2023 by the Geographical Indication Registry in Chennai , making the name "Uttarakhand Lal Chawal (Red Rice)" exclusive to the rice grown in the region. It thus became the first rice variety from Uttarakhand and the 14th type of goods from Uttarakhand to earn the GI tag. The GI tag protects the rice from illegal selling and marketing, and gives it legal protection and

3280-419: The area resulted in widespread damage and over 5,000 deaths. It was India's worst natural disaster insofar as death toll since the 2004 tsunami . The majority of the inhabitants are Garhwalis . The culture of the present Garhwal is an amalgamation of influences from the indigenous population coupled with traditions superimposed by immigrants who settled in the region. A majority of the people are involved in

3362-578: The campaign, Garhwal and Kumaon were converted into British districts, while the Tehri principality was restored to a son of the former chief. The British district of Garhwal was in the Kumaon Division of the United Provinces , and had an area of 5,629 sq mi (14,580 km ). After annexation, Garhwal rapidly advanced in material prosperity. IN 1901 the population was 429,900. Two battalions of

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3444-453: The colours represent the snow of the Himalaya and the forests of the state. In the centre the crest of the coat of arms is placed – an eagle with expanded wings (Garuda) is the vehicle of Lord Badrinath / Vishnu with emphasis on Garhwal being God's own abode. "As Garuda is where Lord Vishnu is, it celebrates association of Garhwal with Lord Vishnu. As Lord Himself has a role sustaining the world,

3526-473: The country was declared independent in 1947, the inhabitants of Tehri Riyasat (Garhwal State) started their movement to free themselves from the clutches of the Maharaja Narendra Shah (Panwar). Due to this movement, the situation became out of his control and it was difficult for him to rule over the region. Consequently, the 60th king of Panwar dynasty, Manabendra Shah , the last ruling Maharaja of

3608-619: The district magistrates. Sushil Kumar is the divisional commissioner of the Garhwal Division since December 2021. The Garhwal Himalayas appear to have been a favourite locale for the voluminous mythology of the Puranic period. The traditional name of Garhwal was kedarkhand means "the land of God". Excavations have revealed that it formed part of the Mauryan Empire . The earliest reference regarding Garhwal and its pride spots are cited in

3690-507: The district was a narrow strip of waterless forest between the southern slopes of the hills and the fertile plains of Rohilkhand . The highest mountains are in the eastern Chamoli district , the principal peaks being Nanda Devi 7,816 m (25,643 ft), Kamet 7,756 m (25,446 ft), Chaukhamba 7,138 m (23,419 ft), Trisul 7,120 m (23,360 ft), Dunagiri 7,066 m (23,182 ft), and Kedarnath 6,940 m (22,769 ft). The Alaknanda River , one of

3772-605: The district's population. Hindi is the lingua franca. Uttarakhand Lal Chawal (Red Rice) was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) status tag from the Geographical Indications Registry , under the Union Government of India , on 8 November 2023. Bhagirathi Annapurna Sabji Utpadak Swayat Sahakarita from Uttarkashi, proposed the GI registration of Uttarakhand Lal Chawal (Red Rice). After filing

3854-480: The domain under Ajay Pal is said to have been called 'Garhwal', possibly due to the numerous forts in the region. The name of the region and its people prior to Ajay Pal is unknown though some historians like Atkinson have alluded to ‘ Khasadeśa ’ (Land of the Khasas ) and Sircar has stated that ‘ Strīrājya ’ (Kingdom of Women) as the ancient name of Garhwal and Kumaon. The earliest reference to places in this region are in

3936-478: The eastern half of the Garhwal region, which lies east of Alaknanda and Mandakini river , which was later on known as British Garhwal and Dehradun , along with Kumaon , which was merged with British India as a result of the Treaty of Sugauli . The former Kumaon Kingdom was joined with the eastern half of the Garhwal region and was governed as a chief-commissionership, also known as the Kumaon Province , on

4018-535: The end of the 12th century, Ashoka Challa of the Khasa kingdom (now in western Nepal) conquered Garhwal as far as Uttarkashi, evidenced by an inscription in the Barahat (Uttarkashi) Vishwanath temple. However the Garhwal rajas soon regained their position, and again the last king of the line had only a daughter. Another Paramara prince from Malwa there on pilgrimage, Kadilpal, was made his heir and married his daughter, although it

4100-462: The hill country, expelling or subduing most of the rajas. After defeating Kumaon, Gorkha Kingdom attacked Garhwal and Garhwali forces suffered heavy defeat, and Pradyumna Shah first escaped from Srinagar to Dehradun and then to Saharanpur to organise forces, but was eventually killed in the Battle of Khurbura (Dehradun) in January 1804 while his brother, Pritam Shah, was taken in captivity to Nepal by

4182-466: The important principalities in that period was that of Parmars, who held their sway over Chandpur Garhi or Fortress. Katyuris ruled Uttarakhand up to the 11th century and in certain pockets even after their decline. Kanak Pal was progenitor of this dynasty. Raja Ajay Pal, a scion of the Parmars in the 14th century is credited with having brought these chiefs under his rule. After his conquest Ajay Pal's domain

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4264-404: The independent fortresses (Garhs) belonging to its 52 small chieftains, and ruled the whole of Garhwal Kingdom for the next 916 years, up to 1804 AD. In 1358, the 37th ruler, Ajay Pal, brought all the minor principalities for the Garhwal region, under his own rule, and founded the Garhwal Kingdom, with Devalgarh as its capital, which he later shifted to Srinagar . Balbhadra Shah (r. 1575–1591),

4346-423: The inscription to honour himself and his father. The city of Uttarkashi is mentioned as Brahmapura by Xuanzang , who notes it was ruled by queens. In the 7th century, a branch of the Katyuris pushed out the descendants of Rajapala of Badrinath to the position of feudatories and established an empire covering what is now Kumaon and Garhwal. The last descendant of Rajapala was Bhanupratapa, the pre-eminent chief among

4428-575: The kingdom against invaders and repelled an attack of Mughal army led by Najabat Khan in 1640, and in time received the nickname of 'Nakti Rani' as she used to chop off the noses of any invader to the kingdom, as the Mughal invaders of the period realised. Monuments erected by her still exist in Dehradun district at Nawada. The next important ruler was Fateh Shah , remained the King of Garhwal from 1684 to 1716, and

4510-755: The kingdom uninterrupted until 1803 CE. The kingdom was divided into two parts during the British Raj , namely: the princely state of Garhwal and the Garhwal District of British India . During this period, the princely state of Garhwal was one of the States of the Punjab Hills which became part of the Punjab Hill States Agency although it was not under the Punjab Province administration. The princely state of Garhwal or Independent Garhwal consisted of

4592-587: The land where the Devas performed ritual sacrifices, and the Kaushitaki Brahmana mentions this area was where Vedic Sanskrit had changed the least. In the Upayana Parva of the Mahabharata , various hill tribes from the hill and mountain region of what is now Garhwal are mentioned as giving gifts to Yudhishthira during his Rajasuya yagna , including the Taganas, Kiratas and Kunindas . Ptolemy mentions

4674-428: The main road to Gangotri, is also considered an important Hindu pilgrimage centre, especially for Saivites. The district is bounded on the north by Kinnaur and Shimla districts of Himachal Pradesh , on the northeast by Tibet , China , on the east by Chamoli District , on the southeast by Rudraprayag district , on the south by Tehri Garhwal district , and on the west by Dehradun district . The term Uttarkashi ,

4756-459: The main sources of the Ganges , receives with its affluents the whole drainage of the district. At Devprayag the Alaknanda joins the Bhagirathi , and thenceforward the united streams bear the name of the Ganges . Cultivation is principally confined to the immediate vicinity of the rivers, which are employed for irrigation. In June 2013 a multi-day cloudburst centered in the mountainous valleys of

4838-444: The most sacred shrines, including Badrinath and Kedarnath . The history of Garhwal as a unified whole began in the 15th century, when king Ajai 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

4920-417: The north-west), and the Sino-Tibetan languages Jad (also in Uttarkashi) and Rongpo (of Chamoli district). [REDACTED] Garhwal travel guide from Wikivoyage Garhwal Kingdom Garhwal kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand , India, founded in 823 CE by Kanak Pal the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over

5002-426: The power of their Katyuri overlords declined. Up to the first half of the 11th century, nothing is known about the first 10 rulers of the Garhwal kingdom . They were probably feudatories of the Katyuris who ruled over parts of Uttarkashi. By the time of the end of the 11th century, when the Katyuri hegemony collapsed, the family of Kanakpal were regarded as the most pre-eminent of the 52 traditional garhpals . Near

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5084-424: The present day Tehri Garhwal district and most of the Uttarkashi district . This former state acceded to the Union of India in August 1949 CE. The exact origin of the word 'Garhwal' is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the title ‘ Garh-wala ’ (Owner of Forts) given to the ruler Ajay Pal, who is said to have consolidated 52 principalities to form the kingdom in the 14th century. After this conquest

5166-413: The region around 629 AD, mentions a Kingdom of Brahmapura in the region. Based on the testimony of inscriptions (the earliest dating back to the 4th century AD), literary accounts, and local traditions it may be suggested that Far-Western Region of Nepal and Uttarakhand formed one single polity for centuries under the Katyuri kings. Therefore, both regions inherit a shared past or collective memory. In

5248-445: The region might have been a part of the Mauryan empire , but this is unknown. It is presumed to have been a part of the Kushan empire , which extended through the western and central Himalayas as far as Tibet. In the 1st century CE, Rajapala of Badrinath established a kingdom that may have extended to Uttarkashi. A 5th century CE inscription in the Uttarkashi Vishwanath temple mentions a prince called Ganeshwara whose son had commissioned

5330-419: The rule of Katyuri kings , who ruled unified Kumaon and Garhwal regions from Katyur Valley, Baijnath , starting 6th century AD and eventually fading by the 11th century AD, after their fall Kurmanchal was divided into numerous small principalities and they eventually lost the control over garhwal region and the region fragmented into several small forts (garh). Huen Tsang , the Chinese traveller, who visited

5412-404: The sale of the children of the subjects, but it seems that the practice has not been abandoned. You are, therefore, ordered to maintain checkposts and do whatever is necessary to put an end to the practice. Any person who is caught while trafficking in human beings shall be punished according to the previous order. The occupation of the kingdom by the Gorkhas went unopposed from 1803 to 1814 until

5494-509: The state of Garhwal is sustained by support of God. It is in a pose with expanded wings which shows readiness and preparation to soar high. Thus it gives a meaning of divinity, majesty and ambitious preparedness with readiness to embark on great undertakings." This verse was used with special fervour in Garhwal due to the Flag being Garuda Dhwaj. The verse was used by ruler of princely state himself while bidding farewell to state forces. According to Atkinson, there are four chronological lists of

5576-416: The subsequent border wars between Kumaon and Garhwal. Garhwal and Kumaon fought against the Rohillas in 1745, but were defeated and Garhwal was forced to pay 3 lakhs as tribute. After this, Garhwal was devastated by a Rohilla invasion in 1757. In 1795, Gorkha troops temporarily overran Garhwal, including the entirety of Uttarkashi district, having earlier occupied Kumaon five years earlier. However news of

5658-608: The support the British gave them in driving back the Gurhkas. During the Second World War , the Raja Narendra Shah contributed his troops and aircraft to the British war effort. In recognition for his services, the British gave him the title of "Maharaja", made him a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India (KCSI) and knighted him. Thus his full title was Sir Maharaja Narendra Shah KCSI. The region consists almost entirely of rugged mountain ranges running in all directions and separated by narrow valleys, which in some cases become deep gorges or ravines. The only level portion of

5740-515: The symbol of princely state of Garhwal, (a.k.a. Tehri Garhwal / Garhwal Raj). After 1949, this flag is the symbol of Royal family and Lord Badrinath. The colour scheme is two equal stripes of white (top) and green (bottom) horizontally placed and the symbol used was Garuda (the celestial vehicle of Lord Vishnu ). White stands for purity, peace, tranquillity with snow as an additional meaning for Himalayan state. Green stands for agriculture, greenery, prosperity and progress. According to Filcher11 (1984),

5822-456: The terminus of a branch of the Oudh and Rohilkhand railway from Najibabad . During the turn of the 19th century, the Gurkhas attacked Garhwal and drove the rulers of Garhwal down to the plains (Rishikesh, Haridwar, DehraDun). Pradyumna Shah died fighting at the battle of Khurbura . Thereafter the rulers of Garhwal took the help of the British forces in India and regained their kingdom. The rulers of Garhwal gave away 60% of their kingdom for

5904-638: The throne when his father Narendra Shah abdicated throne (on health grounds) on 26 May 1946. Manabendra Shah known as 'Bolanda Badri' (living incarnation of Lord Vishnu ) was the 60th guardian of the temple of Badrinath in Garhwal . After serving on the Burma Front during the Second World War and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from the British Indian Army , Manabendra Shah ruled the 4,800-square mile only Tehri Garhwal State from 1946 until 1949, but

5986-455: The whole of Rohilkhand . Tradition gives the origin of their Raj at Joshimath in the north near Badrinath and subsequent migration to Katyur Valley in Almora district, where a city called Kartikeyapura was founded. Katyuris ruled Uttarakhand up to the 11th century and in certain pockets even after their decline. In Garhwal their disruption brought into existence 52 independent chiefs. One of

6068-531: Was Hindi . Other languages with large numbers of speakers are Urdu (250,000, mostly in Haridwar and Dehradun), Jaunsari (140,000 people mostly in the Jaunsar–Bawar region of Dehradun), Nepali (86,000 speakers, with the largest concentration in Dehradun), and Punjabi (76,000, mostly in Dehradun). The set of indigenous languages also includes Mahasu Pahari (found in the north-western district of Uttarkashi in

6150-441: Was carved out as a separate district. Uttarkashi was later included in the newly formed state of Uttarakhand in 2000. See Indomalayan realm Uttarkashi district falls in the Tehri Garhwal (Lok Sabha constituency) . The district has six tehsils: Barkot, Dunda, Bhatwadi, Chinyalisaur, Purola and Mori. Upper reaches on Line of Actual Control (LAC), especially Nelang , Jadhang ( Sang ) and Pulam Sumda area, are inhabited by

6232-430: Was defeated in the Battle of Khurbura and killed. His sons fled to British territory, and Amar Singh Thapa was made governor of Garhwal in 1805. Gorkha rule is remembered as a dark time with widespread looting, rape and violence. In 1814, the Anglo-Nepalese War broke out and the British invaded Garhwal through Dehradun but were repulsed multiple times. However, after the war's end and the subsequent Treaty of Sugauli ,

6314-489: Was founded in 823 AD, when Kanak Pal, the prince of Malwa (present day Madhya Pradesh ), on his visit to the Badrinath Temple , met Raja Bhanu Pratap, the ruler of Chandpur Garhi, one of the 52 Garhs of Garhwal. Raja Bhanu Pratap had no sons. The King married his only daughter to the prince and subsequently handed over his kingdom, the fortress town. Kanak Pal and his descendants of Panwar dynasty, gradually conquered all

6396-486: Was given the title of Raja, but after 1913, he was honoured with the title of Maharaja . The King was entitled to an 11 gun salute and had a privy purse of 300,000 Rupees. In 1919, Maharaja Narendra Shah shifted the capital from Tehri to a new town, which was named after him, Narendranagar . During the Quit India Movement people from this region actively worked for the independence of India. Ultimately, when

6478-804: Was proud of having been one of the first to sign the Instrument of Accession , which he had helped to negotiate, with the Government of India . After the independence of India , he was a long-serving member of the Parliament of India , first as an Indian National Congress MP and later as a Bharatiya Janata Party MP. He represented Tehri Garhwal constituency eight times in the Lok Sabha . Manabendra Shah also served as Indian ambassador to Ireland from 1980 to 1983. His son Manujendra Shah campaigned unsuccessfully to succeed to his father's Lok Sabha seat representing

6560-406: Was recognised as Garhwal owing to exuberance of forts. It is possible that after annexing all principalities, Raja Ajay Pal must have become famous as Garhwala, the owner of forts. With the passage of time his kingdom came to be known as Garhwal. Garhwal Kingdom was founded by Parmars . Nearly 700 years ago, one of these chiefs, Ajai Pal, reduced all the minor principalities under him and founded

6642-638: Was returned to the Garhwal raja. In 1930, the Rawain Khand movement began in the district against unjust forest settlement laws. The raja invited their leaders for talks, but arrested them. The protestors turned violent and attacked the forest officers, and the raja called in troops who arrested 100 people for sedition. In 1947, Garhwal acceded to the Indian Union as Garhwal district of the United Provinces (soon to be renamed Uttar Pradesh). In 1960, Uttarkashi

6724-438: Was the first Raja of Garhwal to use the title Shah. The capital was shifted to Srinagar by Mahipat Shah who ascended to the throne in 1622, and further consolidated his rule over most parts of Garhwal, though he died early in 1631, though his seven-year-old son, Prithvi Shah ascended to the throne after him, the Kingdom was ruled by Mahipat Shah's wife, Rani Karnavati for many years to come, during which she successfully defended

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