UTTARANCHAL DESTINATION

Uttaranchal - the land of gods, the home of Himalayas and truly a paradise on earth, allures everyone from everywhere. The fresh air, the pure water, the chilling snow, the adversing mountains, the scenic beauty, the small villages, the simpler people and a tougher lifesytle is what that distinguishes Uttaranchal from rest of the world.

Uttaranchal is a 'paradise' for nature lover's and adventure sports enthusiasts. Mussoorie, the 'Queen of Hills'; Nainital, the 'Lake District'; Almora, the 'Switzerland of India'; Ranikhet, Pithoragarh, Pauri and Munsyari are just few highlights for the nature lovers. For adventure and excitement, one may choose Mountaineering (Bhagirathi, Chowkhamba, Nanda Devi Kamet, Pindari, Sahastrataal, Milam, Kafni, Khatling, Gaumukh), Trekking, Skiing (Auli, Dayara Bugyal, Munsyari, Mundali), Skating, Water Sports like rafting, boating and angling and Aero Sports like Hand Gliding, Paragliding (Pithoragarh, Jolly Grant, Pauri).

The State is also a treasure house of exotic flora and fauna and is an ideal location for eco-tourism, as well as wildlife tourism. The world-famous Corbett National Park is the pride of Uttaranchal. Other important sanctuaries are, Rajaji National Park, Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, Asan Barrage, Chilla etc.

Last but not the least, the rich cultural traditions and the cool and invigorating climate of Uttaranchal sums up for a perfect holiday destination to relax and unwind.

Uttaranchal is composed of two words, "uttar" meaning "north" and "aanchal" meaning "blessings." Earlier known as "Devbhumi" meaning "the land of god," Uttaranchal also nourishes a diverse and rich culture and monuments of historical importance. Uttaranchal is broadly divided into two zones Kumaon and Garhwal.

Pauri-Garhwal
Pauri is the Headquarter of Pauri-Garhwal district and Garhwal division. It is situated at a height of 1814 mts, on the northern slopes of kandolia hills.
Pauri provides a delightful view of the snow clad Himalayan peaks of Bandar-Punch. It is a beautiful small town with lush green forests and scenic landscape. The forests of Deodar covered with mist and the peaceful surroundings makes Pauri an ideal place for holiday. There are many educational institutes and a large number of picnic spots. Kandolia Gap and Nag tibba are two important picnic spots.

Tehri-Garhwal
Tehri is the headquarter of Tehri-Garhwal district and is situated at an altitude of 770 mts (2,3256 ft) It is situated at the confluence of Bhagirathi and Bhilangana rivers.
The town is located in a wide open valley which is quite warm in the summer.The forests of birch and pine on the steep slopes of himalaya, surround the valley.. this important town is at the jucntion of fiver important roads which branch off to Rishikesh, Deoprayag, Uttarkashi, Srinagar and Tilwara.While coming from Rishikesh 83 km from rishikesh, the road to uttarkashi and dharasu branches at dobata.

Prior to india's independence, Tehri was capital of the princely state of Tehri-Garhwal. Maharaja Sudarshan Shah founded the town in 1803. Earlier to this, Srinagar (Garhwal) used to be the capital. The palaces and temples built by the old rulers can still be seen at Tehri and the adjoining places.The Tehri Hydel Development Corporation has undertaken the construction of Tehri Dam on river Bhagirathi and the project is estimated to generate 2400 MW of electricity for the nation and irrigate vast areas in the region. It has the potential of growing into a important tourist centre.

Dehradun
Dehradun is the capital city of the state of Uttaranchal. It is situated in the Doon valley at the foothills of Himalaya with Ganga in the east and Yamuna in the west. Guru Dronacharya medidated here, which was then known as Drona Ashram. Sikh Guru Ram Rai camped here where the Ram Rai Durbar is located, presently it attracts lots of devotees and followers from India. The name Dehra (Camp) is derived from here. The British found the climate of Dehradun very pleasant and established many institutions here i.e. Forest Research Institute, Indian Military Academy, ONGC, Survey of India, best public schools viz' Doon School, Welham School, Col. Brown school, Jesus & Mary Convent, St Josephs School. Very near from Dehradun is the hill resort of Mussoorie.
The nearby places of interest for the tourists are Tapkeshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, Sahastra Dhara the sulphur springs, Robbers Cave a picnic spot, Dakpathar Barrage, Tapovan a place where Guru Drona did penance, Kalanga Monument for Gorkha Gen Balbhadra Thapa, Ashoka Edict at Kalsi.

Uttarkashi
Uttarakashi is a big town and is situated near the river Bhagirathi. This historic town has lot of ancient monuments and temples. It is a tourist halt place and lot of hotels and lodges and market cater for them. The most famous temples is Lord Viswanath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Nearby there is Shakti temple which has a old brass trident which is 26ft high and a base circumference of 9feet. There is also a temples of Parshuram. There are lot of similarities with town of Kashi, hence the name. This town has a power project .e. Maneri-Bhali and provides 93MW of power. This town also has the prestigious Nehru Institute of Mountaineering.

Chamoli
Chamoli is situated near the river Alaknanda on the way to Badrinath. Its is a small town and usually not used by tourists as a night halt. It is 10km further from Nandprayag and 10km before Gopeshwar.

Rudraprayag
Rudrapayag as the name specifies is the town situated near the meeting place of two rivers Alaknanda and Mandakini. It is a town on the way to Badrinath from Srinagar. From here there are two roads one going to Kedarnath and other to Badrinath. It is a night halt place for pilgrims and has many hotels and lodges and market. There is a small temple dedicated to Goddess Durga, called Jagdamba Devi Temple. There is also an old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva called Rudranath temple. Narad Muni medidated here for several years, Lord Shiva blessed him with perfection in music.

Haridwar
The name Haridwar signifies the gateway to the God, since this is the place where the pilgrimage to two famous temples Kedarnat (Lordh Shiva) and Badrinath (Lord Vishnu) is started. It is situated on the banks of river Ganga and at the foothills of Shivalik mountains. This was the place of meditation for sages and rishis. Sage Kapil meditated here and this place was called Kapilasthan. It is one of the four places where Kumbh mela is held every 12 years, millions of people take holy dip in the river Ganges to get rid of their sins. It is said that the pitcher of Amrit was kept in hiding here by Devtas when it was unearthed from Sagar Manthan. The same pitcher was taken to other i.e. Allahabad, Ujjain and Nasik, in the struggle with Asuras the pitcher broke spilling some sacred water "Amrit", since then these places became very holy and the Kumbh mela is held every 3 years in these cities in succession. Lots of devotees throng this place to take a holy dip in the Ganges, every evening Arti is performed in Har-ki-Pauri. There is a slab where the footprints of Lord Vishnu is present. The nearby places of interest for the tourists are Har-ki-Pauri, Ram Krishna Mission Seva Ashram, Gurukul Kangri University, Sapta Rishi Ashram, Bharat Heavy Electricals Factory, Mansa Devi Temple.

Almora
Almora is a hill district in the central Kumaon region of Uttaranchal. It is a beautiful scenic place situated at an altitude of 5900 ft. It was founded by Raja Kalyan of Chand Dynasty in 1560AD. There is a cave where Swami Vivekanand meditated and was enlightened. Almora was captured by British from Gorkhas, who have left their mark on this town. Nanda Devi festival is celebrated here, during which devotees from all over India visit this place. Almora is very popular among tourists from nearby cities who come here during the summer for a holiday. There are very enchanting spots nearby. Kumaoni is the major language spoken here. The nearest railroad station is Kathgodam from where jeeps or bus has to be taken to reach this place. There are several lodges, hotels and Forest rest house.

Bageshwar
Bageshwar is a district town locaed in enchanting surroundings. According to mythology Lord Shiva had wandered this place transformed as a tiger. There is Baghwat temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, build by Raja Laxmi of Chand Dynasty. Many pilgrims visit this temple during the Uttarayan fair. This place is also frequented by trekkers since it is the starting place for Pindari, Sunderdhunga and Kafni glaciers. Almora is 90 kms away, the nearest railroad is Kathgodam.

Champawat
Champawat is a historical place with magnificent scenery and landscape.. There are many ancient temples viz' Baleshwar Temple, Rataneshwar Temple. There are many lodges and hotels. The nearest railroad is Tanakpur.

Pithoragarh
This is the northernmost district town in the kumaon region of Uttaranchal. This place is endowed with natural charming beauty with many valleys and snow covered mountains. This place is the starting point to Mansarover lake and Mount Kailas which is revered by Hindus. The nearest railroad is Tanakpur and the nearest airport is Naini Saini.

Udham Singh Nagar
This is the new district of Uttaranchal. It is named after freedom fighter Udham Singh who had killed General Dyer of JallianWala Bagh massacre. It is a very beautiful and charming tourist spot.

Nainital
This is the lake town in the hilly region of Kumaon. The city is built around the lake Naini, and the city is surrounded by seven mountains Sapta Shring. Nainital was the summer capital of UttarPradesh for many years during Bristish regime and also after independence. It is said in mythology that when Lord Shiva was carrying the body of Sati, her eyes fell at this place and came to be known as Naini Tal. The nearest railroad is Kathgodam, this place is very popular with tourists of nearby towns especially Delhi who come here to escape the scorching heat of the capital city. Nearby places of interests are BhimTal, SatTal.