History of
Uttaranchal
Ancient History |
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Uttarakhand is both the new
and traditional name of the state that was formed from
the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Literally
North Country or Section in Sanskrit, the name of
Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures
as the combined region of Kedarkhand and Manaskhand.
Uttarakhand was also the
ancient Puranic term for the central stretch of the
Indian Himalayas. Its peaks and valleys were well known
in ancient times as the abode of gods and goddesses and
source of the Ganga River. Today, it is often called
"the Land of the Gods" (Dev Bhoomi) because of the
presence of a multitude of Hindu pilgrimage spots. The
Pauravas, Kushanas, Kunindas, Guptas, Katyuris, Palas,
the Chands, and Parmars or Panwars and the British have
ruled Uttarakhand in turns |
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It was
referred to as Uttarpanchal by the
compilers of the Upnishads, Uttarkaushal by Valmiki and Uttarkuru
by Ved Vyasa who wrote the epic Mahabharata. It is the same place
that was Uattarapatti for Panini and Kautilya; Kiratmandal for
Kirats, Khashadesh for the Khas, Kartipur for Katayurs. It was Parvatkaran and Giryavali for the early historian and Uttaranchal
or Uttarakhand of the present day politicians. The different parts
of the Uttarakhand have been referred to asIlawarat, Brahmpur,
Rudrahimalaya, Sapaldaksh, Shivalik, Kurmanchat Karajat Kamaugarh,
Kamadesh, Kumaon, SarkarI and Garhwal lover the past 3000 years.
The western part of this region that comprising of 52 fortresses
has been referred to as Garhwal over past 500 years. Samprat,
Chamoli, Pauri, Uttarkashi and Dehradun add to the pristine beauty
of the Garhwal region. The eastern region comprising of Almora,
Nainital and Pithoragarh districts together known as the Kumaon
region. On account of security reason the government has for the
past four decades considered only Chamoli and Pithoragarh
districts as Uttaranchal, but for the residents of the
Uttaranchal this entire hilly region covers an area of
51,125 sq. km and comprising of 15,951 villages, 89
developmental" segments and some adjoining plains as
signal geographic social and cultural Unit.
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FORMATION OF UTTARAKHAND
Uttarakhand emerged as the
27th state of India on 9th November 2000, leading to the
fulfillment of the long cherished dream of the people who
are the residents of this hilly region. Mr. Surjeet Singh
Barnala was appointed as the Governor of the newly formed
state comprising of 13 Districts, while Mr. Nityanand Swami
was appointed as The First Chief Minister of the state. The
historical parade grounds of Dehradun (temporary Capital of
Uttaranchal) served as a venue to the oath ceremony of the
Governor and Chief Minister of the newly formed state.
Early History: The
first references to the land currently known as Uttarakhand
appear in the Skanda Purana and Mahabharata as Kedarkhand.
Its first known kingdom was that of the Chand dynasty which
started ruling in the Kumaon region mid 8'th century with
initial settings in Champawat. Interrupted by domination of
Katyuri dynasty during the 9'th-11'th century the Chand
dynasty ruled in various forms. During this time the Shah
dynasty comes into power in the Garhwal region. This
continued till the 17'th century when the frequent invasions
of Garhwal by Kumaon results in the then Shah king (Man
Shah) defeating the erstwhile Chand king (Laxmi Chand) of
Kumaon and taking his capital Almora.
The next momentous moment in the history comes in the early
19'th century when there was a big earthquake and famine in
the region resulting in a weak kingdom being overcome by the
Gurkhas of Nepal. This was followed by the Britishers
influencing the region by mid 19'th century which led to a
British Commissioner being appointed as the ruler of the
region. It was a period of selective promotion of cities
like Nainital (as the summer capital for the British
kingdom) and the establishment of Mussorie. The British rule
also saw the ethnic units of the army namely Garhwal rifles
and Gurkha battalion of the army performing bravely during
the various battles and earning a reputation for bravery.
Post independence:
The advent of independence lead to the princely state of
Tehri Garhwal and others joining together to the newly
formed state of Uttar Pradesh. Even though the voice of
independence was led by early leaders like P.C Joshi and
others, the main push for the separate state started in the
70's when there was awareness of the impact of distant rule
on the environment and region. The popularity of Chipko
moment to save the forests and other natural resources was
increased by the resistance to the building of Tehri dam.
The lack of relief and rehabilitation by the state
government to the earthquake (in the Tehri area in 1993),
the extension of caste based reservation onto the hills and
abuse of protestors in Muzaffarnagar in 1994 by the Uttar
Pardesh state police further the moment towards a separate
state.
Finally in August, the new government of India announces its
approval of statehood for Uttarakhand. The initial name for
the state was Uttaranchal which was finally changed to
Uttarakhand in 2006 |
The history
of Uttaranchal State can be better understood through the
history of Garhwal and Kumaon divisions separately, because
they maintained independent identity except the period of
Nepali aggression.
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Garhwal |
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The
Garhwal Himalayas have nurtured civilization from the
wee hours of history. It appears to have been a
favorite locale for the voluminous mythology of the
Pauranic period. The traditional name of Garhwal was
Uttarakhand and excavations have revealed that it
formed part of the Mauryan Empire. 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 liked, for the great
8th-century spiritual reformer visited the remote,
snow-laden heights of Garhwal, established a math
Joshimath and resorted some of the most sacred
shrines, including Badrinath and Kedarnath. |
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The
history of Garhwal as one unified whole began in the 15th
century, when king Ajay 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 the Garhwalis during
the Gurkha invasion, in the early 19th century. |
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Kumaon |
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Humankind has been around in Kumaon for a very long
time. Evidences of Stone Age settlements have been
found in Kumaon, particularly the rock shelter at
Lakhu Udyar. The paintings here date back to the
Mesolithic period. The early medieval history of
Kumaon is the history of the Katyuri dynasty. The
Katyuri kings ruled from the seventh to the 11 th
century, holding sway at the peak of their powers over
large areas of Kumaon, Garhwal, and western Nepal.The
town of Baijnath near Almora was the capital of this
dynasty and a center of the arts. Temple building
flourished under the Katyuris and the main
architectural innovation introduced by them was the
replacement of bricks with stone.
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On a
hilltop facing east (opposite Almora), is the temple of
Katarmal. This 900-year-old sun temple was built during
the declining years of the Katyuri dynasty. The
intricately carved doors and panels have been removed to
the National Museum in Delhi as a protective measure after
the 10th-century idol of the presiding deity was stolen.
After an interregnum of a couple of centuries, the Chands
of Pithoragarh became the dominant dynasty. The Chand
rulers built the magnificent temple complex at Jageshwar,
with its cluster of a hundred and sixty-four temples, over
a span of two centuries. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the
evocative carvings are complemented by the beautiful
deodar forest around it. |
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