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NORTH INDIA >> UTTARANCHAL
Uttaranchal formerly a part of Uttar Pradesh was formed on November 9th, 2000 as the 27th state of the Indian Union. It is one of the most beautiful and enchanting region of northern India. Nature has endowed this land with so much beauty and spiritual bliss that it is also known as Dev Bhoomi, the Land of Gods . Ganga, Yamuna and scores of other rivers originate in Uttaranchal. Among them Ganga is the most holy and prominent as she represents the soul of India- her rich culture, history and civilization. In Sanskrit 'Himalaya' means Abode of Snow, truly characterizing the vast permanent snow fields above the snow line.In the heart of these majestic mountains lies the state of Uttaranchal with Kumaon region in its east and Garhwal in the west.

History
Uttaranchal finds mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manakhand and Himavat. The Kushanas, Kudinas, Kanishka, Samudra, Gupta, the Pauravas, Katuris, Palas, the Chandras and Pawaras and the British have ruled in turns. It is often called the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines. The hilly regions of Uttaranchal offer un spoilt landscapes to the tourist -pilgrim.
The present state of Uttaranchal was earlier as part of the United Province of Agra and Awadh which came into existence in 1902. In 1935, the name of the state was shortened to the United Province. In January 1950, the United Province was renamed as Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal remained a part of Uttar Pradesh before it came into being on 9 November 2000, the 27th state of India.

Physiography :

Area
Population
Capital City
Districts
55,845 sq km
7.045 Million
Dehradun
13
Uttaranchal lies in the Northern part of India amidst the magnificent Himalayas and dense forests. The state is bordering Himachal Pradesh in the north-west and Uttar Pradesh in the South and has international borders with Nepal and China. The State today with 13 Districts can be grouped into three distinct geographical regions, the High mountain region, the Mid-mountain region and the Terai region. Dehradun is the interim-capital city.

Uttaranchal consists of 13 districts viz., Pithoragarh, Almora , Nainital, Bageshwar , Champawat , Uttarkashi , Udham Singh Nagar , Chamoli, Dehradun, Pauri , Tehri Garhwal , Rudraprayag , Haridwar

Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit the Himalayan region is the summer, when the weather is very pleasant. Parts of the hills will be inaccessible in winter. The plains region is best visited in winter, when the weather is milder.

Fairs & Festivals
The world famous Kumbh Mela/Ardh Kumbh Mela is held at Haridwar every twelfth/sixth year interval. Other prominent fairs/festivals are Devidhura Mela (Champawat), Purnagiri Mela (Champawat), Nanda Devi Mela (Almora), Gauchar Mela (Chamoli), Baisakhi (Uttarakashi), Maga Mela (Uttarkashi), Uttaraini Mela (Bageshwar), Vishu Mela (Jaunsar Vavar), Peerane-Kaliyar (Roorkee), and Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra held every twelfth year

State Economy
The state of Uttaranchal has tremendous potential of developing tourism industry due to the beautiful landscape, religious places, trekking trails, national parks, mountain peaks and historical and archeological sites.
Apart from tourism, the rural population is engaged in agriculture. Doon Valley, Nainital district, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts produce large quantities of food grains. The state has immense potential for the development of horticulture crops-apple, orange, malta,pear, grapes peach, plum apricot, litchi,mango, guava etc are widely produced fruits.

The region also holds good promises for developing herbal pharmaceutical industry owing to abundant medicinal plants. The industrial sector of state is insignificant. It is hoped that by development and proper exploitation of its natural resources, Uttaranchal can overcome its economic backwardness. Due to its water resources the state has the capacity to generate many mega watts of power. Presently,it is producing 500 MW of power. There are 17 hydro-electric projects already producing electricity and many ambitious power projects including Tehri Dam are under construction.

Uttaranchali Folk Songs :
Basanti
Jaggar
Mangal
Jhumeila
Basanti As the name suggests Basanti songs are sung during the approaching Basant (Spring) season. Jaggar is sung during worship and in respect to God Mangal songs are sung during marriage ceremonies. Jhumeila is sometimes mixed but is usually restricted to women. Chounphula is a spinning dance performed by all sections of the
community at night in groups by men and women.

Chounphula and Jhumeila
Chhopati
Bajuband
Khuded
Chounphula and Jhumeila These songs form part of seasonal dances which are performed from Basant Panchami to Sankranti or Baisakhi. Chhopati The love songs sung between the men and women in the form of questions and answers. Bajuband Love song sung by sheperds in form of conversation between man and woman.
Khuded The song is sung to potray the suffering of a women due to parting from her husband

Chhura Chhura
Chhura Chhura folk songs are very popular among sheperds and are in a way of an old experienced man teaching a young sheperd the tricks of his trade

Accessibility :
By Air
Jolly Grant near Dehradun is the only airport. There are regular flights to Delhi by Indian Airlines. Otherwise, one has the option to travel to Delhi by road or rail and then take the air route to various destinations.

By Rail
Dehradun, Haridwar, and Kathgodam are the major railway stations connected to almost all parts of f the country with regular trains. Not many places in the state are connected by rail because of tough terrains. For those visiting places in the higher altitudes, trekking and road routes are the only options available.

By Road
Almost all the important places in the state are connected by all-weather metalled roads. Many places in the higher altitudes may still remain off for a period in the year due to landslides and snowfall. National Highways such as 58, 73, 74, and 87 connect places in the state to other parts of the country. Regular bus services connect Delhi and other major centers in North India with Dehradun. The road distances of some prominent destinations from Dehradun are as follows: Mussoorie- 35 km; Delhi-255 km; Haridwar, 54 km; Rishikesh-43 km; Shimla- 221 km; Nainital- 485 km; Kedarnath-270 km; Badrinath- 344 km; Gangotri-301 km; Yamunotri- 265 km; Chakrata- 92 km; Corbett National Park- 236 km; Valley of Flowers and Hemkund- 342 km.

Uttaranchali Folk Dances :

Barada Nati Barada

Nati dance is performed during religious festivals or any other social occasion. It is performed by men and women wearing colorful costumes.


Pandava Dance
Pandava Dance is performed by narrating the story of Mahabharata accompanied by dance and music. This is performed during Dussehra and Deepawali.

Langvir Dance
This is a acrobatic dance performed by men. In this dance the dancer climbs a pole and balances himself at his navel on the top of the pole. Accompanied by dhola and music he balances and rotates on his belly at the pole and performs other acrobatic stunts.

Bhotiya Dance
Bhotiya Dance is performed by Bhotias and are connected with death ceremonies. It is believed by them that the soul of the dead person is residing in body of a goat or sheep and by dancing the soul can be liberated.

Flora and Fauna
The alpine and tropical rainforests that cover most parts of the state make natural habitats of some of the best-known wildlife creatures India has on offer. The Jim Corbett National Park is home to Royal Bengal Tigers and ground for the plot of Jim Corbett's Man-eaters of Kumaon . Another rainforest in the region is Rajaji National Park famous for its large number of pachyderms. Alpine forests in the region include Valley of Flowers National Park (known for its amazing variety of flowers), Nanda Devi National Park, Govind National Park, Gangotri National Park, and many more.