Uttarakhand or Uttaranchal was carved out of 13 districts of Uttar Pardesh in 9th of Nov2000. It became the 27th state of the Indian Union and Dehradun was made the state capital.
The initial name Uttarakhand was renamed to Uttaranchal and finally again changed to Uttarakhand in 2006.
Uttarakhand is home to the holiest rivers the Ganga and Yamuna and the mightiest of the mountains the Himalayas. The Char Dham, Haridwar and Rishikesh are considered as the holiest place in the world. It is surrounded by huge mountains and around 70% of the state land is situated in the hilly region.
This exceptionally beautiful state is believed to be created by gods for themselves as their second home hence it is also called as the Abode of Gods.
Uttarakhand is divided into 2 regions the Garhwal and the Kumaon. Both the regions are equally beautiful and have a surrounded by the majestic mountain peaks of Bhagirathi, Chowkhamba, Pindari, Sahastrataal, Milam, Nanda Devi, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Jogin Group and many more.
The Garhwal region has around 7 districts while the kumaon region is made up of 6 districts. The Nanda devi mountain is the natural divide among the two regions. The districts in the Garhwal region are Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri Garhwal,Pauri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag while the Kumaon region consists of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital,Pithoragarh and UdhamsinghNagar. It is further divided into 49 sub-divisions and 95 development blocks, 15,638 inhabited villages and 86 urban settlements in the state
Uttarakhand with a total area of around 53,483 sqkms has a total forest area of around 35,651 sqkms with majority of them are Oak and Pine forests.
The Yamuna and the Ganges are the two biggest rivers of Uttarakhand and also the most important. They are also one of the biggest rivers in India. The other important rivers passing through the state are the Sarayu, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Dhauliganga, Ramganga, Tons and Saraswati. These holy rivers give form to most of the important holy places such as the prayas, Haridwar and Rishikesh and provide a lifeline for almost a 5 million of people across 5 states in India.
Garhwali and Kumaoni are the two main regional languages, whereas Hindi is the most widely spoken language.
According to the latest census the state has a population of 10,086,292, making it the 19th most populous state in India. The men are around 51,54 178 while the women are 49,62,574 of the state population. A large portion of the population consists of Rajputs and Brahmins. More than 88% of the population follow Hinduism. Muslims are the largest minority in the state with Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, and Jains being the other major religions. Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar are the most populous districts of Uttarakhand.
Uttara means North and Khand means Land – Uttarakhand and the majority of the population still live in rural villages, an approximately 70 percent of population residing in villages and rural hills in about 16,763 villages. The state has come a long way in terms of growth and development with the strong will of the people.
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The people here celebrate all major festivals such as Holi, Diwali, Navratri. Some of the festivals related to Uttarakhand are Ghee Sankrant, Harela and Bhitauli. The people enjoy enacting the great hindu epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana during the diwali festivals. The Pandav Nitya and the Jagars are one of the highlights of the festivals.
The Uttarakhandi are god fearing people. They have their share of beliefs in sprites ( ghosts ) and gods alike. Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga is worshipped here during all festivals. Many of the people have witnessed the power of the gods during the Doli ceremony. Sometimes god is invoked in a human being in order to search for an answer for a particular problem. Animals such as Goats and sheep were also sacrificed in order to please the Gods.
Uttarakhand is a poor state with agriculture as the primary occupation. The food also is very simple in the hills but as the people say that the water here is magical which increase the taste of any food tenfold. Here the use of spices and tomatoes is very minimal. Madua ( Buck wheat ) - Koda , Rajma, locally grown green vegetables, fish form their staple diet. Some of the famous cuisines of Uttarakhand are Tuasu, Kaplu, Jholi, Phaanu, Thechwani, Swala, Jhangora and Desserts are Arsa ,Methubhat, Gulgula, Jhangora ki kheer and Prasad ( mix of wheat flour and ghee ). It is believed that a stay of 6months in garhwal can cure a man of obesity.
Music and dance form a essential part of festivals of the people of Uttarakhand. Some of the most common folk songs are Chhopati, Chounphula, Jhumeila and Basanti. Mangal is another popular folk song which is sung during the marriage ceremony by girls to tease the bridegroom and his friends. Langvir Nritya, Barada Nati and Pandav Nritya are some of the traditional folk dances of Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand is surrounded with high snow covered peaks, natural beautiful surroundings, major pilgrims centres and beautiful valleys, jungle safaris, adventure sports, mighty holy rivers and wellness resorts a complete package for the tourists in a single platter.
There are around 152 important tourist places to visit here in Uttarakhand. Some of them are are Mussoorie the queen of hills, Nainital the lake district, Almora the switzerland of india, Ranikhet the queen's fields ,Bageshwar the land of the lion, Chamoli and Uttarkashi and many more..
The char - Dhams - Gangotri , Yamunotri and Kedarnath and Badrinath is well known with around lakhs of pilgrims visiting the holy sites every year. Haridwar one of the seven scared cities in India lies in the foothills of Shivalik ranges. Hemkund Sahib, Lokpal, Nanakmatta, Meetha Reetha Sahib and Piran kaliyar very sacred and holy place visited by lakhs of pilgrims from all over the world.
Uttarakhand is also a paradise for adventure sport tourists, they may choose mountaineering in Bhagirathi, Chowkhamba, Pindari, Sahastrataal, Milam, Kafni, Khatling and Gaumukh. The tourists can enjoy the beautiful shiny peaks fully covered with snow, lush green jungles, alpine meadows, glaciers and scenic surroundings along with the excitement of the adventure sports.
In Uttarakhand, tourism for trekking and skiing, tourists may choose from Auli , Dayara bugyal , Munsyari and Mundali. Water Sports like Rafting , Bungee Jumping, Boating, Angling, Aero Sports and Hand Gliding and Paragliding in Pithoragarh, Nainital, Rishikesh Yoga Capital of the world and Pauri Garhwal.
Uttarakhand is rich in exotic flora and fauna and is well known for eco tourism and wildlife tourism. Some of the well known national park sanctuaries are The Corbett, The Rajaji National Park and the Govind Wildlife Sanctuary.
All these make Uttarakhand a perfect place for relaxation and peace of mind something that even money cannot buy.
.Uttarakhand is the five fastest growing states during 2005-14 are at around 19.57%. It has a GDP of 1.23 lakh crore (US$18 billion).
Uttarakhand being a hilly region the changes of optimal use of land for economic development is rather minimal. Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, and some parts of Dehradun and Nainital districts are in the plains and contribute to almost 80% of the the state economy. Most of the hilly areas are dependent on agriculture for livelihood whereas the scope of agriculture in the hilly regions are highly constrained due to various physical, geographical and environmental problems.
Tourism is also an important source of income for the state. Leisure tourism, Religious tourism, Adventure tourism and Wildlife tourism form a major part of the state economy. Progressive development in this sector can boost a big change in the state economic structure in terms of income and employment to the local people.
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