Devbhoomi Uttrakhand

Uttrakhand, a state in northern India crossed by the Himalayas, is known for its Hindu pilgrimage  sites. Rishikesh is major centre for yoga study, was made famous by the Beatles 1968 visit. The city  host the evening Ganga aarti , a spritiual gathering on the sacred Ganges River. The state forested Jim Corbett National Park shelters Bengal tigers  and other native wildlife.

Waterfall of Maldevta 'PPCL'

Mainly Uttrakhand is divided into two parts - Garhwal Mandal and Kumaon Mandal. 

It is believed to be the word Garhwal is derived from the 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 the domain under Ajay Pal is said to have been called Garhwal, possibly due to the numerous fort in the region. The earliest reference to places in this region are in the Skanda Purana as 'Kedarkhanda' and in the Mahabharata as ' Himavat' to describe the are that contained Gangadwar (Haridwar and Kankhal), Badrinath, Gandhamardan, and Kailash.

Kumaon or Kumaun is one of the the region  of the Indian state of Uttrakhand. It include the districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nanital, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar. The people of kumaon are known as Kumaomis and speak the Kumaoni language. Historically Kumaon known as Manaskhand and then Kurmachal. The Kumaon division was established in 1816, when the british reclaimed this region from the Gorkhas, who had annexed the erstwhile Kingdom of Kumaon in 1790.

Beautiful view of Uttrakhand