Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand, often called Devbhumi (Land of the Gods), covers the central Himalayas historically known as Kedarkhand and Manaskhand, today’s Garhwal and Kumaon. Ancient texts mention this mountainous belt as Uttarakhand and place many legends, sages and pilgrimages here, including Kedarnath, Badrinath and other Himalayan tirthas.

From early times, the region saw small hill polities and tribal communities, later unified under dynasties like the Katyuris in Kumaon and the Panwar/Parmars in Garhwal. After the Katyuri decline, separate kingdoms of Kumaon and Garhwal emerged. In the late 18th century the expanding Gorkha power from Nepal conquered both, ruling harshly until the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16), after which the British annexed Kumaon and eastern Garhwal, while Tehri Garhwal survived as a princely state.

After 1947 these areas were merged into Uttar Pradesh. Mountainous terrain, neglect and distinct cultural identity fuelled a long Uttarakhand statehood movement, with key moments like the 1994 Rampur Tiraha firing. On 9 November 2000, a separate hill state was created as Uttaranchal, renamed Uttarakhand in 2007 to restore its traditional name. Today Uttarakhand is a Himalayan state known for pilgrimage, environment movements like Chipko, and its blend of Garhwali–Kumaoni heritage.