Uttarakhand is a beautiful state with ancient yoga schools, holiday spots, wildlife sanctuaries, etc. A place with various mythological tales, this state is a heavenly place to visit. This state is also known as Dev Bhoomi as it has several ancient temples all over the state. Uttarkhand shares borders with Himachal Pradesh in North West and Uttar Pradesh in the South. So, if you are looking for a beautiful Himalayan escapade, you will be amazed to know about the amazing facts and places to visit in Uttarakhand.
Here we bring you a few amazing facts about Uttarakhand and its culture:
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1. The Ganga Aarti in Haridwar
Every evening at sunset priests perform Ganga Aarti on the banks of river Ganga at Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar. A large number of people gather every day on both sides of the banks of the river Ganges to sing and recite prayers. This looks very beautiful and serene, you should never miss this if you are visiting Haridwar.
2. Tungnath – The highest Shiva temple in the world
Tungnath is the highest Lord Shiva temple in the World. Tungnath literally means (Lord of Peaks) mountains forms the Alaknanda and Mandakini River Valleys. This temple is believed to be 1000 years old. It has linked to Pandavas and Fighters of the Mahabharata.
3. Oldest national park in India – Jim Corbett National Park
Jim Corbett National park of Nainital district is the oldest national park in India which was established in 1936 for the protection of tigers. Rajaji National Park, Gangotri National park, and Nalanda Devi National park are some other popular national parks in this State.
4. Uttarakhand state symbols
The Emblem of Uttarakhand shows a mountain ridge with the flow of the holy river Ganga and in the mid of the mountain peaks, the National emblem of India shows Satyamev Jayate. The state animal of Uttarakhand is the Himalayan musk deer, the state bird is the Himalayan Monal, the state flower is Brahma Kamal and the state tree is Burash.
5. Uttarakhand is a land of sacred rivers
The two most sacred rivers as per the beliefs of Hindus, the Ganga, and the Yamuna originate from Uttarakhand State. While Ganga originates from Gangotri and Yamuna originates from Yamunotri.
6. Second highest peak of India
Nanda Devi is the highest peak of Uttarakhand with an altitude of 7816 meters. This is also the second highest peak in India after Kangchenjunga. Kamat and Badrinath are the second and third highest peaks of Uttarakhand with a height of 7756 and 7138 meters.
7. Tallest dam in India – Tehri Dam
Tehri Dam built on the Bhagirathi River near Tehri Garhwal is the tallest dam in India and one of the tallest in the world. This dam serves as a reservoir for irrigation, municipal water supply, and generation of 1000 MW of hydroelectricity. The power from this dam is distributed to Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, etc. The other dams in Uttarakhand are the Baigul dam, Koteshwar dam, Bhimtal dam, etc.
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8. Historical facts about Uttarakhand
On November 9th, 2000, Uttarakhand became a new state after it was separated from Uttar Pradesh. Previously the name of the state was Uttaranchal until 2007 when it was renamed Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is the 27th state of India while Dehradun is the capital of this state and the high court is in Nainital.
9. Administrative divisions of Uttarakhand
The state is divided into two parts Garhwal and Kumaon regions. In 1891 two districts of Kumaon and Tarai were redistributed and renamed after their headquarters Nainital and Almora while in 1969. Garhwal division was established and Pauri was made its headquarters.
10. Mountaineering Institutes in Uttarakhand
There are two famous mountaineering institutes which are in Uttarakhand, first is the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering situated in Uttarkashi which is the most prominent mountaineering institute and was set up in 1965. It provides various courses like adventure courses, searches and rescue courses, methods of instruction courses, etc. Another one is Pandit Nain Singh Surveyor Mountaineering training institute situated at an altitude of 2200m in Munsiyari which is located in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
11. Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand
This state is also called Dev Bhoomi as the state has many religious sites such as Haridwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath.
12. Only state to have Sanskrit as its official language
Uttarakhand is the only state in India that has Sanskrit as its official language. The main regional languages of this state are Garhwali and Kumaoni while Hindi is the most widely spoken language in this state.
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13. Important festivals of Uttarkhand
The important festivals of this state are Kumbh Mela, Nanda Devi Mela of Almora, Gauchar Mela of Chamoli, Uttariani Mela of Bageshwar, Purnagiri Mela, Devidhura Mela, Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, etc.
14. Major tourist destinations in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand has many tourist places such as Mussorie which is also known as Queen of Hills and Auli, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Uttarkashi, Nanital, Almora, Dhanaulti, Rudraprayag, and many more. These places attract thousands of tourists not only from India but from all over the world.
15. Famous personalities from the state
Bachendri Pal who is the first Indian woman to reach Mount Everest belongs to the Uttarkashi district. Abhinav Bindra the famous sportsperson and shooter was the first Indian to win Gold Medal in shooting at Beijing Olympics. Govind Vallabh Pant was a socialist and freedom fighter. Sumitranandan Pant who was a famous Hindi writer also belonged to the state.
16. Economic facts about the state
The key industries of this state are tourism and hydroelectric power generation. Uttarakhand is the fastest-growing state of India after Madhya Pradesh. The Minerals resource of this state is limestone, rock phosphate, copper graphite, gypsum, etc.
17. Famous Education Institutes
There are so many prestigious institutes in this state, like the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee and the National Institute Of Technology in Srinagar. Indian Institute of Management in Kashipur, All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh, and H.N.B Garhwal University which is recognized as a Central University located in Srinagar.
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18. The famous Chipko movement took place in the state
The tree-hugging movement, the Chipko movement took place in Uttarakhand in the 1970s. You must have read about the movement in your history lessons. A group of villagers especially women tried to save the trees from the woodcutters by holding on to the trees.
19. The state has the yoga capital of India
Popularly known as the Yoga capital, Rishikesh is in the state of Uttarakhand. People from all around the world visit the place to practice yoga as it is believed that meditating in Rishikesh can bring one closer to attaining moksha (freedom).
20. The hanging bridge of Uttarakhand – Lakshman Jhula in Rishikesh
Lakshman Jhula, the hanging bridge is situated in Rishikesh. According to the mythologies, it is said that Lakshman crossed the Ganges by using a jute rope at this location.
21. The state was visited by the legendary Beatles
Yes, you read it right, the legendary band Beatles visited the state and stayed in Rishikesh for three months. They composed 48 songs there in 1968 when they attended Maharishi Mahesh’s Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation Training.
22. The last Indian village – Mana village
Mana village lies only 24 km from the Sino-Indian International border and can be termed the last Indian village in that region.
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23. The dome of Hemkund
Located at an altitude of 4300 meters, the blessed snow bowl known as the Hemkund is a lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks. The place is quite popular because it is said that Guru Gobind Singh meditated at this very place in his previous life.
Also read – 25 Interesting Facts About The Beautiful State Of Himachal Pradesh
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