60 Suprising Facts About Uttarakhand

Facts About Uttarakhand: Uttarakhand became the 7th state of India on November 7, 2000. After a somewhat peaceful movement in the 190's, it broke away from the state of Uttar Pradesh and gained the status of a new state. Its capital city is Dehradun.

As the state is situated in a scenic mountainous region of the Himalayas, the beauty of the region is frequented by pilgrims for many months. The state is also home to a large number of pilgrims as there are religious places like Hardwar, Rishikesh, Dev Prayag, Gangotri, Yamanotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath.

Uttarakhand has a total of 17 districts, which are divided into two provinces - Kumaon and Garhwal. The four new districts were announced on August 15, 2011 but have not yet been formed.

Interesting Facts About Uttarakhand

The key industries include Tourism and Hydro-electric power generation.
The amazingly serene and beautiful “Valley of Flowers” of Uttarakhand State
Uttarakhand is the only state in India which has Sanskrit as its Official Language.
It was the 27th state of India. Dehradun is the capital while High Court is in Nainital.
Indian Military Academy (where Indian army officer recruits are trained) is in Dehradun.
Hill stations like Mussori, Nainital, Almora, Dehradun are world famous tourist attractions.
Uttarakhand borders with 2 states – Himachal Pradesh in north west and Uttar Pradesh in south.
World’s highest (altitude) road, the Mana Pass is in Uttarakhand. Though civilians are not allowed.
The earlier name when the state was formed was Uttaranchal, but in 2007 it was renamed as Uttarakhand.
Famous folk dances of Uttarakhand includes – Langvir Nritya, Barada Nati, Hurka Baul, Jhora Chanchri and Chholiya.
Nanda Devi is the highest peak of India which lies completely in India, as Kangchenjunga lies both in India and Nepal.
Mineral Resources of the state – Limestone, rock phosphate, dolomite, magnesite, copper graphite, soapstone, gypsum etc
Heavy floods and landslides were observed in Uttarakhand during month of June 2013 in which more than 5500 people were dead.
Kamet and Badrinath are the second and third highest peaks of the state with an altitude of 7756 mt and 7138 mtr respectively.

Historical Facts About Uttarakhand

Kedarnath temple is one of the holiest place as per Hindu beliefs. It is revered as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
Badrinath is one of the Char Dhams of Hindu pilgrimage. The other three remaining sites of Char Dhams are Puri, Dwarka and Rameswaram.
Haridwar is one of the four holy pilgrimage sites where Kumbh mela is organised. The other three sites are Allahabad, Nashik and Ujjain.
The state of Uttarakhand is also home for the pilgrimage sites of Chota Char Dham which are Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
Nanda Devi is the highest peak of Uttarakhand with an altitude of 7816 mt. It is also India’s second highest peak, first being Kangchenjunga.
The state animal of this state is Himlayan Musk dear, state bird is “Himlayan monal”, state flower is “Brahma Kamal”, State tree is “Burans”.
Valley of Flowers which is one of the UNESCO World Heritage site contains rarely found thousands of varieties of flowers, medicinal plants etc.
Uttarakhand is also called Devbhumi due to many religious sites of Hindus such as Haridwar, Rishikesh, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath etc.
Literacy rate of Uttarakhand is 79.6 % which is above National average of 74.04 %. Uttarakhand is 11th most literate state of India as per 2011 census.
Jim Corbett National Park of Nainital district is the oldest national park of India which was established in 1936 for protection of Royal Bengal Tiger.
Uttarakhand is divided into two regions that are Garhwal and Kumaon. In the medieval era, the Garhwal region was known as Kedarkhand and Manaskhand as Kumaon.

Economic Facts About Uttarakhand

After Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand (competing with Bihar) is the second fastest growing state of India. Per capita income of this state is more than nation’s average.
The demand for the separate state of Uttarakhand first appeared in Karachi session of Indian National Congress in 1930. This matter was further taken ahead by P C Joshi.
Two of the most sacred rivers as per Hindu beliefs – Ganga and Yamuna originate from Uttarakhand state. while Ganga originates from Gangotri, Yamuna originates from Yamunotri.
Main festivals of state – Kumbh Mela/Ardh Kumbha mela, Devidhura mela, Nanda Devi mela of Almora, Gauchar mela of Chamoli, Uttariani mela of Bageshwar, Purnagiri mela, Nanda devi raj jat yatra etc.
Six of the seven National Parks of UP are now in Uttarakhand. These are Jim Corbett national park, Rajaji national park, Nanda Devi national park, Valley of flowers, Kedarnath sanctuary, Gangotri national park etc.
The only state where forest cover is increasing. It is mainly due to the huge success of Chipko (to stick) movement. People, in response to the reckless deforestation, would hug the trees, not allowing them to be cut
According to the latest census, Uttarakhand becomes the second State in the country after Karnataka with the highest number of tigers. Since last census, the numbers of tigers in Uttarakhand has risen from 227 to 340.
The famous “Chipko Movement” known for conservation of forests started from the state of Uttarakhand in the 1990s. Sundarlal Bahuguna who was exponent of Chipko Movement was famous environmentalist who belonged to this state.

Geographical Facts About Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand shares its international border with China in northeast and Nepal in southeast. Length of international border shares with China is 463 Km and that along Nepal is 303 Km. Total international border length of Uttarakhand is 766 Km.
The key industries of this state are tourism and hydroelectric power generation. Uttarakhand is the fastest growing states of India after Madhya Pradesh. The Minerals resource of this state are limestone, rock phosphate, copper graphite, gypsum etc.
Tungnath temple is the highest Shiva temple in the world with an altitude of 12,000 ft and with the astonishing height of 15200 ft. Hemkunt Sahib is the highest Gurudwara and place of worship in the world. (with respect to proper building and priests).
Hemkund Sahib is a famous pilgrimage site of Sikhs. It is reached by a highly arduous route through Joshimath. Joshimath serves as base-camp for not only Hemkund Sahib but also to Valley of Flowers, Mana Pass and famous skiing tourist spot of Uttarakhand – Auli.
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 etc. These places attracts thousands of tourists not only from India but from all over the world.
Tucked in the western Himalayas, Uttarakhand is bejeweled by culturally rich heritage. Uttarakhand's diverse ethnicities is a cluster of Rung, Bhotiya, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Jaunsari, Shuka and other communities. They all have their unique dialects, attires, tradition, culture and festivals.
The legends of man-eaters of Uttarakhand are world famous. A leopard of Kumaun killed 125 people before Jim Corbett killed him. A female Bengal tiger, called Champawat tiger killed around 450 people. Jim Corbett has written a bestseller – Man-eaters of Kumaon, covering all the major man-eaters.
Every eveing at sunset priests perform Ganga Aarti on the banks of river Ganga at Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar. Large number of people gather everyday on both sides of banks of river Ganges to sing its praises. This looks so beautiful ans serene, one should never miss this if you are visiting Haridwar.

Social and Culture Facts About Uttarakhand

On November 9th, 2000, Uttarakhand became new state after it was separated from Uttar Pradesh. Previously the name of state was Uttaranchal until 2007 when it was renamed as Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is the 27th state of India while Dehradun is the capital of this state and the high court is in Nainital.
The famous Boarding School of India – “Doon School” boasts of its numerous alumni in different walks of life. Few popular persons who passed out from this boarding school are Rajeev Gandhi, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Karan Thapar, Naveen Patnaik, Vikram Seth, Himani Shivpuri, Abhinav Bindra etc.
The Emblem of Uttarakhand shows mountain ridge with the flow of holy river Ganga and in the mid of mountain peaks is National emblem of India showing Satyamev Jayate. The state animal of Uttarakhand is Himalayan musk Dear, the state bird is Himalayan Monal, state flower is Brahma Kamal and state tree is Burash.
Bachendri Pal who is first Indian woman to reach Mount Everest belongs to Uttarkashi district. Abhinav Bindra the famous sportsperson and shooter was first Indian to win Gold Medal in shooting at Beijing Olympics. Govind Vallabh Pant was a socialist and freedom fighter. Sumitranandan Pant was a famous Hindi writer.
The first Agriculture University of India “Govind Ballabh Pant University” which paved the way of Green Revolution of India was established in year 1960 in Pantnagar. Its original name was Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University which was later renamed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in 1972.
There are so many prestigious institutes in this state like Indian Institute of Technology which is in Roorkee, National Institute Of Technology which is in Srinagar. Indian institute of Management in Kashipur and All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh and H.N.B Garhwal University which is recognized as a central University located in Srinagar.
Population density wise Uttarakhand has the highest number of soldiers in Indian army than any other Indian state. Not only this, Uttarakhand produces most numbers of Army officers to this country since last 10 years and keeping the position under top 3 every year. As a small Himalayan state, the contribution of Uttarakhand in Indian army is just mind blowing.
Uttarakhand is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites i.e Valley of Flowers and Nanda Devi National Park. Both are encircled by the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (223,674 ha). These dreamlands sheltered rare and endangered spices of flora and fauna. The exotic and serene vistas of Valley of flowers aka Bhyundar Valley attracts thousands of tourists and botanists from worldwide every year.
The famous man eater Tiger of Champawat is listed in Guinness Book of Word Record as the highest number of fatalities from a tiger. This tigress was responsible for the death of more than 436 people alone in Kumaon and Nepal region. Later she was shot by Jim Corbett in 1907. You can also find story of this female Bengal tiger in a famous book written by Jim Corbett i.e Maneaters of Kumaon (1944).
Uttarakhand is best known for its rivers as it is the origin of some of the most sacred rivers of India like Ganga and Yamuna. These rivers are the lifeline of India, fed up by hundreds of small and big tributaries emerges from the glaciers of Uttarakhand. You can enjoy the marine drive in any corner of Uttarakhand. On November 4, 2008, Prime Minister of India declared holy Ganga as the National River of India.
Tehri Dam built on the Bhagirathi River near Tehri Garhwal in is the tallest dam in India and one of the tallest in the world. This dam is 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 others dams in Uttarakhand are Baigul dam, Koteshwar dam, Bhimtal dam etc.
There are two famous mountaineering institute which is in Uttarakhand first is Nehru institute of Mountaineering situated in Uttarkashi which is most prominent mountaineering institute and was set up in 1965. It provides various courses like adventure course, search and rescue course , methods of instruction course etc. Another one is Pandit Nain Singh Surveyor Mountaineering training institute situated an altitude of 2200 m in Munsiyari that is located in Pithirogarh District of Uttarakhand.

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