Whoever was in power added to the tradition of meditation and worship in these unspoiled mountain enclaves. Today, if a resident is asked about the history of the region, the answer is more likely to be shaped by myth than by chronicle. Even now, the local villages associate various towns and habitations with affairs of state of state and politics. This is largely due to the efforts of the saint, Adi Shankaracharya, a Namboodri Brahmin from Malabar in South India. He was almost entirely responsible for the revival of Hinduism in the early ninth century. At the time that he set out on his reformist mission, Uttarakhand was a medley of mystic cults, naga worship, tantric rites and animistic faith. He established a series of dhams and maths - seats of Hindu religion - at elevated sites in the amidst of the Himalayas.

At Jyotirmath, now Joshimath, he set up an institution of Hindu learning and instruction, a tradition that remains till this day. At Badrinath, he installed the image of Lord Vishnu near the source of the Alaknanda River, and at Kedarnath he chose to enshrine Lord Shiva himself. He died in 820Ad at Kedarnath and his samadhi (memorial) lures thousands of pilgrims till today.

Garhwal today remains a land of myth and legend, where every stone tells a story. Kumaon which lies almost south to the great Himalayan range, is moderate in it's constitution. The lie of its land is gentler in its undulations, its lore more lyrical. What permeates the open valleys is a simpler, singular faith in the presiding deity of Kumaon - Nanda Devi, the goddess of Bliss. The graceful peak of Nanda Devi , is visible from almost everywhere in Kumaon. Nanda Devi who is said to be the reincarnation of Parvati is said to represent the icy, unmoving form of Parvati in endless anticipation of her desired consort, Lord Shiva.

The earliest historical references to the region are found in the Vedas, paeans to the purity of the Himalayas. Specific mention of the mountains exists in the Mahabharata, dated to about 1000 BC, when the protagonists of the epic, the Pandavas, are said to have ended their life on earth by ascending the slopes of a peak in western Garhwal called Swargarohini - literally, the 'Ascent to Heaven'. The epic also mentions this region as the home of the Kirata, Pulinda and Tangara tribes.

Succeeding the Macedonian march across the Himalayan foothills, an imperialist tradition was instituted around 330 .AD, by the Gupta's.This was followed by the Vardhanas in the fifth century AD. The ultimate downfall of the Vardhana empire saw the emergence of a number of small principalities controlled by petty chiefs. Subsequently during the time of the Turkish onslaught on the plains. they were subject to change in size and power as additional waves of migration took place.


Whoever was in power added to the tradition of meditation and worship in these unspoiled mountain enclaves. Today, if a resident is asked about the history of the region, the answer is more likely to be shaped by myth than by chronicle. Even now, the local villages associate various towns and habitations with affairs of state of state and politics. This is largely due to the efforts of the saint, Adi Shankaracharya, a Namboodri Brahmin from Malabar in South India.

He was almost entirely responsible for the revival of Hinduism in the early ninth century. At the time that he set out on his reformist mission, Uttarakhand was a medley of mystic cults, naga worship, tantric rites and animistic faith. He established a series of dhams and maths - seats of Hindu religion - at elevated sites in the amidst of the Himalayas.


At Jyotirmath, now Joshimath, he set up an institution of Hindu learning and instruction, a tradition that remains till this day. At Badrinath, he installed the image of Lord Vishnu near the source of the Alaknanda River, and at Kedarnath he chose to enshrine Lord Shiva himself. He died in 820Ad at Kedarnath and his samadhi (memorial) lures thousands of pilgrims till today. Garhwal and Kumaon compared to Switzerland.


It is bordered by Mahakali (or Kali or Kali Nadi) in the east towards Nepal and the districts of Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli to the west. Tibet lies to the north and the Terai to the south. The Mahakali River, running along its eastern boundary, forms the Indo-Nepal international border. Moving westwards, one comes across the Panchchuli Massif, the Gori Valley, and the Pindari and Sunderdungha valleys at the western end of Kumaon.


The Kali River and its valley are prominent in Kumaon. At one time, the Kali Valley was the standard trade route from India to Tibet, crossing over the Lipu Lekh pass. The Mahakali originates north of the main Himalayan range, carves its way through the Greater Himalayas and merges with the Ganga (Ganges) in the plains.