"History does not belong to us; we belong to it"
Uttarakhand was carved out of Himalayan and adjoining districts of Uttar Pradesh on 9th November 2000, becoming the 27th state of the Republic of India. Originally known as Uttaranchal, the state was renamed Uttarakhand in January 2007.
Literally North Country or Section in Sanskrit, the name of Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as the combined region of Kedarkhand (present day Garhwal) and Manaskhand (present day Kumaon), the regions that are known according to Hindu legends as Devbhoomi (land of the gods). Uttarakhand name is also mention in the 7th-century travelogue of Huen Tsang. In his travelogue, he has mentioned Uttarakhand under the name Brahmapur. On the other hand, Haridwar has been described as Mayuli (Mayurpur).
However, it is with Adi Shankaracharya that the name of Uttarakhand will always be linked. The great 8th-century spiritual reformer visited the remote, snow-laden heights of Garhwal, established a math (Joshimath) and resorted some of the most sacred shrines, including Badrinath and Kedarnath.
History: Guts and Glory
The Garhwal Himalayas have nurtured civilization from the wee hours of history. It appears to have been a favourite locale for the voluminous mythology of the Puranic period. The discovery of rock paintings, stone tools, and megaliths throughout the state, suggest the existence of prehistoric civilisations. Over the centuries the following powerful clans ruled over Uttarakhand – Pauravas, Nandas, Mauryans, Kushanas, Kunindas, Guptas, Gurjara-Pratihara, Katyuris, Raikas, Palas, Karkotas, Chands, and Parmars. Of particular significance were the reigns of the Garhwal Kingdom and Kumaon Kingdoms, respectively. The history of Garhwal as one unified whole began in the 15th century, when king Ajai Pal merged the 52 separate principalities, each with its own garh or fortress. For 300 years, Garhwal remained one kingdom, with its capital at Srinagar (not to be confused with the capital of Kashmir). Then Pauri and Dehradun were perforce ceded to the Crown as payment for British help, rendered to the Garhwalis during the Gurkha invasion, in the early 19th century.
Uttarakhand is the place where most of the Hindu epic tales were set in the past. The ancient history of this place is abreast with the legends of Hindu gods and goddesses, the rule of British as well as The Beatles alike. Sir Jim Corbett has been, as if, immortalized having a tiger reserve after his name as he was the one to play a key role in its establishment. The Beatles had come here as early as 1968 and had written much of ‘’The White album’’ in Rishikesh. The story of their visit to the place transfigured Rishikesh’s holy land into one of the amazing focal points for unworldly claimants as well as yoga enthusiasts across the globe. A legend goes that sage Vyasa had scripted and penned the Mahabharata here as the five brothers, Pandavas, had camped in the region.