Almora, Uttarakhand

The Abode
Originally uploaded by Ganguly 111.

The town of Almora was founded by Kalyan Chand in 1560. Initially, it was called Rajapur but has also been referred to as Rajpur.

Haridwar, Uttarakhand

A gateway to God, Haridwar is one of the first cities where Ganga emerges from the mountains to the plains. The followers of Vishnu (Hari) pronounce this place as Haridwar. But the followers of Lord Shiva (Har) call it Hardwar. The city is located in the Haridwar district, in the newly established State of Uttaranchal in northern India.

The sacred ghat at Haridwar is called Har-Ki-Pairi also known for a foot print of Vishnu. The ghat was constructed by King Vikramaditya and here the pilgrims float diyas to commemorate their deceased ancestors. In ancient times, this place was also known as Mayapur. Scriptures tell us that after the famed churning of the oceans, the holy nectar was carried in a kumba and this spot is also called Brahmakund.

Haridwar is also the site of Mahakumb Mela, celebrated every 12 years and the last one was held in 1998.

At dusk, Aarti is performed at Har-Ki-Pairi and it is a spectacular site. Hindus around the world get very emotional with the sound and color of this performance, the experience is worth a visit.

Kapurthala Estate, Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India

Kapurthala_estate
Originally uploaded by ritapgupta.

The picture shows the holiday resort of the Maharaja of Kapurthala in Mussoorie. The story of Kapurthala is inextricably inter-woven with the life and struggles of Jassa Singh. It was he who evicted Ibrahim Khan, an usurper after the death of Mughal Governor Adina Beg, from Kapurthala. Jassa Singh selected Kapurthala as his capital, although it was only after his death that the town became the fixed capital and place of residence of the Ahluwalia chiefs.

Gangotri, Uttarakhand

One of the four sites in the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit is Gangotri.This small town is located on the banks of river Bhagirathi and is centered around the temple of the goddess Ganga.

Badrinath, Uttarakhand

badrinath and kedarnath 042
Originally uploaded by daddy1000.

The followers of Lord Vishnu consider Badrinath as the most important pilgrimage. It has one of the Char Dham Vaisnava temples in India. Badrinath is also important to Sikhs for Hemkund Sahib and to the Buddhists for the Ghompas.

Chamoli Gopeshwar, Uttarakhand

GopinathTemple
Originally uploaded by Neeraj Rawat.

Chamoli Gopeshwar is a town of 20,000 people in Chamoli district in the state of Uttaranchal. This is where Hanuman found the Sanjeevani herb to revive the unconscious Laxman.

The district of Chamoli with Gopeshwar as its headquarters is surrounded by Tehri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Almora and Pauri Garwal districts and with Tibet lying to its north.

Champawat, Uttarakhand

Champawat and the power lines
Originally uploaded by harsh maverick.

Jim Corbett, the famous hunter, had come to this region in the beginning of the twentieth century to hunt for man eating tigers. The very first story of his first book, Man Eaters of Kumaon, is related to Champawat. It is a city in the Kumaon region of Uttaranchal state in northern India.

Champawat was formerly the capital of Chand rulers. The Baleshwar Temple built by the Chand rulers in 16th century is an excellent monument with marvelous stone carving works.

Mussoorie, Uttarakhand

Mussoorie Ki Wadi
Originally uploaded by ritapgupta.

Mussoorie is called the queen of hill stations. The name is derived from the Mansur shrub which were found in abundance in the Garwhal hills. The main hill station has now become an ugly bazaar but if if you walk out the mall, you may see this view that we captured in this photograph.

Haldwani, Uttarakhand

Just wait and watch...
Originally uploaded by Raminder p.S..

Haldwani is one of the most populous towns in Uttaranchal state and there are only 27 pictures on Flicks? Most of these are personal pictures and so we have no choice but to put just any picture to atleast identify the city, we are talking about.

Haldwani is also known as the "Gateway to Kumaon". One of the oldest landmarks in Haldwani is the Kulu Sayyad Temple.

Roorkee, Uttarakhand

IIT, Roorkee-3
Originally uploaded by kushtandon.

Roorkee is basically a university town, in the northern State of Uttaranchal. Best known for the University of Roorkee, now Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, the city has produced engineers of the finest quality. The university was established in 1847.

Roorkee is also the place where first locomotive engine was used in India. This locomotive, especially shipped from England, operated in the year 1846, long before the first passenger train in India (Bombay-Thane) was operational.

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

Rishikesh (Hrishikesh) is the place where Ganga leaves the Shivalik mountains in Himalayas, and flows out into the plains of northern India. It is a holy city for Hindus, located in the foothills of the Himalayas in the State of Uttaranchal.

Rishikesh is surrounded by scenic beauty of the hills on three sides with Holy Ganga flowing through it. The city has several Yoga centers that attract tourists. It is believed that meditation in Rishikesh brings one closer to attainment of salvation, or moksha, as does a dip in the holy river that flows through it.

Nainital, Uttarakhand

湖心舟2
Originally uploaded by hugoyu.

Situated in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalaya, Nainital is a town set in a valley containing a pear-shaped lake, in the State of Uttaranchal. The lake is approximately 2 miles in circumference and is surrounded by mountains. Nainital has moderate temperatures during summers and therefore its population increases more than five folds with an annual influx of tourists predominantly from the plains of Northern India.

The Kumaon Hills came under the British rule after the Anglo-Nepal War (1814 - 16), but the Hill Station of Nainital was founded in 1841. The first European house was constructed by P. Barron, a sugar trader from Shahjahanpur.

Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Dehradun used to be the summer base for the British Viceroy. It was also an important military cantonment. Gorkhas ruled the region as part of the Garhwal Kingdom before the British captured Dehradun in 1815.

Dehradun has the Ram Rai Durbar, a gurdwara named after the Sikh guru. It is surrounded by the Himalayas and Sivalik Hills. Dehradun is also famous for it's Basmati Rice. It is also the home of The Doon School.