Uttarakhand

The state of Uttarakhand, formerly known as Uttaranchal was a part Uttar Pradesh till 9th Nov, 2000. This auspicious day marks the birth of Uttarakhand as the 27th state of the Republic of India. With two major divisions namely Garhwal and Kumaon, the capital of the state is Dehradun.

The Kumaon division includes the districts of Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nanital, Pithorgarh and Udahm Singh Nagar. On the other hand, the Garhwal division includes Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Garwal, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Garhwal and Rudraprayag.
Surrounded with natural beauty, Uttarakhand borders the Tibet region on the north; Nepal on the east; Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the northwest. Two of the most important rivers in Hinduism originate in the region, the Ganga at Gangotri and the Yamuna at Yamunotri. These two along with Badrinath and Kedarnath form the Chota Char Dham, a holy pilgrimage for the Hindus.

Also called “Dev bhoomi” or land of gods, Uttarakhand has splendid expanse of tropical and deciduous forests at different altitudes. It flaunts popular tourist destinations like Jim Corbett National Park in Nanital district, the Valley of Flowers National Park, and Nanda Devi National Park in Chamoli District, which together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The state is home to some much admired hill stations like Mussoorie, Nainital, Dhanaulti, Lansdowne, Almora, Kausani, Bhimtal, and Ranikhet.

The most interesting part of this state is the food served there. A distinctive characteristic of Uttarakhand cuisine is the sparing use of tomatoes, milk, and milk based products. Other food items which are famous are madua (Black Buck) in the interior regions of Kumaun. Generally, either pure ghee or mustard oil is used for cooking food. Simple recipes are made interesting with the use of hash seeds as spice. Bal mithai is a much in demand fudge-like sweet. To name a few more dishes that are popular, dubuk, chains, kaap, churkani, bhatt ki churdkani, sei, and gulgula top the list. Jhoi/Jholi, a regional variation of kadhi is also a specialty there.

One can feel the bliss of abundant natural gorgeousness which the walled cities die for. Go for a holiday to Uttarakhand and return with a bagful of memories to be cherished forever.