UDHAM SINGH NAGAR, Uttarakhand

Main Attraction: Nanak Matta Gurudwara

Nanak Matta is an important pilgrimage centre for the Sikhs situated at a distance of 56 km. from Rudrapur (District Headquarter) on the Rudrapur-Tanakpur motor route. It is believed that the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev had visited this place on his way to Kailash Parvat in 1515 A.D. Being a sacred place to the Sikh community this place is visited by thousands of pilgrims throughout the year. The town is also known for the huge Nanak Matta Dam built across river Saryu, which adds up to the beauty of Nanak Matta. This is in itself a beautiful picnic spot where one can enjoy boating and fishing. The serene air and still lake waters had made it a much sought after tourist spot. The nearest airport is located at Pant Nagar

Brief History

District Udham Singh Nagar was created on 29th September 1997 by carving out tarai belt of district Nainital. It is named after the famous martyr Udham Singh. The extensive archaeological remains discovered in the vicinity of the village of Ujhain, about 1.6 km to the east of the town of Kashipur, indicate that this locality must have been an important and flourishing cultural as well as political centre during the first millennium prior to the Christian era. 

From the archaeological remains in Ujhain, it is evident that this place represents the site of an important city which was probably the capital of the country called Govishana visited by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang, in the 7th century A.D. In Kashipur region, it is said on the basis of a tradition recorded in Chand - that about 714 A.D. Ram Parmar, the paramount sovereign and lord of Ujhain (near Kashipur) gave lands to the members of thirty six Rajput clans and Katechr (modern Rohilkhand) to one Kehar. It appears that during the confusion that prevailed after the death of Harsha, the Parmar ruler of Ujhain became independent and gradually acquired considerable power.

Until 1948 this region remained neglected due to dense forest and adverse climatic condition. Due to marshy land, severe hot climate, excessive rainfall, natural habitat of wild and ferocious animals, prevalence of diseases and lack of communication, this part had negligible human habitation by then. Historians believe that centuries ago, a devotee of lord Rudra or some chieftain of a Hindu tribe established Rudrapur village, which with the passage of time has developed into a thriving town. During the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1588 this part of tarai was gifted as jaghir (hereditary assignment of land) to the Raja Rudra Chand of Chand dynasty. To bring in stability in the tarai region from regular attacks being perpetrated from plain area, Raja Rudra Chand established a permanent army camp at Rudrapur. 

This was the beginning of the rise of Rudrapur and prompted human habitation around Rudrapur. It is also said Rudrapur is named after Raja Rudra Chand. The early history of the district is little known. The ruined fort of Ujhain near the town of Kashipur is well known. A tank in the neighbourhood, known as Drona-Sagar, is popularly believed to have been made by the five Pandava brothers for their teacher, Drona. The tarai tract including the present tahsils of Kichha and Khatima of the district had sometimes been claimed by the rulers of the Kumaon hills in the north and some times by those of Rohilkhand in the south. The ancient sub-montane trade highway is also said to have passed through a part of the tarai in the district. Politically, this area has always, except for a couple of centuries in the later mediaeval period, formed part of the region known variously as North Panchala, Kalehar and Rohilkhand.

Tarai belt remained in the domain of Chand rajas of Kumaon. At the reign of Garur Gyan Chand (1374-1419), the plains including the tarai passed out of the possession of the Chand rajas. Garur Gyan Chand is said to have, proceeded to Delhi and petitioned the Sultan for the grant of the tract laying along the foot of the hills, that is, the bhabar and tarai areas. The Sultan was pleased with the skill of him shooting down a flying vulture on a hunting expedition and he bestowed upon the raja, the title of Garur and granted his prayer to hold and possess the land lying along the foot of the hills as far as Ganga, which thus included the entire bhabar and tarai tract. This Sultan may have been Mahmud Tughlaq who is known to have come to the tarai on a hunting expedition in 1410 or 1412 A.D.

During the reign of Rudra Chand who is traditionally assigned to 1565-1597 A.D., a contemporary of the great Mughal emperor Akbar (1556-1605 A.D.), the eastern parts of the bhabar and tarai tracts are said to have been temporarily occupied by the Muslims, probably under Husain Khan Tukariya. It is said that after the death of Husain Khan Tukariya, the raja himself marched to the tarai and expelled the Muslims from that region. The Mughal emperor gave tarai parganas to the raja at a grant. The portion of the tarai that came into the raja’s direct and legal possession was called the Chaurasi Mal. The period thereafter is the history of upheaval, which saw the ownership of the tarai region changing from one hand to another. 

In the year 1815, this region along with Kumaon came under the British rule. After the creation of district Naini Tal in 1861, during 1864-65, entire tarai and bhabar areas were declared under the British Crown through the ‘Tarai and Bhabar Government Act.’ During the following decades of the 19th century the history of the area covered by the district is almost uneventful. With the beginning of the 20th century the people of the district began to be gradually conscious of their civic rights and of their exploitation by the colonial government. The growing dissatisfaction of the public began to find expression in different ways. The people of this district took active part in the freedom struggle. The sacrifice of freedom fighters did not go in vain. 

The country ultimately became independent in 1947. The development of tarai region began after 1948. After the partition of the country, grave problem of refugee settlement came before the government of India. Large number of displaced persons, from northwestern and eastern side was rehabilitated in the vast area of this district under colonization plan. Individual were distributed land. Thus group of people from Kashmir, Punjab, Bengal, Kerala, Garhwal, Kumaon, Haryana, Rajasthan and Nepal were settled in this district with different languages, religions, occupations and cultures making it a ‘mini Hindustan’.

DEHRADUN, Uttarakhand

Main Attraction: Mussoorie

Mussoorie is situated at an altitude of 2000 meters. It is popularly regarded as the “Queen of Hill Stations”. It came into notice after Captain Young of the English Army settled here. Its quaint collages, beautiful churches with stained glass windows and Victorian Bandstand signify the British influences. Mussoorie offers a stupendous view of the Himalayas and the Shivaliks. The places of interest are Gun Hill, Municipal Garden, Childers Lodge, Camel’s Back Road, Bhatta Falls, Massey Falls, Jharipani Falls, Nag Devta Temple, Mussoorie Temple, Van Chetna Kendra, Sir George Everest House, Jwalaji Temple and Cloud’s End. The nearest railhead is Dehradun (35 km). Regular bus services connect it to all the major tourist centers in the region.

Brief History

The district is named after the town Dehradun, which itself has two words Dehra and Dun or Doon. Dehra is derived from Dera which mean a temporary staying place and Doon means a valley. In the period of Aurangzeb, this area was a dense forest with dangerous wildlife. Ram Rai Guru of Udasi Sikh was ordered by Aurangzeb to camp there to retire in the wilderness of the Dun, He had pitched his tents at the place which is now in the Khurbura locality of the town. Ram Rai had also built a temple near Dhamawala. Around the two sites, grew up the town, popularly known as Dehra.

The term Dun or Doon means, the lower plains in the foot of mountain range. In early times the area covered by the district was included in Garhwal which according to the Skanda Purana was Kedarkhand, the abode of Kedara or Shiva. The district is associated with Ramayana and Mahabharata. Rishikesh and Tapovan are associated with Rama and Lakshmana. According to a legend, they came on the advice of the sage Vashishtha to do penance for killing Ravana, the Brahman king of Lanka. Among the pre-Aryan inhabitants of the region, the most important were those known by the name Asuras. The early Aryan settlers had to encounter these deadly foes at every step. After the fall of Yakshas, Nagas and Asuras (who were the early inhabitants of the region), the people who came were Kirats, Kunindas and Khasas.

According to local tradition, the next ruler of the region was Raja Virat, whose capital was Bairatgarh or Bairatgarhi (above Kalsi in pargana Jaunsar Bhabhar) and who gave his daughter Uttara in marriage to the Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu. After Mahabharata, the Kauravas were exterminated and the Pandavas regained their supremacy over the area and Subahu’s descendants ruled here for some time as tributaries of the kings of Hastinapur. The people who eventually emerged as the dominant elements in this area were, however, the Khasas who presumed to have ruled over different parts of the region down to the time of Mauryas, in whose empire the region was included, the fact being supported by the presence of Ashoka’s rock edicts at Kalsi, near Haripur in pargana Jaunsar Bhabhar. In 635 AD the Chinese Pilgrim Hiuen Tsang visited the kingdom of Srughna, which may have included a part of the Doon.

At the beginning of the 12th century the bulk of the area covered by the present district of Dehradun formed part of the dominion of the Garhwal Raja and the tract of Jaunsar Bhabhar was under the sway of the raja of Sirmur or Nahan, now being in Himachal Pradesh. Beginning with Garhwal king Kanakpal, the area was ruled by many rulers, prominent among them being Bhaktipal, Vikrampal, Vichitrapal, Sonpal, Hanspal, and Ajai Pal who was succeeded by Kalyanpal and the later by Sunder Pal during 1398 A.D. Sunder Pal was succeeded by Hansdeo Pal and later by Vijai Pal and the next Raja was Sahajpal who lived about 1425 A.D. and whose successor was Balbhadra Pal. It was this Raja, also known as Balbhadra Sah and Bahadur Sah who is said to have changed dynastic cognomen from Pal to Sah. At the time of the reign of Kirti Shah in the year 1791 this area was attacked by Gorkhas. This region was again attacked by Gorakhas in 1803. On 20th October 1814, the Gorakhas were defeated by virtue of help from British army. As a reward Dehradun was handed over to British by the then ruler.

Several administrative changes took place in the district after its annexation to British Empire. In the year 1815, the tract comprising tahsil Dehradun was added to the district Saharanpur. In 1825, however, it was transferred to the Kumaon division. Till then, the pargana of Jaunsar Bhabhar was under the charge of British resident at Delhi. In 1828 Dehradun and Jaunsar Bhabhar were placed under the charge of a separate Deputy Commissioner and in 1929, the Dehradun district was transferred from Kumaon division to Meerut division. Since then Jaunsar Bhabhar also appears to have become integral part of Dehradun. In 1842 a resolution of government annexed the Dun to Saharanpur district and placed it in charge of an officer, subordinate to the collector and magistrate of that district with the designation of superintendent. But since 1871, it was being administered as a separate district. After 1951, Tehri Garhwal was carved out and the district was merged within the Meerut division till 1968, when it was transferred to the Garhwal division. Now Dehradun is declared as the capital of newly created state of Uttarakhand

HARDWAR, Uttarakhand

Main Attraction: Har-ki-Paidi or Brahm-Kund

Hardwar, one of sacred cities of India located in the foothills of Shivalik ranges. It is located on the right bank of river Ganga and from here the holy river spreads over the northern plains. The spot where the nectar fell, is considered to be the Brahma Kund at Har-ki-Paidi (literally, “footsteps of the Lord,” and symbolically the footprints of the Amrita), the most sacred ghat of Hardwar; thousands of devotees and pilgrims flock here during festivals or snan from all over India to take a dip in the holiest river of India. This act is considered to be the equivalent of washing away one’s sins to attain Moksha. Millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate here from all over the world to celebrate the events like Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh fairs that are held once in every 12 and 6 years respectively. They perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganga. The famous puja (rites performed in Hindu idolworship) and arti (worship of idol by moving a lamp round it) of the Ganga are performed daily.

Brief History

Hardwar, the gateway to Gods, is situated on the bank of river Ganga. It has been a revered centre for pilgrimage and mentioned in the Purans as Mayapuri. Hardwar as a separate district came into existence in the year 1988 by carving out Hardwar and Roorkee tahsils of district Saharanpur, 53 villages of Sadar tahsil of Muzaffarnagar district and 25 villages of Najibabad tahsil of Bijnor district. Since 2000 it is a part of the newly created state of Uttarakhand. The existence of Hardwar can be traced back to 2000 B.C. Remains of saffron coloured earthen pots belonging to the last stages of Indus Valley civilization have been found in the district. According to the Skandpurana, Hardwar was also known as Gangadwar, Haridwar, Kapila and Mayapuri. Kankhal is mentioned in the Meghdootam, written by famous Sanskrit poet Kalidas. Kankhal is now a suburb of Hardwar. Famous Chinese traveler Huen Tsang has mentioned it as Mo-U-Lo.

The tract that is now Hardwar was part of ancient country of Kosala in 6th century B.C. which became part of the Magadh empire under Nandas and then Mauryas. It came under the domination of Sungas in 184 B.C. with the fall of Mauryas and continued so till 72 B.C. The Kushan domination followed next lasting till 226 A.D. It then passed to the Gupta empire from 320 A.D. till the end of 980 A.D. The incursions by white Huns, who could held the country for a brief period, brought about the fall of Gupta dynasty and no important power came on the scene till the rise of Harsh of Thaneshwar, who ruled many provinces of India from 606 to 647 A.D. The subsequent history draws a background of the establishment of Tomar Kingdom of Delhi in the middle of 11th century, replaced by Chauhans in 1151. During the period of Delhi sultanate, the tract was part of the subah of Delhi.

In the time of Akbar and his immediate successors, the district was under a governor residing at Saharanpur, and there were mints for copper coinage at Saharanpur and Hardwar. Abul Fazl, the court historian of Akbar, refers in his works to Maya (Mayapuri) or Hardwar, and it is said that emperor always used to be supplied with drinking water from Ganga at that place. Jahangir had visited Hardwar, though his stay was brief, as he found the climate disagreeable and no place appropriate for residence.

Subsequent history of the district mentions invasion of Sikhs and Marathas. During 1858, fierce battle was fought at Roorkee, Kankhal, Jwalapur and Hardwar between freedom fighters and British forces. A British force under Boisragon attacked the freedom fighters on the opposite side of Ganga. In the following months troops were sent from various quarters to concentrate on Roorkee for the formation of a brigade intended to operate in Rohilkhand, which left Roorkee and crossed the Ganga at Hardwar on 17th April 1858. Thus ends the story of the struggle of 1857, so far as the district is concerned. An era of administrative reforms, revenue settlements, and improvement in educational and medical facilities, local self government and a general and effective consolidation of their hold on the district was started by the authorities. Boards were established at Manglaur and Roorkee in 1860 and 1884 respectively. It was also during the last quarter of the 19th century that the district came under the impact of the reformist Arya Samaj movement of Swami Daya Nand. 

The establishment of the Gurukul Kangri at Hardwar in 1900 marked birth of an institution, which was to develop in subsequent years into a prominent centre of oriental studies (based on ancient Indian culture) and also a centre for the various movements launched by the Indian National Congress in the district. In the year 1906, the Prince of Wales, later H.M. George V, visited the canal foundry at Roorkee. A few years later, the construction of the new head works of the Ganga Canal started at Bhimghoda in Hardwar itself, an agitation began among the Hindu community against the alleged impairment of the sanctity of the holy river by the projected fettering of its flow, especially to the sacred Har-ki-Pauri pool. It became evident that Hindu religious sentiment all over India was seriously concerned. After the visit of Viceroy and Lieutenant Governor and consultation with the maharajas of Jaipur, Bikaner, Alwar, Gwalior, Benares and Darbhanga an amicable settlement was reached.

Meanwhile the congress and khilafat movements continued side by side in the district. The non-cooperation movement took the form of no-rent campaign started under the guidance of Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi. The silver jubilee celebrations of the Gurukul Kangri in March, 1927, were the occasion for visits by eminent national leaders – Mahatma Gandhi, Kasturba, Rajendra Prasad and Madan Mohan Malviya. The salt satyagraha gained momentum in the district. Large processions paraded the streets of Hardwar in defiance of the Salt Act resulting in the arrest of large number of persons. In response to the call for Swadeshi picketing was undertaken by volunteers, at whose instance, the cloth merchants at Hardwar agreed to get their shops is sealed. At last the long fight for freedom bore fruit, and the country was declared independent on 15th of August, 1947.

The gateway to God, Hardwar is a beautiful town nesting at the foot of Shivalik mountain range where Ganga emerges in all its vigour. it is said that Hardwar has been sanctified by the presence of three Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Lord Vishnu is said to have left his footprint on a stone that is set in the upper wall of Har-ki-Pauri where holy Ganga touches it all the time. Hardwar Municipal Board was created in the year 1873 and linked with railway line in the year 1885.