A TO Z INDIA ● FEBRUARY 2022 ● PAGE 6
The Land of the Gods , Uttarakhand :
Devbhumi of India
Kokila
Uttarakhand officially the State of Uttarakhand ( Uttarākhaṇḍ Rājya ), formerly known as Uttaranchal , is a state in the northern part of India . It is often referred to as the Devbhumi ( literally " Land of the Gods ") due to many Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state . Uttarakhand is known for its natural beauty of the Himalayas , the Bhabhar and the Terai .
On 9 November 2000 , Uttarakhand became the 27th state of the Republic of India , being created from the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern districts of Uttar Pradesh . It borders Tibet to the
north ; the Mahakali Zone of the Far-Western Region , Nepal to the east ; and the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the west and north-west
as well as Haryana on its south-western corner . The state is divided into two divisions , Garhwal and Kumaon , with a total of 13 districts . The interim capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun , the largest city in the region , which is a railhead . The High Court of the state is in Nainital .
Archaeological evidence supports the existence of humans in the region since prehistoric times . The region formed a part of the Kuru and the Panchal kingdoms ( mahajanpads ) during the Vedic age of Ancient India . Among the first major dynasties of Kumaon were the Kunindas in the 2nd century BCE who practised an early form of Shaivism . Ashokan edicts at Kalsi show the early presence of Buddhism in this region . During the medieval period , the region was consolidated under the Kumaon Kingdom and Garhwal Kingdom . In 1816 , most of modern Uttarakhand was ceded to the British as part of the Treaty of Sugauli . Although the erstwhile hill kingdoms of Garhwal and Kumaon were traditional rivals , the proximity of different neighboring ethnic groups and the inseparable and complementary nature of their geography , economy , culture , language , and traditions created strong bonds between the two regions which further strengthened during the Uttarakhand movement for statehood in the 1990s .
The natives of the state are generally called Uttarakhandi , or more specifically either Garhwali or Kumaoni by their region of origin . According to the 2011 Census of India , Uttarakhand has a population of 10,086,292 , making it the 19th most populous state in India .