Uttarkashi district

2021-08-28T12:12:12Z

2409:4053:E13:EAB3:71E7:C3BF:38FD:7E7:

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Uttarkashi district
| other_name =
| nickname =
| settlement_type = [[List of districts of Uttarakhand|District of Uttarakhand]]
| image_skyline = Gamukh, snout of Gongotri glacier WTK20150917-DSC 4204.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Gaumukh, snout of the Gangotri glacier and source of the [[Bhagirathi River|Bhagirathi]]
| image_map = Uttarkashi district.svg
| map_caption = Location in Uttarakhand, India
| coordinates = {{coord|30.73|N|78.45|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and union territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flagicon image|..Uttarakhand Flag(INDIA).png}} [[Uttarakhand]]
| subdivision_type2 = Division
| subdivision_name2 = [[Garhwal division|Garhwal]]
| established_title = 
| established_date = 1960
| founder =
| named_for =
| seat_type = Headquarters
| seat = [[Uttarkashi]]
| government_type =
| governing_body =
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 = 8016
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_total = 330,086
| population_as_of =
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = 41
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = 
| postal_code =
| registration_plate = UK
| website = {{URL|uttarkashi.nic.in}}
| footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title2 = Official
| demographics1_info2 = [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Sanskrit]]
| demographics1_title1 = Native
| demographics1_info1 = [[Garhwali language|Garhwali]], [[Jad language|Jad]]
| official_name =
}}

'''Uttarkashi District''' is a district of [[Garhwal division]] of the [[Uttarakhand]] state in northern India, and has its headquarters at [[Uttarkashi]] city. It has six Tehsils namely [[Barkot, Uttarakhand|Barkot]], Dunda, Bhatwadi, [[Chinyalisaur]], Purola and Mori.

The district contains the source of the [[Bhagirathi River|Bhagirathi]] (traditionally considered the headstream of the [[Ganges|Ganga]]) at [[Gangotri]] and [[Yamuna]] at [[Yamunotri]], both of which are highly significant and popular pilgrimage sites. Uttarkashi town, which lies on the main road to Gangotri, is also considered an important Hindu pilgrimage centre, especially for Saivites. The district is bounded on the north by [[Kinnaur district|Kinnaur]] and [[Shimla district|Shimla]] districts of [[Himachal Pradesh]], on the northeast by [[Tibet Autonomous Region|Tibet]], on the east by [[Chamoli district|Chamoli District]], on the southeast by [[Rudraprayag district]], on the south by [[Tehri Garhwal district]], and on the west by [[Dehradun district]].

== Background ==

=== Etymology ===

The term ''Uttarkashi'', a composite of ''Uttara'' and ''Kashi'', literally means the ''North Kashi'' where Kashi refers to [[Varanasi]]. Both Uttarkashi and Varanasi are highly significant [[yatra|Hindu pilgrimage]] sites on the sacred [[Ganges]]. Both Kashi and Uttarkashi have important Shiva temples called Kashi Vishwanath temple.

=== History ===

==== Vedic era ====

The area now made up by Uttarkashi district has been known since the times of the [[Rigveda|Rig Vedic]] period. The [[Aitareya Brahmana]] mentions it as the land where the [[Deva (Hinduism)|Devas]] performed ritual sacrifices, and the [[Brahmana|Kaushitaki Brahmana]] mentions this area was where [[Vedic Sanskrit]] had changed the least. In the Upayana Parva of the [[Mahabharata]], various hill tribes from the hill and mountain region of what is now [[Garhwal division|Garhwal]] are mentioned as giving gifts to [[Yudhishthira]] during his [[Rajasuya]] [[yagna]], including the Taganas, [[Kirata|Kiratas]] and [[Kuninda Kingdom|Kunindas]]. [[Ptolemy]] mentions the Taganas as the Taganoi and says they lived on the eastern side of the Ganges, while he says the Kulindrine (Kunindas) lived above the sources of the [[Beas]], [[Sutlej]], [[Yamuna]] and Ganga, and the Kiratas on the northern slops of the Himalayas. According to legend, [[Parashurama|Parshurama]] killed his mother [[Renuka]] at Nakuri, 10 km from Uttarkashi town. Also, it is said the [[Pandava]]s, after leaving their kingdom to [[Parikshit]], halted at Patangini before continuing to [[Swargarohini]], where they died.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Uttarkashi|url=http://www.indianculture.gov.in/gazettes/uttar-pradesh-district-gazetteers-uttarkashi|access-date=2021-05-23|website=INDIAN CULTURE|language=en}}</ref>

==== Medieval era ====

Historically, the region might have been a part of the [[Maurya Empire|Mauryan empire]], but this is unknown. It is preseumed to have been a part of the [[Kushan Empire|Kushan empire]], which extended through the western and central Himalayas as far as Tibet. In the 1st century CE, Rajapala of Badrinath established a kingdom that may have extended to Uttarkashi. A 5th century CE inscription in the Uttarkashi Vishwanath temple mentions a prince called Ganeshwara whose son had commissioned the inscription to honour himself and his father. The city of Uttarkashi is mentioned as Brahmapura by [[Xuanzang]], who notes it was ruled by queens. In the 7th century, a branch of the [[Katyuri kings|Katyuris]] pushed out the descendants of Rajapala of Badrinath to the position of feudatories and established an empire covering what is now Kumaon and Garhwal. The last descendant of Rajapala was Bhanupratapa, the pre-eminent chief among the 52 rulers called ''Garhpals'' (fort holders, from where Garhwal derives its name). Bhanupratapa had two daughters, one of whom he married to a Paramara prince from Malwa, [[Kanak Pal]], who was on pilgrimage. Kanak Pal was made his heir, and ascended the throne in 888 CE. Kanakpal and his descendants began establishing their hegemony over the other petty chiefs, some of whom had headquarters in Uttarkashi, as the power of their Katyuri overlords declined.<ref name=":0" />

Up to the first half of the 11th century, nothing is known about the first 10 rulers of the [[Garhwal Kingdom|Garhwal kingdom]]. They were probably feudatories of the Katyuris who ruled over parts of Uttarkashi. By the time of the end of the 11th century, when the Katyuri hegemony collapsed, the family of Kanakpal were regarded as the most pre-eminent of the 52 traditional garhpals. Near the end of the 12th century, Ashoka Challa of the [[Khasa Kingdom|Khasa kingdom]] (now in western Nepal) conquered Garhwal as far as Uttarkashi, evidenced by an inscription in the Barahat (Uttarkashi) Vishwanath temple. However the Garhwal rajas soon regained their position, and again the last king of the line had only a daughter. Another Paramara prince from Malwa there on pilgrimage, Kadilpal, was made his heir and married his daughter, although it is unknown whether this story is merely apocryphal.<ref name=":0" />

His descendant, Ajapal, lived during 1358-70 and was attacked by the raja of Champawat, but defeated him. Ajapal also seemingly created an alliance of the many chieftains of Garhwal and overthrew the raja of Chandpur. His descendant Rajapal led an unsuccessful expedition against [[History of Tibet|Tibet]] that probably passed through modern Uttarkashi district. The Garhwal rajas, although friendly with the [[Delhi sultanate]] in the plains, were never suboordinate to them. Rajapal's descendant Man Shah led raids north into Tibet and south into the plains in the mid 16th century. His descendants defended against the rising power of the [[Kumaon Kingdom|Kumaon kingdom]], which was encroaching on Garhwal's eastern boundaries, but Uttarkashi was not affected. Mahipati Shah was the first Garhwal Raja to fully control the entirety of Kumaon, including all of Uttarkashi, from his capital at [[Srinagar, Uttarakhand|Srinagar]] in around 1580.<ref name=":0" />

The Garhwal Rajas, although not directly controlled by the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]], still had to pay tribute. The historian [[Firishta]] records Garhwal (modern scholars believe he confused it with Kumaon) was a wealthy and powerful mountain kingdom that produced significant amounts of copper and gold, both metals mined from ancient times in Uttarkashi district. In 1635, a famine struck Garhwal and the year after, a Mughal force invaded the region. However the raja soon starved out the Mughals and forced them to retreat, while another Mughal expedition in 1654 aided by the raja of Kumaon failed also. After [[Dara Shikoh|Dara Shukoh's]] defeat in 1658, his son Sulaiman took refuge for a year with the Garhwal raja Prithvi Shah. However threat of invasion from Aurangzeb and the Kumaon rajas, as well as pressure from many in his court forced Shah to give up Sulaiman to Aurangzeb. Uttarkashi remained relatively uninfluenced by the subsequent border wars between Kumaon and Garhwal.<ref name=":0" />

Garhwal and Kumaon fought against the [[Rohilla dynasty|Rohillas]] in 1745, but were defeated and Garhwal was forced to pay 3 lakhs as tribute. After this, Garhwal was devastated by a Rohilla invasion in 1757.<ref name=":0" />

==== Modern era ====

===== Gorkha invasion =====

In 1795, Gorkha troops temporarily overran Garhwal, including the entirety of Uttarkashi district, having earlier occupied Kumaon five years earlier. However news of a [[Sino-Nepalese War|Chinese invasion of Nepal]] caused the Nepalis to retreat from Garhwal. The Garhwal ruler Pradyuman Shah agreed to pay a tribute to the Gorkha rulers and send an agent to Kathmandu, an arrangement that lasted for 12 years. In the beginning of 1803, Uttarkashi in particular was devastated by an earthquake. The next year Gorkha generals including [[Amar Singh Thapa]] led an second invasion against Garhwal. The Garhwal raja, [[Pradyumna Shah|Pradyuma Shah]], retreated via Uttarkashi to Dehradun, where he was defeated in the [[Battle of Khurbura]] and killed. His sons fled to British territory, and Amar Singh Thapa was made governor of Garhwal in 1805. Gorkha rule is remembered as a dark time with widespread looting, rape and violence.<ref name=":0" />

===== British invasion =====

In 1814, the [[Anglo-Nepalese War]] broke out and the British invaded Garhwal through Dehradun but were repulsed multiple times. However, after the war's end and the subsequent [[Treaty of Sugauli]], the Gorkhas relinquished all territory west of the [[Sharda River|Kali river]], including Garhwal and Uttarkashi district. Garhwal west of the [[Alaknanda River|Alaknanda]], excluding Dehradun and all of Uttarkashi, was returned to the Garhwal rajas, who subsequently imposed violent retaliation on the remaining Gorkhas. Uttarkashi at this time was regarded as rocky and barren. In subsequent negotiations, Rawain tehsil, modern Uttarkashi, was returned to the Garhwal raja.<ref name=":0" />

===== Rawain Khand movement =====

In 1930, the Rawain Khand movement began in the district against unjust forest settlement laws. The raja invited their leaders for talks, but arrested them. The protestors turned violent and attacked the forest officers, and the raja called in troops who arrested 100 people for sedition. In 1947, Garhwal acceded to the Indian Union as Garhwal district of the United Provinces (soon to be renamed Uttar Pradesh). In 1960, Uttarkashi was carved out as a separate district. Uttarkashi was later included in the newly formed state of Uttarakhand in 2000.<ref name=":0" />

==Geography ==
{{see also | Geography of Uttarakhand | List of mountain peaks of Uttarakhand }}

===Glaciers of Uttarkashi District===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Glacier
! Height (m)
|-
| [[Gangotri Glacier ]] || 4,040
|-
| [[Chaturangi ]] || 4,400
|-
| [[I Unnamed TG of Chaturangi]] || 5,120
|-
| [[Kalindi]] || 5,440
|-
| [[Seeta (glacier)|Seeta]] || 5,400
|-
| [[Suralaya ]] || 5,120
|-
| [[II Unnamed TG of Chaturangi]] || 5,190
|-
| [[III Unnamed TG of Chaturangi]] || 4,980
|-
| [[Vasuki]] || 4,800
|-
| [[Bhagirathi Parvat I ]] || 6,512
|-
| [[Bhagirathi Parvat II ]] || 6,556
|-
| [[Bhagirathi Parvat III ]] || 6,195
|-
| [[Bhagirathi Parvat IV ]] || 6,625
|-
| [[Swachand ]] || 4,880
|-
| [[Miandi ]] || 4,980
|-
| [[Sumeru ]] || 4,900
|-
| [[Ghanohim ]] || 4,740
|-
| [[ Kirti and its Tributary Glaciers (TG) ]] ||
|-
| [[ (A) Kirti ]] || 4,520
|-
| [[ (B) I Unnamed TG of Kirti]] || 4,570
|-
| [[ (C) II Unnamed TG of Kirti]] || 4,860
|-
| [[ (D) III Unnamed TG of Kirti]] || 4,860
|-
| [[ Glaciers present in the study area and directly draining into Bhagirathi river ]] ||
|-
| [[Maitri (glacier)|Maitri]] || 4,000
|-
| [[Meru (glacier)|Meru]] || 4,720
|-
| [[ Bhrigupanth]] || 3,720
|-
| [[Manda (glacier)|Manda]] || 3,880
|-
| [[ Raktavarna and its Tributary Glaciers (TG) ]] ||
|-
| [[ (A) Raktavarna]] || 4,500
|-
| [[ (B) Thelu]] || 5,040
|-
| [[ (C) Swetamber]] || 4,760
|-
| [[ (D) I Unnamed TG of Raktavarna]] || 5,100
|-
| [[ (E) II Unnamed TG of Raktavarna]] || 5,240
|-
| [[ (F) Nilamber]] || 5,300
|-
| [[ (G) III Unnamed TG of Raktavarna]] || 5,200
|-
| [[ (H) Pilapani]] || 5,080
|}

=== Natural disasters ===

* 1976: Fire in the Main Market in the morning of 1976.

* 1978: Floods in Bhagirathi River due to a dam made by the debris bought by Kandolia Gard, a small riverlet. The dam was breached by the Army using explosives. Thousand gallon of water rushed along the river and caused damage to agricultural land, ashrams and houses located along the banks of the river. There was no major loss of life as the district administration took adequate precautions by evacuating the low-lying areas along the banks of the river.

* 1984: Cloud burst in Gyansu nala.

* 1991: Earthquake: 20 Oct 1991, Uttarkashi and nearby areas were hit by an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Ritcher scale.

* 2003: On 23 Sep 2003 Uttarkashi was hit by a landslide in which hotels, shops in the bus stand area were destroyed. Housing colony of Horticulture department in the Masjid Mohalla area was completely destroyed under the falling debri from top of the Varunavat mountain.

* [[2013 North India floods|2013 Uttarakhand floods]]: Uttarkashi was hit by a flash flood caused by cloud burst in the Asi Ganga River catchment area and Bhagirathi River catchment area. The flash floods caused wide scale damage to property and agricultural land along the banks of both the rivers. Many hotels ware washed away in flooding waters of Bhagirathi River (Akash Ganga Hotel, Portion of Gautam Park Hotel, Pwd Office at Joshiyara). Many bridges ware destroyed during the floods (Didsari Suspension Bridge, Naluna Suspension Bridge, Joshiyara Suspension Bridge, Athali Suspension Bridge).

== Ecology==

See [[Indomalayan realm]]

==Political divisions ==

===Lok Sabha constituency===

Uttarkashi district falls in the [[Tehri Garhwal (Lok Sabha constituency)]].

===Assembly constituencies===

# [[Purola (Uttarakhand Assembly constituency)|Purola (SC)]]
# [[Yamunotri (Uttarakhand Assembly constituency)|Yamunotri]]
# [[Gangotri (Uttarakhand Assembly constituency)|Gangotri]]

===Tehsils ===

The district has six tehsils: Barkot, Dunda, Bhatwadi, Chinyalisaur, Purola and Mori.

==People==

=== Culture ===

Upper reaches on [[Line of Actual Contol]] (LAC), especially [[Nelang]], [[Sang, Uttarakhand|Jadhang]] ([[Sang,_Uttarakhand|Sang]]) and [[Pulam Sumda]] area, are inhabited by the ''Char [[Bhutia]]'' tribe.

===Demography===

{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Uttarkashi district (2011)<ref name="Uttarkashi District Population">{{cite web|url=https://www.censusindia2011.com/uttarakhand/uttarkashi-population.html|title=Uttarkashi District Population|work=Census India|accessdate=11 July 2021}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Hinduism]]
|value1 = 98.42
|color1 = Orange
|label2 = [[Islam]]
|value2 = 1.08
|color2 = Green
|label3 = [[Buddhism]]
|value3 = 0.17
|color3 = Gold
|label4 = [[Christianity]]
|value4 = 0.11
|color4 = Blue
|label5 = [[Sikhism]]
|value5 = 0.05
|color5 = Yellow
|label6 = [[Jainism]]
|value6 = 0.02
|color6 = Maroon
|label7 = Others
|value7 = 0.03
|color7 = Grey
|label8 = Not Stated
|value8 = 0.12
|color8 = Black
}}

According to the [[2011 Census of India|2011 census]] Uttarkashi district has a [[Demographics of India|population]] of 330,086,<ref name=districtcensus>{{cite web | url = http://www.census2011.co.in/district.php | title = District Census 2011 | access-date = 2011-09-30 | year = 2011 | publisher = Census2011.co.in}}</ref> roughly equal to the nation of [[Belize]].<ref name="cia">{{cite web | author = US Directorate of Intelligence | title = Country Comparison:Population | url = https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2119rank.html | access-date = 2011-10-01 | quote = Belize 321,115 July 2011 est.
}}</ref> This gives it a ranking of 567th in India (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]).<ref name=districtcensus/> The district has a population density of {{convert| 41 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}}.<ref name=districtcensus/> Its [[Family planning in India|population growth rate]] over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.75%.<ref name=districtcensus/> Uttarkashi has a [[sex ratio]] of 959 [[Women in India|females]] for every 1000 males,<ref name=districtcensus/> and a [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 75.98%.<ref name=districtcensus/>

According to the 2011 census, 88% of the population spoke [[Garhwali language|Garhwali]], 7.28% [[Hindi]], and 2.17% [[Nepali language|Nepali]] as their first language. Various indigenous Tibetic languages (returned under a variety of different names) such as [[Jad language|Jad]] were spoken by 2.59% of the district's population. Hindi is the lingua franca.<ref name="census2011-C16">{{cite report|url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0500.XLSX|title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Uttarakhand|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|access-date=14 July 2020}}</ref>

{{historical populations|11=1901|12=69,209|13=1911|14=77,429|15=1921|16=81,958|17=1931|18=89,978|19=1941|20=1,02,280|21=1951|22=1,06,058|23=1961|24=1,22,836|25=1971|26=1,47,805|27=1981|28=1,90,948|29=1991|30=2,39,709|31=2001|32=2,95,013|33=2011|34=3,30,086|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901]</ref>|align=middle}}

==See also==

* [[List of districts of Uttarakhand]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://uttarkashi.nic.in/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312060630/http://gov.ua.nic.in/uttaranchaltourism/uttarkashi.htm Uttarkashi at Uttaranchal Tourism website]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Uttarkashi district
|North = [[Kinnaur district]], [[Himachal Pradesh]]
|Northeast = {{flagicon|China}}[[China]]
|East =[[Chamoli district]]
|Southeast = [[Rudraprayag district]]
|South = [[Tehri Garhwal district]]
|Southwest =
|West = [[Dehradun district]]
|Northwest = [[Shimla district]], [[Himachal Pradesh]]
}}

{{Uttarkashi district}}
{{Districts of Uttarakhand}}
{{Hindu temples in Uttarakhand}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uttarkashi District}}
[[Category:Uttarkashi district| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Uttarakhand]]

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Uttarkashi district