| Garhwal is smack in the middle of
the Himalayas, with Himachal Pradesh in the West and North-West; Tibet
in the North; the plains of Western Uttar Pradesh in the South and Kumaon
in the East.
Historically, it has been described
in the ancient text of Kedarkhand to extend from Gangadwar (modern day
Hardwar) in the South to the high mountains in the North, and from the
Tamsa (Tons) river in the in the West to Buddhachal (probably the Nanda
Devi group of peaks between Garhwal and Kumaon) in the East.
Today it is an administrative division
of the raising state of Uttaranchal, comprising the districts of Chamoli,
Dehradun, Pauri, Tehri and Uttarkashi.
The history of Garhwal is
older than that of the Ramayan and Maha- bharata. It
is a land of popular myths, like that of Lord Shiva appearing
as Kirat, of Urvashi, Shakuntala and the Kauravas and Pandavas. Worship
of Lord Shiva is pre-dominant in this region.
In earliest times, Garhwal was known
as Kedarkhand, or the region of Kedarnath. Scriptural texts mention a number
of tribes that inhabited the region, such as the Sakas, the Nagas, Khasas,
Hunas and Kiratas. The Nagas were a mysterious race whose traces are still
to be found in the Hills. The hooded snake was sacred to them, hence their
name. (Naga-Snake).
The Khasas were the dominant race
in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayas till the coming of the Rajputs and
Brahmins from the plains.
According to one version, Garhwal
derives its name from the fifty two forts, ‘garhs,’ that had come together
to form a loose confederacy.
The first recorded name of
this region was Kartipur. Later on, according to another tradition, since
it was surrounded on all sides by mountains - it came to be known
us "Giri - avil", which, by passage of time, got trans- formed into Garhwal.
Bhanupratapa was the first known
king and, later on, his son-in-law, Kanakpal took over. Their kingdom was
known as Chandpur Garhi. King Kanakpal came to Garhwal from
Rajasthan (Gujardesh) of the region Bagarh. He brought with
him the Bagerhi language, therefore Garhwali and Bagerhi language, written
and spoken, are very similar to each other.
To understand
the Garhwal of today it becomes neccessary to go back to the times of pre-history,
which has its impact in the lifestyle of the people, even at present. The
second significant stage in the history of Garhwal is the arrival of those
who were fleeing the invasions from beyond the north west of India. Finally
came the British and it was only after Independence that Garhwal could
become the forward looking region that it is today. To know more about
the period of your choice click the relevant icon :
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