Auli is in

Chamoli district Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to the southwest, ...

in the Himalayan mountains of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Auli, also known as Auli Bugyal, in Garhwali, which means "meadow", is located at an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardis ...

. Between June and October, the valley has one of highest numbers of flower species found anywhere in the world, with 520 species of high altitude plants, 498 of which are flowering plants with significant populations of endangered species.

History

This place came to light when in the 8th century, Adiguru Shri Shankaracharya established a

Matha A ''matha'' (; sa, मठ, ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

(

Jyotir Math Uttarāmnāya Śrī Jyotish Pītham or Jyotir Math is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams established by the 820 CE philosopher-saint Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Sanātana Dharma and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine of ...

or Shri Shankaracharya Math) at Joshimath, about 6.6 km from Auli, which still exists today. After the establishment of the monastery, this place also came to be known as the "Gateway of the Himalayas". After the establishment of this math, Adi Shankaracharya Ji moved forward like Badrinath. Semi-nomadic tribes of

Tibetans The Tibetan people (; ) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Tibet. Their current population is estimated to be around 6.7 million. In addition to the majority living in Tibet Autonomous Region of China, significant numbers of Tibetans liv ...

Mongolians The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

and Bhotias conducted trade and communication between

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

) and India from here. They took the help of their long haired

yaks The domestic yak (''Bos grunniens''), also known as the Tartary ox, grunting ox or hairy cattle, is a species of long-haired domesticated cattle found throughout the Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent, the Tibetan Plateau, Kachin ...

and

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...

to cross the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. The popular Trishul peak (23,490 feet) is the scene of an unusual expedition that took place here in 1958. It took the mountaineers almost four days to climb and about 90 minutes to ski down to the base. Auli and Joshimath are situated in the high Himalayas bordering China. In the

Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...

of 1962, there have been several initiatives by Chinese troops to cross the borders and enter Indian territory. During the conflict, the residents of the border village supported the Indian Army
Auli ropeway
was constructed in September 1993 to enhance tourism in Auli. At an altitude of about 10,000 feet, this ropeway serves as a transport between Joshimath and Auli.

Tourism

Auli is a hiking and ski destination and after the creation of the state of Uttarakhand, formerly part of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

, Auli was marketed as a tourist destination. It is surrounded by

coniferous Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All ext ...

and oak forests, with a panoramic view of the peaks of the Himalayas. The slopes are intended for both professional skiers and novices. The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited (GMVNL) a state government agency which takes care of this resort, and Uttarakhand Tourism Department conduct winter sports competitions at Auli to encourage skiing in India. It has a cable car, a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

and a

ski lift A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald. Types * Aerial ...

, along with a maintained trek route. There is a training facility of

Indo-Tibetan Border Police The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is a border patrol organization of India deployed along its borders with Tibet Autonomous Region. It is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces, established in 1962 in the aftermath of the Sino-Indi ...

. A small

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

connected with the Hindu epic the ''

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

'' is also present.

Transportation

The nearest airport is

Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun Airport , also known as Jolly Grant Airport, is a domestic airport serving Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, India, located 25 km south of the city. Commercial operations began on 30 March 2008, after a runway extension to accomm ...

Dehradun Dehradun () is the capital and the List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous Dehradun district, district and is governed by the Dehr ...

, about from Auli. The airport operates daily flights to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

, The nearest international airport is

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, Delhi, southwest of the New D ...

in Delhi, about from Auli. The nearest railway stations are

Rishikesh railway station Rishikesh railway station, station code RKSH, is a railway terminal station serving the city of Rishikesh in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It lies on Northern railway network zone of Indian Railways. It is no longer the only station in Rishike ...

() and

Dehradun railway station Dehradun Terminal railway station is a railway station in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India, on the Northern line of the Northern Railway network. It is owned by Indian Railways. It was established in 1899 by the British. Several lines which run to ...

(). Nearby attractions include Vishnu Prayag, Gorson Bugyal, Kuari Pass,

Joshimath Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Located at a height of 6150 feet (1875 m), it is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekki ...

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...

, and

Tapovan (Sanskrit) comes from the two root words , meaning 'penance' and by extension 'religious mortification' and 'austerity', and more generally 'spiritual practice', and '','' meaning 'forest' or 'thicket'. then translates as 'forest of austerities ...

. Auli and

hosted the First South Asian Winter Games in 2011.

Gallery

File:Auli Himalayas.jpg, Auli File:Auli Bugyal Green.jpg, Auli Bugyal Greenery File:Auli Bugyal Himalayas.jpg, Auli Bugyal File:Himalayas near Auli.jpg, Himalayas near Auli

Climate

References

External links

{{Commons category, Auli
Auli - Uttarakhand Tourism
* https://chamoli.gov.in/tourist-place/auli/ Tourist attractions in Uttarakhand Ski areas and resorts in India Aerial tramways in India Cities and towns in Chamoli district