Kathgodam is a suburb of Haldwani city in the

Nainital district Nainital district is a district in Kumaon division which is a part of Uttarakhand state in India. The headquarters is at Nainital. Nainital District is located in Kumaon Division, and is located in the lower Himalayas. Haldwani is the larges ...

of Uttarakhand state of

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 ...

. It used to be a part of the twin township of Haldwani-Kathgodam, and is immediately north of Haldwani. It is one of the important collection centres for forest products obtained from Kumaon Himalayas.

History

Literally meaning ''timber depot'', Kathgodam was a small village in 1901 with a population of 375, though its importance grew rapidly after the railway line was extended here in late 19th century, after it reached Haldwani in 1884. It was previously called 'Chauhan Patta' as it is still recorded in the land records. The advent of the residence of Dan Singh Bist nearby in Beer Bhatti, Jeolikote, and his setting up his major timber depot as the 'Timber King of India' as Chauhan Patta, led to it being called 'Kathgodam'. Similarly, Beer Bhatti is called thus as it was previously an area where the British India Corporation Limited pursued a Beer Brewery until 1924 when Dan Singh Bist purchased it from them via deed registered at Nainital. India railways1909a

Today, the town contains a terminus station on its

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tota ...

line. From this point, one must travel by automobile to the Kumaon region of the Himalayan Mountains. From Kathgodam, mountain roads lead to tourist destinations like Nainital, Bhimtal, Sattal, Mukteshwar, Ranikhet, Binsar, Kausani, Naukuchiyatal and Almora.

Geography

Kathgodam is located at . It has an average elevation of 554 metres (1,483 feet). It is situated on the banks of the Gaula river. Kathgodam is one of the most picturesque locations situated in the

Bhabar Bhabar or Bhabhar ( Kumaoni: bhābar) is a region south of the Lower Himalayas and the Sivalik Hills in Kumaon, India, containing some of the largest cities of Kumaon, Haldwani and Ramnagar, both in Nainital District. It is the alluvial apron ...

region, the foothills of Kumaon Himalayas.

Local attractions

Close to Kathgodam are beautiful temples called 'Sheetla devi' and 'Kalichaud' which attract large numbers of devotees from the surrounding region during festivals. Kathgodam also leads a way to one of the beautiful ashram called as Hairakhan. There is a beautiful dam which is built on the Gola River. Schools include the Maharishi school, Nirmala Convent Sr. Sec. School, St. Theresa School, St. Paul's Senior Secondary School, Naini Valley School, Inspiration School and Beersheba School.(these arranged from katghodam to haldwani). College include

Kumaun Institute of Information Technology Kumaun Institute of Information Technology (KIIT) is an educational institute in Kathgodam, Uttarakhand. Background KIIT is established by Uttrakhand Shiksha Prasar Samiti. KIIT is affiliated to Kumaun University, Nainital Nainital ( K ...

(KIIT) on Nainital road and Pahal Institution for capacity building close to the railway station. Kathgodam Railway Station has been awarded the cleanest railway station three times.

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census Haldwani-cum-Kathgodam urban agglomeration had a population of 252,060, out of which males were 121,363 and females were 110,697. The literacy rate was 85.17 per cent.

References

{{Nainital district Haldwani-Kathgodam Cities and towns in Nainital district