Almora is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

in the

Kumaon Division Kumaon (; Kumaoni: ''Kumāū''; ; historically romanized as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounde ...

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 ...

state, India. The headquarters is at Almora. It is 1,638 meters above sea level. The neighbouring regions are

Pithoragarh district Pithoragarh district is the easternmost district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayas and has an area of and a population of 483,439 (as of 2011). The city of Pithoragarh, located in Saur Valley, is its headquarters. T ...

to the east, Chamoli district to the west,

Bageshwar district Bageshwar is a district of Uttarakhand state in northern India. The town of Bageshwar is the district headquarters. Prior to its establishment as a district in 1997 it was part of Almora district. Bageshwar district is in Kumaon, and is bound ...

to the north and

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 ...

to the south.

History

The ancient town of Almora was capital of the

Kumaon Kingdom Kumaon Kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the eastern region of present-day Uttarakhand state of India. It was established around 7th century and remained an independent and sovereign kingdom until 1791. Etymology Kumaon is beli ...

, before its establishment, it was under the possession of Katyuri king Baichaldeo. Later on when the Chand dynasty was founded in Champawat, the town of Almora was founded at this centrally located place in 1568 by Kalyan Chand. Later Chand kings shifted the capital of the Kumaon Kingdom from Champawat to Almora. Almora town was the administrative headquarter of the Kumaun district; that was formed in 1815 following the defeat of Gorkha army in the

Anglo-Gorkha war The Anglo-Nepalese War (1 November 1814 – 4 March 1816), also known as the Gorkha War, was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and the British forces of the East India Company (EIC, present-day Indi ...

and the 1816

Treaty of Sugauli The Treaty of Sugauli (also spelled Sugowlee, Sagauli and Segqulee), the treaty that established the boundary line of Nepal, was signed on 4 March 1816 between the East India Company and Guru Gajaraj Mishra following the Anglo-Nepalese War ...

. The Kumaun district then consisted of the complete

excluding the

Terai district , image =Terai nepal.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm , global200 = Terai-Duar savanna a ...

with its headquarters at Kashipur. In 1837,

Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Garh ...

was made a separate district with its headquarters at

Pauri Pauri is a town and a municipal board in Pauri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Pauri is the seat of the Divisional Commissioner of the Garhwal Division. Geography Pauri is located at . It is located 1,765 meters above sea ...

. The

was carved out of the Kumaun District in 1891, and the Kumaon District was then renamed Almora District after its headquarter. In the 1960s

and Champawat district had not yet been formed and were part of Almora district.

was carved out of Almora on 24 February 1960 and Bageshwar district on 15 September 1997. In 2011, Ranikhet District was proposed to be carved out of the Almora District and has yet to come in existence.

Geography

The town of Almora is situated over a horse saddle-shaped ridge of a mountain. The eastern portion of the ridge is known as Talifat and the western one is known as Selifat. The market is at the top of the ridge where these two, Talifat and Selifat jointly terminate. The market is long and is covered with stone slabs. The place of the present cantonment was formerly known as Lalmandi. Presently where the collectorate exists, the 'Malla Mahal' (Upper Court) of Chanda kings was located. The site of present District Hospital used to be 'Talla Mahal' (Lower Court) of Chand rulers. Simalkhet is a village situated in the border of Almora and Chamoli. People of this village can speak both Kumauni and Garhwali languages. On the top of a hill there is a temple called Bhairav Gadi. Gori River flows through Almora District. Almora population

Visitor attractions

* Chitai Temple, from the main city of Almora, is dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

deity

Golu Devata ''Golu Devta'' ( Kumaoni: गोलज्यू) is the God of Uttarakhand state of India and is their deity. The Chitai Golu devta temple is the most celebrated temple dedicated to the deity and is about from the main gate of Binsar wildlife ...

, the god of justice, popular in Kumaon region. An incarnation of the Lord

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

, he is traditionally thought to fulfill wishes if prayed to with a clear conscience. * Nanda Devi Temple is a

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 ...

to the Goddess Nanda Devi in the center of the town, with unusual image carving on the temple walls. Nanda Devi festival is held annually in September. * Bright End Corner, from the main city of Almora, is a beauty spot visited at sunrise and sunset. A

circuit house A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

, Swami Vivekanand Memorial and Vivekanand Library is also situated here. * Binsar Mahadev Temple was built around the 9-10 century A.D. It is believed locally to have been built in a single day. Ladies come here on Vaikunth chaturdashi and light a lamp on their palm to fulfill the desire of child. Binsar Mahadev is from Ranikhet, and is surrounded by thick forests at an altitude of . It is known for its archeological significance and its dense forest. * Lal Bazaar is a shopping centre for local crafts, woolen garments, decorative items and metal utensils. * Someshwar, from Almora city is famous for its ancient Lord Shiva Temple, constructed by Raja Som Chand during the Chand Dynasty. * Jageshwar is known for its Shiva temple within a dense forest. The temple complex has 124 shrines and hundreds of statues.

Administrative subdivisions

District of Almora is divided into nine

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its adminis ...

s: Almora, Bhikiyasain, Bhanoli, Chaukhutiya, Dwarahat, Jainti, Ranikhet, Someshwar, Syalde and Sult. Its Assembly constituencies are Dwarahat, Salt, Ranikhet, Someshwar (SC), Almora, and Jageshwar. अल्मोड़ा पहले कुमाऊं कमिश्नर ई का एक भाग था और 1839 में ही अस्तित्व में आया था

Culture and literature

Almora was also the site of the dance academy set up by Udai Shankar, danseuse, in 1938 – several well-known Indian and French dancers trained there. The Almora dance academy was housed in Pine Lodge on the outskirts of the town (Ranidhara). The site has views of the Himalayas and the city.

"In these hills, Nature’s hospitality eclipses all that man can ever do. The enchanting beauty of the Himalayas, their bracing climate and the soothing green that envelops you, leave nothing more to be desired. I wonder whether the scenery of these hills and the climate are to be surpassed, if equalled, by any of the beauty spots of the world. After having been for nearly three weeks in the Almora hills, I am more than ever amazed why our people need to go to Europe in search of health." - Mahatma M.K. Gandhi

"These mountains are associated with the best memories of our race: Here, therefore, must be one of centers, not merely of activity, but more of calmness of meditation, and of peace and I hope some one to realize it." -
Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intr ...
(replying to the address given to him by the people of Almora)

Transport

The Nearest airports to Almora are

Pantnagar Airport Pantnagar Airport is a domestic airport serving Pantnagar, located in Udham Singh Nagar district in of Uttarakhand, India. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India. It is the nearest airport to the Kumaon division and is located in t ...

(127 km) in

Nainital Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...

and Naini Saini Airport (125 km) in Pithoragarh. The nearest railway station is at Kathgodam, 90 km, from where direct trains are available for

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 ...

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

and

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...

. Some of the major trains from Kathgodam are: * Sampark Kranti Express (5035/506) *Howrah Express (3019/3020) *

Ranikhet Express The 15013 / 15014 Ranikhet Express is a Mail/Express train of Indian Railways. The train runs between in Rajasthan and station in Uttarakhand. This train is a mail/express that falls under the North Eastern Railway zone of Indian railways. T ...

(5013/5014) *Rampur Passenger (1/2 R.K. Passenger and 3/4 R.K. Passenger) *Naintial Express (5308/5307) * ''Garib Rath'' (weekly) Almora is well connected by road to important centres in the region. NH 87 passes through to almora is known as karnaprayag national highway. Some distances: *

(378 km) *

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 ...

(394 km) *

Bageshwar Bageshwar ( Kumaoni: ''Bāgshyār'') is a town and a municipal board in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is located at a distance of 470 km from the National Capital New Delhi and 332 km from the State Capit ...

(74 km), (92 km via Kausani) *

(63 km) (via Ranikhet 103 km) * Kathgodam (86 km) * Haldwani (91 km) * Ramnagar (120 km), (via

- 150 km) * Rudrapur (130 km) * Ranikhet (45 km) *

Dwarahat Dwarahat is a town, near Almora town and a nagar panchayat in Almora district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Geography Dwarahat is located at . It has an average elevation of 1,510 metres (4954.068 feet). Demographics India c ...

(68 km) * Pithoragarh (120 km) *

(454 km) *

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The ...

(191 km) * chaukhutia (93 km)

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Almora district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 622,506, roughly equal to the nation of

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...

or the US state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

. This gives it a ranking of 517th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was −1.73%. Almora has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species dev ...

of 1139

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 81.06%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 22.68% and 0.21% of the population respectively. In 2001, Hindus were 621,203, Muslims 7,283 (1.15%), Christians 959. Most of the population lives near the main market of almora that forms nearly 45% of the population. The major first language of the district is Kumaoni, spoken by over 90% of the population.

Notable people

MS Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni (; born 7 July 1981) is an Indian former international cricketer who was captain of the Indian national cricket team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2017 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. He is also the curren ...

* Manohar Shyam Joshi (1933–2006), writer; born in Almora.WRITERS AND THEIR WORKS
Foundation of SAARC Writers. * Sumitranandan Pant, writer; born in Almora. * B. D. Pande Former Cabinet Secretary of India and Governor of West Bengal, Punjab is a resident of Almora *

Prasoon Joshi Prasoon Joshi (born 16 September 1971) is an Indian poet, writer, lyricist, screenwriter, and communication specialist and marketer. He is the CEO of McCann World group India and Chairman APAC (Asia Pacific), a subsidiary of the global mar ...

, writer, lyricist` *

Murli Manohar Joshi Murli Manohar Joshi (born 5 January 1934) is an Indian politician. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of which he was the President between 1991 and 1993, and the former Member of parliament (India), Member of Parliament for ...

(Former Human Resource Development Minister of India) * Govind Ballabh Pant ( First chief minister of U.P) *

Ekta Bisht Ekta Kundansingh Bisht is an Indian cricketer. She plays as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler. She was the first international woman cricketer from Uttarakhand. She was also the first cricketer for India to take a hat-trick in a Women's Twenty20 ...

: Indian national cricket team member *

Naima Khan Upreti Naima Khan Upreti ( hi, नईमा खान उप्रेती; 25 May 1938 – 15 June 2018) was an Indian theatre actor, singer and a producer at Doordarshan. She was also the wife of Mohan Upreti, considered to be one of the pioneers ...

(1938–2018) was an Indian theatre actor, singer and a producer at Doordarshan.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Almora District Districts of Uttarakhand