Kausani ( Kumaoni: ''Kôsānī'') is a

hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...

and

Village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

situated in

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 ...

in the state 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 ...

. It is famous for its scenic splendour and its spectacular 300 km-wide panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like

Trisul Trisul is a group of three Himalayan mountain peaks of western Kumaun, Uttarakhand, with the highest (Trisul I) reaching 7120m. The three peaks resemble a trident - in Sanskrit, Trishula, trident, is the weapon of Shiva. The Trishul gr ...

Nanda Devi Nanda Devi is the second-highest mountain in India, after Kangchenjunga, and the highest located entirely within the country (Kangchenjunga is on the border of India and Nepal). It is the 23rd-highest peak in the world. Nanda Devi was consi ...

and

Panchchuli The Panchachuli (पंचाचुली) peaks are a group of five snow-capped Himalayan peaks lying at the end of the eastern Kumaon region, near the Dugtu village in Darma valley. The peaks have altitudes ranging from to . They form th ...

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

called this place the 'Switzerland of India', due to similarity in landscapes.

History

During

Independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

in 1947, Kausani was situated in the

Almora District Almora is a district in the Kumaon Division of Uttarakhand state, India. The headquarters is at Almora. It is 1,638 meters above sea level. The neighbouring regions are Pithoragarh district to the east, Chamoli district to the west, Bageshwar d ...

till 15 September 1997 after which

was carved out of Almora district. On 9 November 2000, the State of

was created from the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern districts 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 ...

Geography

Kausani is located at in

at a distance of from

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 ...

city, the administrative Headquarter of Bageshwar District. Kausani is located north of

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of th ...

, a major hill station and the historical capital of

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 ...

. Kausani lies 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 ...

and is situated North-East of

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 ...

, the Headquarters of Kumaon. Nearby Towns include Garur () and

Someshwar Someshwara or its variant spellings ''Someshwar'', ''Someshvara'' and ''Someshvar'' may refer to: * Soma (deity), a Vedic Hindu deity * Shiva, a Hindu deity People * Someshvara I, 11th century Indian king from the Western Chalukya dynasty * Somes ...

(). It has an average elevation of above mean Sea Level. Kausani lies atop a ridge amidst dense pine trees overlooking

valley on one side and Garur and Katyuri valley on the other on

- Didihat Highway. Kausani is a part of the Lesser Himalayas, a region watered by rivers like Kosi, Gomti and Ramganga. Their banks, known as seras, are highly fertile.

Climate

Temperature ranges between 10 °C to 26 °C in summers. Winters are quite cold with temperature ranging between 15 °C to 2 °C. Rainfall lies between Max 3048 mm and Min 1777 mm.

Demographics

According to Census 2011 information the location code or village code of Kausani State village is 051443. Kausani State village is located in Garur Tehsil of

. It is situated away from sub-district headquarter Garur and away from district headquarter

. As per 2009 stats, Kausani is the gram panchayat of Kausani State village. Kausani State is a large village located in Garur of Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand with total 512 families residing. The total geographical area of village is 429.92 hectares. Kausani State has a total population of 2,408 of which 1195 are males while 1213 are females as per Population Census 2011. In Kausani State village population of children with age 0-6 is 334 which makes up 13.87% of total population of village. Average

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 Kausani State village is 1015 which is higher than Uttarakhand state average of 963. Child Sex Ratio for the Kausani State as per census is 825, lower than Uttarakhand average of 890. Kausani State village has higher literacy rate compared to Uttarakhand. In 2011,

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 Kausani State village was 87.80% compared to 78.82% of Uttarakhand. In Kausani State Male literacy stands at 96.25% while female literacy rate was 79.76%. In Kausani State village, most of the villagers are from

Schedule Caste The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

(SC). Schedule Caste (SC) constitutes 45.47% while Schedule Tribe (ST) were 0.33% of total population in Kausani State village. In Kausani State village out of total population, 1086 were engaged in work activities. 54.24% of workers describe their work as Main Work (Employment or Earning more than 6 Months) while 45.76% were involved in Marginal activity providing livelihood for less than 6 months. Of 1086 workers engaged in Main Work, 187 were cultivators (owner or co-owner) while 16 were Agricultural labourer. As per

constitution of India The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...

and Panchyati Raaj Act, Kausani State village is administrated by

Sarpanch A sarpanch ( IAST: ''Sarpañch'' Hindi: ''सरपंच'') or Gram Pradhan or Mukhiya is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the Gram Sabha (village government) in India. The Sarp ...

(Head of Village) who is elected representative of village. Kumaoni is spoken by majority however,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

are the official languages.

Economy

Many of Kausani's men serve in the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

– a phenomenon common in the northern hill towns of the country. The rest of the population depends on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and allied activities,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

and other small businesses for their livelihood. The local handloom factory produces shawls, woolen apparel and blankets. Besides handloom products, the factory sells other local artefacts and tea from Kausani's tea estate. Kausani Tea Estate was established in 2000-2001 and produces 70,000 kg Tea. In Kausani State village out of total population, 1086 were engaged in work activities. 54.24% of workers describe their work as Main Work (Employment or Earning more than 6 Months) while 45.76% were involved in Marginal activity providing livelihood for less than 6 months. Of 1086 workers engaged in Main Work, 187 were cultivators (owner or co-owner) while 16 were Agricultural labourer.

Tourism

Himalayan mountain range as visible from Uttarakhand, India

Tourist attractions

Anashakti Ashram is a quiet and revered place where

spent some days and wrote his commentary of ''Anashakti Yog''. The KMVN (Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam) resthouse in Kausani is an ideal place to stay and it provides panoramic views of the mountains. File:garur.jpg, Towards Kausani File:Baijnath Lake, Uttarakhand.jpg, Baijnath Lake File:Anashakti Ashram.jpg, Anashakti Ashram File:A view of the mountain range.jpg, A view of the mountain range File:Anashakti Ashram (Aarti room).jpg, Anashakti Ashram (Aarti room) File:Sunrise at Kausani.jpg, Sunrise at Kausani

Lakshmi Ashram Sarala Behn (born Catherine Mary Heilman; 5 April 19018 July 1982) was an English Gandhian social activist whose work in the Kumaon region of India helped create awareness about the environmental destruction in the Himalayan forests of the state ...

is one kilometre away from the Kausani, and is a center run by Kumauni women and dedicated to social service and the upliftment of women. Gandhiji's disciple,

Sarla Behn Sarala Behn (born Catherine Mary Heilman; 5 April 19018 July 1982) was an English Gandhian social activist whose work in the Kumaon region of India helped create awareness about the environmental destruction in the Himalayan forests of the state ...

(Kaitherine Heileman) established the ashram in 1946, and spent her life here doing social service and also established Anashakti Ashram. Lakshmi ashram is located in a solitary area among dense pine forest. Tea gardens (5 km on Bageshwar Road), Baijnath group of temples (16.5 km on Bageshwar Road) and

are the places of interest nearby. A fabulous collection of high quality woollen shawls, exquisitely designed by the local weavers, can be purchased from Kumaon Shawl Emporium. Pant Museum is named after the famous Hindi poet, Sumitranandan Pant, who was born in Kausani, the Museum has the articles of his daily use, drafts of his poems, letters, his awards etc. This Museum is at a short distance from the Kausani bus terminal.

Treks Near Kausani

PINDARI GLACIERMAPENGLISH made by Sumita Roy

* Pindari Glacier Trek *

Kafni Glacier The Kafni Glacier is located in the upper reaches of the Kumaon Himalayas, to the southeast of Nanda Devi. The glacier gives rise to the Kafni River, which is a tributary of the Pindar River. The Pindar River is a tributary to Alaknanda River, ...

Trek * Sunder Dhunga Trek *

Milam Glacier Milam Glacier is a major glacier of the Kumaon Himalaya. History It is located in the tehsil of Munsiyari, part of the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India, about northeast of Nanda Devi. It ranges in elevation from about to about at ...

Trek * Rudrahari cave temple trek * Kafari (3 km from Kausani)

Places around Kausani

* Baijnath *

* Garur *

Chaukori Chaukori is a hill station in the Pithoragarh district set among the lofty peaks of the western Himalayan Range in the Kumaon Division of Uttarakhand, India. To its north is Tibet and to its south is Terai. The Mahakali River, running along it ...

* Berinag *

Gwaldam Gwaldam is a hill station in India, situated between the Garhwal and Kumaon, from Kausani. Geography Gwaldam is located at . It has an average elevation of . It is from Baijnath, capital of medieval Katyuri kings and from Kulsari the famou ...

* Badhan Gari Mandir * Angayaari Mandir * Kote Mai Mandir * Krishna gari * Laubanj Village * Rudradhari Dham *

Saroli Saroli is a small village near the Kausani hill station in Uttarakhand, India. It is from the city of Bageshwar. Location The village is connected by a light vehicle road with Almora-Kausani-Bageshwar Road at Kausani. The road is about 12 ...

Transport

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 ...

, located in Pantnagar (178 km) is the primary Airport serving entire Kumaon Region.

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 ...

, located in

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 ...

(431 km) is the nearest international Airport. Kathgodam railway station (145 km) is the nearest railway station. Kausani is well connected by motorable roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand state and northern India. Bus Services are provided by Uttarakhand Transport Corporation and K.M.O.U.(Kumaon Motor Owners Union limited). Regular Taxis are available to

, Garur,

someshwar Someshwara or its variant spellings ''Someshwar'', ''Someshvara'' and ''Someshvar'' may refer to: * Soma (deity), a Vedic Hindu deity * Shiva, a Hindu deity People * Someshvara I, 11th century Indian king from the Western Chalukya dynasty * Somes ...

and other major destinations of Kumaon region.

Education

There are mainly government-run, private unaided (no government help) and private aided schools in the city. The language of instruction in the schools is either

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. The main school affiliations are CBSE and UBSE, the state syllabus defined by the Uttarakhand Board of School Education of the

Government of Uttarakhand The Government of Uttarakhand also known as the State Government of Uttarakhand, or locally as State Government, is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttarakhand and its 13 Districts. It consists of an executive branch, led ...

. Kausani State village has higher literacy rate compared to Uttarakhand. In 2011, literacy rate of Kausani State village was 87.80% compared to 78.82% of Uttarakhand. In Kausani State Male literacy stands at 96.25% while female literacy rate was 79.76%.

In Films

The movie 1942: A Love Story was filmed in this region and bears a resemblance to depict pre-independence India for filming purpose.

Notable people

* Sumitranandan Pant (20 May 1900 – 28 December 1977) was born in Kausani Village. *

(2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) stayed here for 14 days at the Anashakti Ashram, while scripting his book titled ‘Anashakti Yoga’. * Harish Bisht - Eastern Naval Command chief was born in Kausani Village.

References

External links

{{Kumaon Cities and towns in Bageshwar district Hill stations in Uttarakhand Tourism in Uttarakhand Bageshwar district