Berinag is a

hill station A hill station is a touristic town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in Western imperialism in Asia, colonial Asia, but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by ...

, located 124 km from Pithoragarh city in the

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. Th ...

, which is the easternmost Himalayan district in the state of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is one of the six Administrative Subdivisions (tehsil) of

. National Highway 309A passes through Berinag. Closest prominent villages include Garawon, Dhanoli, Bana, Bhattigaon, Bangali , Quarali, Tripuradevi and Sangarh. Berinag gets its name from the Berinag Temple (called as ‘Bedinag’ locally), which is a

Nāg The Indian cobra (''Naja naja /na''dʒa nadʒa/), also known Common name, commonly as the spectacled cobra, Asian cobra, or binocellate cobra, is a species of Naja, cobra, a venomous snake in the Family (biology), family Elapidae. The species is ...

Devta Temple situated at the top of Berinag Hill. Berinag is among the many temples devoted to Nāgas namely Dhaulinag (''Dhavalnag''), Kalinag (''Kaliyanag''), Feninag (''Faninag''), Bashukinag (''Vasukinag''), Pinglenag and Harinag. Berinag offers a panoramic view of the Greater Himalayas, from Garhwal Himalayas to the Nepal ranges, especially lofty peaks like Panchachuli and Nanda Devi. The region is famous for tea estates developed during the British rule. The

Berinag tea Berinag Tea was a highly sought-after tea in London tea houses, As documented by William McKay Aitken and famed man of taste Laurie Baker. Berinag Tea estate was bought from Kedar Dutt Pant by Thakur Dan Singh Bist (also spelled "Bisht"). It ...

grown here was a highly sought-after tea in London tea.

Geography

Berinag is located at .Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Berinag
/ref> It has an average elevation of 1,895 metres (6,217 feet) above mean Sea Level.It is situated 460 km North-East of the National Capital

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

and 443 km South-East of the State Capital

Dehradun Dehradun (), also known as Dehra Doon, is the winter 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, d ...

. It lies in the Kumaon division and is situated 160 km North-East of

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

, The Headquarters of

Kumaon division Kumaon (; , ; historically romanised as KemāonJames Prinsep (Editor)John McClelland ) is a List of divisions in India, revenue and administrative division in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is b ...

. Berinag is situated in a valley of the

Kumaon Hills Kumaon (; , ; historically romanised 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 bounded on the north by Tibe ...

of the Central Himalaya range. The chief trees are the

Chir Pine ''Pinus roxburghii'', commonly known as chir pine or longleaf Indian pine, is a species of pine tree native to the Himalayas. It was named after William Roxburgh. Description ''Pinus roxburghii'' is a large tree reaching with a trunk diameter ...

, Himalayan Cypress, Pindrow Fir, alder,

Cedrus deodara ''Cedrus deodara'', the deodar cedar, Himalayan cedar, or deodar, is a species of cedar native to the Himalayas. Description It is a large evergreen coniferous tree reaching tall, exceptionally with a trunk up to in diameter. It has a conic ...

, sal or iron-wood, and saindan. Limestone, sandstone, slate, gneiss and granite constitute the principal geological formations.

Culture

Berinag is Culturally Rich region where various folk songs and dances are performed during auspicious occasions like marriage and festivals. Chacheri, '' Jagar'' and

Chholiya Chholiya ( Kumaoni) or Hudkeli ( Nepali) is a traditional folk dance form originated in the Kumaon division of the Indian state of Uttarakhand and Sudurpashchim province of Nepal. It has today become a symbol of Kumaoni and Sudurpashchimi ( ...

are famous among them. These folk songs are played on instruments including

dhol Dhol () can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in Indian subcontinent primarily includes northern areas such ...

, damau, turri,

ransingha The nansingha or nansinga is a type of natural horn, primitive trumpet made of copper or copper alloys, used in both India and Nepal. The instrument is made of two metal curves, joined to form an "S" shape. It may also be reassembled to form a c ...

dholki ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The dholak is most commonly recognised in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, but can also be found amongst the Indo-Diaspora in countries such ...

, daur,

thali Thali (meaning "plate" or "tray") or Bhojanam (meaning "full meal") is a round Platter (dishware), platter used to serve food in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Thali is also used to refer to an Indian-style meal made up of a sel ...

bhankora The bhankora (plural: ''bhankore'') is a type of brass instrument made of copper that is prominently used in the folk music of Uttarakhand in India, especially in the Garhwal region. The instrument is aerophonic and used in religious Garhwal fol ...

, mandan and mashakbaja. Music is also used as a medium through which the gods are invoked. '' Jagar'' is a form of spirit worship in which the singer, or ''Jagariya'', sings a ballad of the gods, with allusions to great epics, like

Mahabharat The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succes ...

and

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, that describe the adventures and exploits of the god being invoked.

Ramleela Ramlila or Ramleela (; literally 'Rama's lila or play') is any dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' or secondary literature based on it such as the ''Ramcharitmanas''. It particularl ...

, Berinag Mahotsav, Berinag Kautik has been staged annually.

Transport

*Nearest airport is

Naini Saini Airport Naini (also known as Naini Industrial Area) is an industrial township of Prayagraj in Prayagraj district, Uttar Pradesh, India. By the 1950s Naini was established as the chief industrial area of the city. History Naini had a prison, Naini Cen ...

Pithoragarh Pithoragarh ( Kumaoni: ''Pithor'garh'') is a Himalayan town with a Municipal corporation in Pithoragarh district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the largest hill town in Uttarakhand. Etymology "The district is named after its hea ...

: 112 km. Distance from

Pantnagar Airport Pantnagar Airport is a domestic airport serving Pantnagar and its adjoining regions, located in the 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 ...

(PGH): 210 km. *Nearest railway station is

Kathgodam Kathgodam is a suburb of Haldwani, Uttarakhand, India. It used to be a part of the twin township of Haldwani–Kathgodam, and is known as the "Gateway to Kumaon". History Literally meaning ''timber depot'', Kathgodam was a small village in 190 ...

: 178 km. *Berinag is well connected by road with

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ') is a municipal corporation 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 the ...

-96 km,

-160 km,

Haldwani Haldwani (Kumaoni language, Kumaoni: ''Haldvānī'') is the largest city of Kumaon division, Kumaon. It is also the second List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Haldwani is said to be ...

-200 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 Capital ...

-62 km,

-85 km

References

Image Gallery

File:The Panchchuli.jpg, The Panchchuli as seen from Berinag, 2015 Image:DraupadiKaDanda-HimalayanPeak-Garhwal,India.jpg, a Himalayan peak File:Panchachuli and nearby peaks.jpg, The Panchchuli as seen from Berinag, 2016

External links