Dayara Bugyal is a high-altitude

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

located in the Uttarkashi district 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 ...

. The grassland stretches from an elevation of around 2,600 meters to 3,500 meters. It is situated close to the villages of Raithal and Barsu, approximately 40 kilometers from

Uttarkashi Uttarkashi is a town and the headquarters of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Geography Uttarkashi is located at . It has an average elevation of . Demographics India census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is t ...

town. The meadow is preserved as part of a conservation initiative by the Uttarakhand Forest Department to protect alpine meadows. In spring, there is contrast of greenery of the grasslands and red and pink rhododendrons. During the summer months, local

shepherds A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

bring their cattle to graze in the meadow and remain there until the winter season. In winter, the landscape is covered in snow, offering opportunities for trekking and other snow-based activities. The place remains accessible year-round, even during the monsoon season. Views of the

Garhwal Himalayas The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Geology This range is also a part of the Himalayan Sivalik Hills, the outer most hills of the Himalaya located in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Major p ...

, including Mt.

Bandarpunch Bandarpunch (lit. Hindi: ''Monkey's tail'') is a mountain massif in the Garhwal Himalaya in Uttarakhand, India. The massif has 3 peaks: White Peak (6102 m), also called Banderpunch II, to the west above Yamunotri; almost 5 km east is Banda ...

, Srikantha, Jaonli, Draupadi ka Danda (DKD) and several lesser-known mountains, can be seen from Dayara Bugyal.

Cultural Facts

Dayara Bugyal is known not only for its beautiful

but also for its rich

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. * Jeetu Bagdwal: The interesting story of Jeetu Bagdwal, famous in the whole of Uttarakhand, revolves around this Bugyal. * Butter Holi Festival: The unique tradition of Butter Holi festival is a part of Dayara Bugyal. This festival is celebrated every year on the auspicious occasion of

Sankranti Sankranti () refers to the transmigration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. In ''Saurmana'' ''varsha'' (Hindu Solar year), there are twelve Sankrantis corresponding with twelve months of a year. The Sankrantis can be broa ...

on the 1st Pravishte/Gate of the month of August (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: भाद्रपद). This festival is mainly dedicated to

Lord Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is wi ...

, due to which butter is used in abundance in this festival.

Gallery

File:Dayara_Bugyal.jpg, Dayara Bugyal File:Dayara_Bugyal_2.jpg, The summit File:Dayara_Bugyal_3.jpg, Dayara Bugyal Grasslands covered with snow

References

Montane grasslands and shrublands Geography of Uttarkashi district Hiking trails in Uttarakhand {{Uttarakhand-geo-stub