Kausani ( Kumaoni: ''Kôsānī'') 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 ...

and

Village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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 bounde ...

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 known for its scenery and its 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 group f ...

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.) Nanda Devi is the 23rd-highest peak in the world and ranked 74t ...

and

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

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

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 in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

in 1947, Kausani was situated in the

Almora District Almora is a District (India), 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 w ...

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 ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

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 Capital ...

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

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 ...

, a major hill station and the historical capital of

Kumaon Kingdom The kingdom of Kumaon ( ; Kumaoni: कुमाऊं राज्य; Tibetan: ཀུ་མའོ་རྒྱལ་ཕྲན།; HT: Kumāū̃; , also anglicised as ''Kemaon''), also known as Kurmanchal (कूर्मांचल), w ...

. Kausani lies in the

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 ...

and is situated 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. Nearby Towns include

Garur Garur is a town in the Bageshwar district of the state of Uttarakhand, India. Administration Garur is one of the subdivisions in Bageshwar district. The subdivisional magistrate office is situated nearby at Purda. Tehsil headquarters are also in ...

() and Someshwar (). It has an average elevation of above mean Sea Level. Kausani lies atop a ridge amidst dense pine trees overlooking Someshwar valley on one side and

and Katyuri valley on the other on

Didihat Didihat is a town and a Nagar Palika in Pithoragarh District in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the eleven Tehsils of India, administrative subdivisions of Pithoragarh district and also serves as its administrative headquarter. Wit ...

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

Tehsil of

. It is situated away from sub-district headquarter

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 A sex ratio is 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. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...

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 is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

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 (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 is the supreme law of India, legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures ...

and

Panchyati Raaj Act Panchayati raj (council of five officials) is the political system, system of local government in India, local self-government of Village#South Asia, villages in rural India as opposed to urban and suburban municipal governance in India, m ...

, Kausani State village is administrated by

Sarpanch A sarpanch, gram pradhan, mukhiya, or president is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the gram sabha (village government) in India. The sarpanch, together with other elected panchay ...

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

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and

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 ...

are the official languages.

Economy

Many of Kausani's men serve in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

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

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and allied activities,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

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

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 Sarla 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 Sarla 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 Sumitranandan Pant (20 May 1900 – 28 December 1977) was an Indian poet. He was one of the most celebrated 20th century poets of the Hindi language and was known for romanticism in his poems which were inspired by nature, people and beauty wi ...

, 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. To boost the astrotourism in India, the government is setting up an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. Th ...

here under the Vibrant Villages programme.India’s new tourism boom is in the sky. Uttarakhand to Andamans, stargazing on the rise
The Print, 5 June 2023.

Treks Near Kausani

PINDARI GLACIERMAPENGLISH made by Sumita Roy

Pindari Glacier The Pindari Glacier is a glacier found in the upper reaches of the Kumaon Himalayas, to the southeast of Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot. Geography The glacier is about 9 kilometers long and gives rise to the Pindar River which meets the Alakana ...

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 Himalaya in the Munsiyari tehsil of Pithoragarh district of Kumaon region in the Uttrakhand state of India. The Milam village, near the snout of Milam Glacier, is the source of the Goriganga River which f ...

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

Places around Kausani

* Baijnath *

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 its ...

Berinag Berinag is a hill station, located 124 km from Pithoragarh, Pithoragarh city in the Pithoragarh district, which is the easternmost Himalayas, Himalayan district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the six Administrative Subdivis ...

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 fam ...

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

Peaks Visible from Kausani

Trishul Trishul may refer to: Film *Trishul (film), ''Trishul'' (film), a 1978 Hindi film starring Sanjeev Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan *Trisulam (film), ''Trisulam'' (film), a 1982 Telugu film starring Krishnam Raju and Sridevi Military *Trishul (missile) ...

Panchachuli 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 t ...

Nanda Ghunti Nanda Ghunti is a {{convert, 6309, m, ft, adj=mid, -high mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ ...

Chaukhamba Chaukhamba is a mountain massif in the Gangotri Group of the Garhwal Himalaya. Its main summit, Chaukhamba I, is the highest peak in the group. It lies at the head of the Gangotri Glacier and forms the eastern anchor of the group. It is loca ...

Transport

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 ...

, located in

Pantnagar Pantnagar is a town and a university campus in Udham Singh Nagar District, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Kashipur, Uttarakhand, Kashipur, Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, Rudrapur, Kiccha and Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar. The town is hom ...

(178 km) is the primary Airport serving entire Kumaon Region.

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of ,

, 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, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

(431 km) is the nearest international Airport.

Kathgodam railway station Kathgodam Nainital railway station (station code: KGM) is railway station located in Kathgodam town near Haldwani, just 35 km from Nainital, Nainital Town in Nainital district of Uttarakhand State of India. The station code is KGM and is 101&n ...

(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

, someshwar 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: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

. 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

(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