Pithoragarh
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| ?Pithoragarh Uttarakhand • India |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 1,645 m (5,397 ft) |
| District(s) | Pithoragarh |
| Population | 41,157 (2001) |
Pithoragarh, a city with a Municipal Board in the Pithoragarh district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, was carved out of district of Almora in 1962.
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[edit] Location
Pithoragarh is a small town, which gives its name to the district. It lies in the centre of the western half of the Soar valley which resembles the Kashmir valley on a miniature scale. It is prettily dotted with villages, generally placed on eminences. The view from Pithoragarh is very fine as all the peaks of Panch Chulhi, Nanda Devi and Nanda Kot are visible from high spots in the town.[1]
The town is set in a valley popularly known as "Soar"(root meaning is Cool) and lies in the centre of four hills Chandak, Dhwaj, Kumdar and Thal Kedar, and stretches in the southern flank to Jhulaghat demarcated by the Kali river adjoining the barren peaks of Nepal Hills. It is snuggled in the folds of four kots Bhatkot, Dungerkot, Udaikot and Unchakot. [2]
Pithoragarh, is known as the gateway to the Himalaya's from the north, as pilgrims trek through this town to the Kailash Lake Manasarovar and Om Parwat.
[edit] History
In 1841 Pilgrim (Barron), while passing through Pithoragarh, wrote : "... The first view of Pithoragarh is striking,in one instant, when you reach the top of the pass (Chandak) which overlooks it, a wide valley bursts on the view, with the small neat military cantonment, fort and scattecyan villages, and meandering streams, which distribute fertility to thousands of well cultivated fields.... I was apprehensive, too, that the beauties of Nainital had exhausted the store, and found that I was never in my life more mistaken."
After its conquest by the Rajwar of Ukko Bhartpal in the year 1364, Pithoragarh was for the whole of the remaining 14th century ruled by three generation of Pals. The kingdom extended from Pithoragarh to Askot. According to a tamrapatra (brass plate inscrption) dating back to 1420, the Pal dynasty was uprooted by the Brahm dynasty of Nepal but subsequently, following the death of Gyan Chand in a conflict with Kshetra Pal, the supremacy of Pal dynasty was restored.
It is believed that Bhartichand, an ancestor of Gyan Chand, had replaced Pals, the ruler of Pithoragarh, after defeating them in 1445. In the 16th century, the Chand dynasty again took control over Pithoragarh town and built a new fort, in the year 1790, on the hill where the present Girls Inter College is situated. Subsequently, under the British rule, Pithoragarh remained a Tehsil under Almora district until it was elevated to a district in the year 1962.
While the above narration cannot be authenticated, the fact is that "the district is named after its headquarters town, Pithoragarh. Tradition has it that during the reign of the Chand rajas of Kumaon, one Piru, also called Prithvi Gosain, built a fort here and named it Prithvigarh which in, in course of time, got changed into Pithoragarh. According to another local legend, Pithora, a Gurkha raja, constructed a fort here and called the place Pithoragarh."[3]
[edit] Places of interest
Once the bastion of the Chand rulers, Pithoragarh town is littered with temples and forts belonging to that era.
The town had two forts one of which has been demolished, its place being taken by the Government Girls’ Intermediate College building. The building of the other fort houses the treasury and the tahsil.
Other places of interest in Pithoragarh are Patal Bhuvaneshwar[Gangolihat], Chandak, Dewalthal, Dharchula, Munsiyari and Kali Mandir of Gangolihat. Kumaon University College is the main educational institution in the district for higher studies.
About 5 km. from the place there is a small and beautiful place named Chandag which houses an asylum for lepers. It is said that a goddess killed two devils, Chand and Mund, at this place. The episode gave the place the name Chandghat, Chandag appearing to be its corrupt
[edit] where to go
- thalkedar temple
- naini saini airline
[edit] In Popular Culture
The small town has been extensively described in a novel by American author Bradley Swift titled "From Pithoragarh to Pittsburgh".
[edit] External Links
1. http://pithoragarh.nic.in/Gazetteer/gazetter19.pdf 2. http://pithoragarh.nic.in/ 3. http://pithoragarh.nic.in/Gazetteer/gazetter01.pdf 4. http://pithoragarh.nic.in/Gazetteer/gazetter19.pdf
