Munsiari

Munsiari
Munsiari
Sub-division
Munsiari
Munsiari

Location in Uttarakhand, India

Coordinates: 30°04′03″N 80°14′19″E / 30.067413°N 80.238562°E / 30.067413; 80.238562Coordinates: 30°04′03″N 80°14′19″E / 30.067413°N 80.238562°E / 30.067413; 80.238562
Country  India
State Uttarakhand
District Pithoragarh
Elevation 2,200 m (7,200 ft)
Languages
 • Official Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 262554
Vehicle registration UK
Website uk.gov.in

Munsiari (Devanagari: मुनस्यारी ) is the name of the sub-division headquarters, a conglomeration of revenue villages and it also refers to the entire region as Munsiari Tehsil and Sub Division in the Pithoragarh District in the hill-state of Uttarakhand, India.

It lies at the base of the great Himalayan mountain range, at an elevation of about 2,200 m (7,200 ft)[1] and is a starting point of various treks into the interior of the range.

Overview

Its name refers to a 'place with snow'. Situated on the banks of Goriganga river, it is a fast-growing tourist destination, and mountaineers, glacier enthusiasts, high altitude trekkers and nature lovers commonly use it as their hub or base camp. Munsiari also falls on the ancient salt route from Tibet and is at the entrance of the Johar Valley, which extends along the path of the Gori ganga river to its source at the Milam Glacier. It is inhabited mainly by people of a few different caste groups including the Shauka tribe, dalits or Scheduled Castes and people categorized in other general castes comprising Kshatriya's, Pandits with a few Muslim, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists.

Munsiari bazaar is a conglomeration of revenue villages and is not categorized as a town. The bazaar area comprises the villages of Malla Ghorpatta and Bunga, while Naya Basti, Sarmoli, Nana Sem, Jainti, Papdi villages form the periphery of the area popularly called Munsiari. The main bazaar area faces east towards the himalayan Panchachuli ranges.

The upper part of Munsiari is called Malla Johar, which comprises of 14 trans-humant alpine villages, that are seasonally occupied during the months of May to early November.

Economy

Principally subsistence based agriculture and animal husbandry and allied activities. Many families are dependent on forests and natural resources for their livelihoods. [2]

Traditionally medicinal plants have been collected for own use and for trade, however since 2000 there has been a tremendous increase in the extraction of Yarsa-Gombu or Keeda Ghas (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) which has changed the economy and scale of collection from the wild.

Tourism is an emerging industry with private, community and the state government building a variety of resources and facilities to host tourists.

The traditional livelihood of trade, specially with Tibet, ceased after the 1962 war with China.

Common Agricultural Crops

Medicinal Plants and Fungus

Key Attractions

Some of the more popular day trip destinations are

Trekking Routes

The main trekking route is to Milam Village and Glacier

Milam Glacier : Munsiari is the point from where the trek to Milam glacier commences :

Ralam Glacier

Natural History

Birds

A part of the administrative region of Munsiari is located in the Gori river basin. As on May 2014 a total of 319 birds[3] have been recorded, constituting a quarter of India's birds. Species richness apart, the Gori river basin harbours many rare, endemic, globally threatened and endangered bird species, including many of the evolutionarily older birds on the India Sub-continent. The region has been designated by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area. [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Garhwal-Himalaya-Ost, 1:150,000 scale topographic map, prepared in 1992 by Ernst Huber for the Swiss Foundation for Alpine Research, based on maps of the Survey of India,
  2. ↑ Theophilus E, Et Al (2002), A Biodiversity Log And Strategy Input, Document For The Gori River Basin, Western Himalaya Ecoregion District Pithoragarh, Uttaranchal, A Sub-State Process Under The National Biodiversity Strategy And Action Plan India, Foundation For Ecological Security
  3. ↑ BirdLife International (2017) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and Goriganga Basin. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 12/01/2017.
  4. ↑ Birds of Munsiari. Munsiari, Uttarakhand, India: Himal Prakriti - A Trust for Nature. 2014. p. 3.
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