47-670: 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 Kumaon Division . "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
94-469: A population of 483,439, roughly equal to the nation of Suriname . This gives it a ranking of 546th among the 640 districts of India . The district has a population density of 69 inhabitants per square kilometre (180/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 5.13%. Pithoragarh has a sex ratio of 1021 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 82.93%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 24.90% and 4.04% of
141-661: A language in the unsafe category, meaning it requires consistent conservation efforts. Kumaoni is written using the Devanagari script. There are several dialects spoken in the Kumaon region. There is not single accepted method of dividing up the dialects of Kumaoni. Broadly speaking, Kali (or Central) Kumaoni is spoken in Almora and northern Nainital. North-eastern Kumaoni is spoken in Pithoragarh. South-eastern Kumaoni
188-493: A new fort on the hill where the present Girls Inter College is situated. The Chand rule, at its zenith, is seen as one of the most prominent empires in Kumaon. Their rule also coincides with a period of cultural resurgence. Archaeological surveys point toward the development of culture and art forms in this period. British rule began on 2 December 1815 when Nepal was forced to sign the Sugauli Treaty . Pithoragarh remained
235-458: A tehsil under Almora district until 1960 when its status was elevated to that of a district. There was an army cantonment, a church, and a mission school, resulting in the spread of Christianity in the region. The Bhotiya communities living in the Pithoragarh district historically practised transhumance between summer villages located at higher altitudes, close to the border with Tibet, and winter settlements located at lower altitudes, close to
282-472: A tree on the sacred ground of the village. Strips of white cloth are tied to the tree and a flag is raised. Hilljatra is a pastoralists' and agriculturalists' festival, which is celebrated in some parts of Pithoragarh districts. The aathon (eight day of bhado) and Gawra Visarjan became part of Hilljatra during the development process. The festival, which originated in West Nepal's Sorar (Mahakali) region,
329-516: A warm and sunny autumn season. The winter season brings pleasant afternoons, very cold mornings, and spells of frontal rain accompanied by sparse snowfall. Pithoragarh is an urban town with a Nagar Palika Parishad or Municipal Council spread over an area of 9 square km. It is divided into 20 wards for the sake of administration. It is also part of the Almora Lok Sabha Constituency , thus has BJP MP Ajay Tamta representing
376-506: Is 360 centimetres (140 in). Sati, Vishwambhar Prasad; Kumar, Kamlesh (2004). Uttaranchal: Dilemma of Plenties and Scarcities . Mittal Publications. ISBN 8170998980 . After June the district receives monsoon showers. Winter is a time for transhumance – the seasonal migration of the Bhotiya tribe with their herds of livestock to lower, warmer areas. Locally, glaciers are known as Gal . Some important glaciers of
423-682: Is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over two million people of the Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand in northern India and parts of Doti region in Western Nepal . As per 1961 survey there were 1,030,254 Kumaoni speakers in India. The number of speakers increased to 2.2 million in 2011. Kumaoni is not endangered but UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger designates it as
470-533: Is being considered for merging .› Pithoragarh district is the easternmost district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayas and has an area of 7,110 km (2,750 sq mi) and a population of 483,439 (as of 2011). The city of Pithoragarh , located in Saur Valley , is its headquarters. The district is within the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand state. The Tibet plateau
517-454: Is connected to the rest of Uttarakhand by all-weather motorable roads. The total road length in Pithoragarh is 80 km. Haldwani and Tanakpur are two entry points for entering Pithoragarh by road. Both are connected by railway services, the nearest railway stations being Tanakpur (151 km) and Kathgodam (212 km). Regular state bus transport services along with private taxi services are available at both places. Buses, which are
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#1732771866772564-517: Is linked to ropai (paddy planting) and other rainy-season agricultural and pastoral labours (Hill = mud, Jatra = Jaat). It has also been linked to the Champawat ruler's victory. The small town was extensively described in a novel by American author Bradley Swift, From Pithoragarh to Pittsburg . Major parts of the Bollywood film Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar have been shot in the city. Pithoragarh
611-474: Is located 188 km northeast of Nainital , the administrative headquarters of Kumaon. It has an average elevation of 1,627 metres (5,338 feet ). It is situated in the centre of the western half of the Saur Valley . The valley is spread across around 50 square kilometers. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards , on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes,
658-497: Is not connected by any direct train services ; however, it is well connected by road, and it also has an airport. The National Highway 9 passes through Pithoragarh. Landslides and cloudbursts , caused by heavy rains that fall during the summer monsoon, often interrupt transportation networks. The Pithoragarh Airport , also known as the Naini Saini Airport, is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-east of
705-515: Is one of the major festivals in this area. Languages of Pithoragarh district (2011) Kumaoni , with its several dialects, is the most widely spoken language. Hindi is the common language between the locals and outsiders, and English is spoken by some people, especially teachers, lecturers, and students in tertiary education. Several Sino-Tibetan languages of the West Himalayish branch are spoken by small communities. These include
752-536: Is situated to the north and Nepal is to the east. The Kali River which originates from the Kalagiri Mountain flows south, forming the eastern border with Nepal. The Hindu pilgrimage route for Mount Kailash - Lake Manasarovar passes through this district via Lipulekh Pass in the greater Himalayas. The district is administratively divided into six Tehsils : Munsyari ; Dharchula ; Didihat ; Berinag ; Gangolihat ; and Pithoragarh. Naini Saini Airport
799-909: Is spoken in South-eastern Nainital. Western Kumaoni is spoken west of Almora and Nainital. More specifically: Some Kumaoni speakers are also reportedly found in Western Nepal. Various Kumaoni text have been found from the Katyuri and Chand era on temple stones and as copper plate inscriptions. Kumaoni was also the official language of the Kumaon Kingdom . Being part of the Indo-Aryan dialect continuum Kumauni shares its grammar with other Indo-Aryan languages like Dotyali , Nepali , Hindi , Rajasthani , Kashmiri and Gujarati . It shares much of its grammar with
846-463: Is the nearest civil airport, but it does not have a regular scheduled commercial passenger service. The mineral deposits present in the district are magnesium ore , copper ore, limestone , and slate . There are 11 tehsils . Some attribute the name to King Prithvi Pal (Had his empire to Nainital & parts of UP) / Piru Gusain (Gusain refers to the younger son of a King), here the younger son of King of Askote (Pal)/ Pithora Shahi/ Pithora Chand from
893-771: The "10+2+3" plan . After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in Inter Colleges that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the Central Board of Secondary Education , CISCE or the Department of Education of the Government of Uttarakhand . They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. As of 2011, Pithoragarh had 17 primary schools, 20 middle schools, 22 secondary schools, 14 senior secondary schools, and 1 degree college. Before independence, during
940-636: The Chand Dynasty , who built a fort named Pithora Garh in the Saur Valley . After its conquest by Bhartpal, the Rajwar of Uku (now in Nepal), in the year 1364, Pithoragarh was ruled for the rest of the 14th century by three generations of Pals, and the kingdom extended from Pithoragarh to Askot . According to a Tamra Patra (inscribed copper or brass plaque) from 1420, the Pal dynasty, based out of Askot,
987-584: The Kumaoni language . Kandali Festival A flower called Kandali ( Strobilanthes wallichii ) blooms once every twelve years in the Chaudans region of Pithoragarh district, and the people celebrate the Kandali festival between August and October. Local people, known as Shaukars or Rangs, take part in the week-long festival with joy and enthusiasm in various villages throughout the region. The festival begins with
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#17327718667721034-633: The Kunindas . The Kuninda Kings of the region may have become the feudatories of The Kushana Kings, who held their sway over the region in the last quarter of the 1st century AD. The region subsequently came under the Kurmanchal kingdom , which had its capital first at Jyotirmath and then at Karikeyapura (Modern day Baijnath ) in the Katyur Valley. The Group of Temples at Kasni village (3 km from city centre) were built in 11th century during
1081-580: The Himalayan foothills and the Gangetic plains. With transhumance as a base, many of them would engage in annual trade visits to market towns such as Taklakot in western Tibet, and some would practice nomadic pastoralism as well. This way of life came to an abrupt end in the 1962 due to the Sino-Indian War . Trans-Himalayan trade was allowed again since the under 1990s. But unlike in the past, it
1128-662: The Lucknow session of Congress. The Non-cooperation movement was started in the region in 1921 and in 1930, 10 people from Pithoragarh participated in the Civil disobedience movement . Subsequently, the Congress won the Pithoragarh seat in the Provincial Elections in 1937 . The Quit India Movement of 1942 found greater support in Pithoragarh and about 150 persons were arrested while several were fined. The Congress won
1175-617: The Pithoragarh seat again in the General Elections of 1945 for the Provincial Assembly, and in 1947, along with the rest of India, this region also won independence from the British Rule. Pithoragarh is located at 29°35′N 80°13′E / 29.58°N 80.22°E / 29.58; 80.22 . in the district of Pithoragarh , Uttarakhand , India. It lies in the revenue Division of Kumaon and
1222-590: The Sanskrit present rcchami , I go, does not change for gender. But in Pahari and Kashmiri it must be derived from the rare Sanskrit particle * rcchitas , gone, for in these languages it is a participial tense and does change according to the gender of the subject. Thus, in the singular we have: - Here we have a relic of the old Khasa language, which, as has been said, seems to have been related to Kashmiri. Other relics of Khasa, again agreeing with north-western India, are
1269-529: The city and is a part of the Pithoragarh Vidhan Sabha constituency, represented by INC's Mayukh Mahar . Pithoragarh town, before the creation of a Municipal Board, was administered as a Town Area by a committee consisting of 10 members and a chairman. The Municipality of Pithoragarh came into existence on 24 Nov 1962 and the members and the chairman of Town Area Committee became its members. The board was, however, dissolved on 12 Mar 1963, and
1316-506: The city lies inside seismic zone V . It lies in the Moderate damage risk (B) area in Wind & Cyclone Zone and is declared a No Flood Zone. Pithoragarh has a monsoon-influenced climate. The summer season from April to mid-June is moderately warm with occasional thunderstorms, whilst the monsoon season from mid-June to mid-September is humid with heavy showers almost daily. This gives way to
1363-465: The city. The airport, which was constructed in 1991 for administrative use, was previously mainly used by the Indian Air Force for defence purposes. The airport was upgraded in 2016 at an estimated cost of Rs 64.91 crore. Bareilly Airport is located around 249 km from Pithoragarh is a major airport nearby which is connected to cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. Pithoragarh
1410-639: The course of time, got changed to Pithoragarh." Pithoragarh city and its surrounding areas were part of the Manaskhand region, which extended from the Kailash Mountain in the north to Bhabar & Terai in the south, as mentioned in the Skanda Purana . The Asuras and Nagas appear to be the earliest inhabitants of the region, who were later superseded by the Kiratas , Khasas and
1457-519: The fifteenth century, King Bharti Chand of Champawat amassed a huge army, and started plundering and killing in the regions ruled by the Doti Kings. This resulted in a war, which lasted for 12 years, and ended with a victory for the Chands. After the death of Bharti Chand in 1462, Nagmalla, the king of Doti attacked his son, Ratna Chand who was successful in defending himself. Nagmalla was killed in
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1504-457: The middle of the 19th century when Pithoragarh was part of Almora , there were only two middle schools in Pithoragarh. LSM Govt. Post Graduate College is the only government college in the town providing studies up to post-graduation. It was previously affiliated to Kumaun University , Nainital . With the growing impact of I.T. , the government opened SIT Pithoragarh in 2011. Almost a dozen of privately owned computer centres opened up later in
1551-400: The most commonly used mode of transport, are run by government agencies and private operators. Agencies operating long-distance bus services include Uttarakhand Transport Corporation , K.M.O.U, and various private operators. Schools in Pithoragarh are run by the state government or private organisations, Hindi and English are the primary languages of instruction. Schools in Pithoragarh follow
1598-573: The other language of the Central Pahari group like Garhwali . The peculiarities of grammar in Kumaoni and other Central Pahari languages exist due to the influence of the now extinct language of the Khasas , the first inhabitants of the region. In Kumauni the verb substantive is formed from the root ach , as in both Rajasthani and Kashmiri . In Rajasthani its present tense, being derived from
1645-657: The population respectively. Native tribes in the district include the Van Rawats and Shaukas. Van Rawats are hunter-gatherers . Shaukas are traders. In Pithoragarh the Shaukas are divided into two main tribes. Johari Shaukas and Rung Shaukas. The Johari Shauka community inhabits the areas in Munsiyari while Rung Shaukas tribe are spread among the three valleys of Darma, Chaundas, and Byans. Kangdali Festival , celebrated once every 12 years by inhabitants of Chaundas Valley,
1692-596: The rule of Katyuri kings . Upon the disintegration of the Katyuris and fall of kingdom in 13th century, Pithoragarh came under the rule of Bam kings of Saur . The Bam kings were feudal to the Raikas of Doti and was a branch of katyuri kings, and had their capital at Udaipur near Pithoragarh, However, the Rajas used to come down to Rameshwar and Bailorkol during the winter months. The Bam kings, who ruled over Saur were: In
1739-830: The tendency to shorten long vowels, the practice of epenthesis , or the modification of a vowel by the one which follows in the next syllable, and the frequent occurrence of disaspiration . Thus, Khas siknu, Kumauni sikhno , but Hindi sikhna , to learn; Kumauni yeso , plural yasa , of this kind. Conjugation of the verb Lekh (लेख) to write, in all three tenses in Kumaoni. मैं main लेखनू lekhnu मैं लेखनू main lekhnu I write हम hum लेखनु lekhnu हम लेखनु hum lekhnu we write तू tu लेख lekh छे chhe तू लेख छे tu lekh chhe you write तुम tum लेख lekh छो chho तुम लेख छो tum lekh chho you write उ U लिखनो likhno उ लिखनो U likhno he writes ऊँ Pithoragarh district ‹The template Manual
1786-538: The three closely related languages of Byangsi , Chaudangsi , and Darmiya , as well as Rangkas & Rawat . The Van Rawat tribe speaks their own variety of Kumaoni. Pithoragarh town, being in a valley, is relatively warm during summer and cool during winter. During the coldest months of December and January, the tropical and temperate mountain ridges and high locations receive snowfall and have an average temperature of 5.5–8.0 °C (41.9–46.4 °F). Pithoragarh district has extreme variation in temperature due to
1833-648: The town was then administered by the District Magistrate , who was the ex-officio chairman of the board under the U.P. Municipalities Act of 1916. There was no elected body and the affairs were supervised by an Officer-in-charge (a deputy collector) to whom the powers were delegated by the District Magistrate. Pithoragarh Mahotsav has played a significant role in conserving and sharing Pithorgarh's unique culture. It showcases local culture through music and dance, often featuring performances in
1880-455: The town. A few of the IT centres which are in Pithoragarh town are NIIT , Hiltron, Aptech , UpHill Computers, Info. Park, Sri Calculation and Care Computer. Construction of a medical college is proposed by the state government and it has been allotted a budget of ₹450 crores ($ 64 million). Kumaoni language Kumaoni ( Kumaoni-Devanagari : कुमाऊँनी , pronounced [kuːmɑːʊni] )
1927-608: The war and the Bams became feudatories of the Chands. The pargana of Saur came under direct control of the Kingdom of Kumaon in the sixteenth century during the rule of King Balo Kalyan Chand, when it was given to him by the Raika king of Doti as dowry for marrying his Daughter. In 1790, the Chand kings built a new fort on the hill where the present Girls Inter College is situated. This fort
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1974-442: The wide range of variations in altitude. The temperature rises from mid-March through mid-June. The areas above 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) remain in a permanent snow cover. Regions lying at 3,000–3,500 metres (9,800–11,500 ft) become snowbound for four to six months. At places like the river gorges at Dharchula , Jhulaghat , Ghat and Sera, temperatures reach 40 °C (104 °F). The annual average rainfall in lower reaches
2021-408: The worship of a Shiva linga made of a flour mixture of barley and buckwheat. During this festival, local liquor is traditionally consumed. It is performed in a decorated corner of the courtyard by each household. People pray for good fortune. The individual Poojas are followed by a community feast. Then, the women and men, in traditional dresses and laden with gold and silver ornaments, assemble around
2068-449: Was destroyed by the Indian government in 1962 after China attacked India. The Chand rule, at its zenith, is seen as one of the most prominent empires in Kumaon. Their rule also coincides with a period of cultural resurgence. Archeological surveys point towards the development of culture and art forms in this period. A Branch of Indian National Congress was established in the region in 1912, and in 1916, many people from Pithoragarh attended
2115-659: Was first introduced to the valley in Kumor village, Pithoragarh.The hiljatra of Urai (Dewalthal)is the most famous.Tha tableau of the Lakhiya bhoot is the main attraction.On the evening of hiljatra,worship of goddess Mahakali is performed tableaux are tajen out.The people of Bajethi, another village near Pithoragarh, accepted the Jatra, and it was modified and introduced as Hiran chital in the Kanalichhina and Askot regions. Hilljatra
2162-480: Was now to be conducted under state-imposed regulations and limitations, and was allowed only across the Pithoragarh district's Lipu Lekh pass , whereas in earlier times, in Kumaon and Garwhal, the Trans-Himalayan trade had been conducted across several passes. In 1997, part of the Pithoragarh district was cut out to form the new Champawat district . According to the 2011 census Pithoragarh district has
2209-556: Was uprooted by Chand kings . Vijay Brahm (of the Brahm dynasty from Doti ) took over the empire as King. Following the death of Gyan Chand, in a conflict with Kshetra Pal, the Pals were able to regain the throne. It is believed that Bharti Chand, an ancestor of Gyan Chand, had replaced Bams, the ruler of Pithoragarh, after defeating them in 1445. In the 16th century, the Chand dynasty again took control over Pithoragarh town and, in 1790, built
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