ABOUT UTTARAKHAND: IN VIEW OF UKD
Bounded by Tibet to the North, Nepal to the East, the state of Himachal Pradesh to the West, and the plains of Uttar Pradesh state to the South, Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh as the state of “Uttaranchal” in 2000 as the 27th state of the Indian Union with Dehradun as its interim capital. Encompassing 13 districts, the state is geographically diverse, ranging from the fertile terai plains in the South to the trans Himalayan ranges marking its northern border.
The hilly section, traditionally known as Uttarakhand or Kedarkhand (“North Country” in Sanskrit and renamed as such in December 2006) and geographically described as the Central Himalayas, has occupied various spaces in the imagination of Indians and Westerners alike. Tourists and migrants have flocked to the hills for thousands of years, while the fresh mountain air and cooler climes led to the establishment of several hill stations during the British Raj. Known also as the abode of the gods or “Devbhumi”, Uttarakhand’s primary shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath draw devotees of Vishnu and Shiva respectively from all over India. Moreover, the source of the Ganga, Yamuna, and other tributaries are found in the state’s extreme north, carving the deep valleys that have characterized much of the region’s rugged terrain.
Uttarakhand’s modern political and cultural identity dates to the medieval principalities of Garhwal in the West and Kumaon in the East. Garhwal was traditionally known as the land of “Garhs” or forts that were first brought under central authority in the 14th century. Kumaon kings also traced their lineage back to early middle ages. Despite centuries of prosperity and consolidation, the constant feuding of these two states and the encroachment of surrounding powers eventually weakened their kingdoms to the extent that they were overrun by the expansionist Gurkha Empire in 1791 and 1803 respectively. Although the Kumaon dynasty came to an end, the Garhwal dynasty was soon reestablished from Tehri as a subordinate state after the brief but bloody Anglo-Gurkha war in 1814-1815. The same war saw the incorporation of Eastern Garhwal and Kumaon into the British Northwestern, and later United Provinces.
By winning the rights over the territorial extent of the region, the British not only gained lucrative trade routes to Tibet, but also the rights over the enormous forest wealth of Uttarakhand. Recruitment into the armed forces from the region also began in earnest, with the Garhwal Rifles gaining international fame for their bravery during the First World War. However, both Garhwal and Kumaon soon joined in the general ferment of the independence struggle, focusing particularly on oppressive forest and forced labour laws. Meanwhile, the independence movement within the Tehri princely state successfully forced its merger with India in 1948.
The post-independence period saw many developments, including the closing of the Indo-Tibetan border due to the India-China War of 1962 and most notably the emergence of the Chipko environmental movement in the 1970s. Political and cultural marginalization within Uttar Pradesh eventually culminated into a mass movement for a separate hill state in 1994. Six years later, this “Uttarakhand Andolan” achieved partial success with the creation of the then named “Uttaranchal” yet balanced development for the highlands, the principal demand of this movement, continues to represent an uphill challenge.
