Almora
Almora is known for its cultural heritage, handicrafts, cuisine, and wildlife. The headquarters is in Almora. Almora is a hilly district in the central Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. It is a beautiful place with a height of 5,900 ft. There is a cave where Swami Vivekanand meditated and got enlightened. The British took Almora from the Gorkhas, who had left their mark on this town. The Nanda Devi festival is held here, and people come from all over India to take part.
Photo Credit: aboutUttarakhand.com
History
Before Almora was built, it was owned by the Katyuri king, Baichaldeo. He gave the majority of this land to a Gujrati Brahmin named Sri Chand Tiwari. Later, when the Chand kingdom was set up in Baramandal, Kalyan Chand built the town of Almora at this central location in 1568. In the times of the Chand Kings, it was called Rajpur. The name Rajpur is also written on a number of old copper plates.
It was started by Raja Kalyan of the Chand Dynasty in 1560 AD. Almora is a town that looks like a horseshoe. It is on a 5 km long mountain range between the rivers Kosi and Suyal. In the 1960s, Bageshwar district and Champawat district did not exist yet; they were still part of Almora district.
Geographic Details
| District | Almora |
| Area | 3,082 Sq. Km. |
| Elevation | 1642 to 2,670 Meters |
| Latitude | 29.5965° N |
| Longitude | 79.6590° E |
Other Details
| Language | Hindi, Garhwali and Kumaoni. |
| Place Famous For | Pilgrimages and Tourist Places. |
| Best Time to Visit | Summers and Autumn. |
| Clothing | When visiting in the winter, wool and jackets are advised. |
How To Reach
Almora is linked by motorable roads to major cities in the north of India. If you’re in Delhi, you can board a bus to Kathgodam or Almora from ISBT Anand Vihar. There are plenty of taxis in the Kumaon region that will take you to Almora. The journey from Delhi to Almora is 365kms if Moradabad and Bilaspur are used as the route. A 9-10 hour stretch is enough to get across this distance.By Train:
Kathgodam, situated 90 KMs from here, is the nearest railway station. Kathgodam has a direct rail connection to Delhi, the capital of India, Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh, Dehradun the capital of the state of Uttarakhand and Calcutta.By Air:
The Pantnagar Airport, known for its prestigious university focused on agriculture, is the closest to Almora, a distance of 127 KMs.
Uttarakhand is divided into two divisions: Garhwal and Kumaon. Uttarakhand state is made up of 13 districts, seven of which, Dehradun, Haridwar, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, and Pauri Garhwal, are a part of the Garhwal division. Almora, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Udham Singh Nagar, Bageshwar and Champawat are all part of the Kumaon division.
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Thali Jadda Jhainta
The Thali is a graceful dance only for women, while the Jadda and Jhainta are dances where males and females dance together with wild enthusiasm. The entire region has a colorful range of folk dancing. Even after a long day of labor, the Kumaonis have strength that allows them to dance. Dance and music are key elements of their life, helping to satisfy their emotional and social needs, with dancing keeping them feeling young and vibrant. The Kumaonis have proven this old saying correct.
Shotiya Tribal Dances
Shotiya Tribal Dances are the special dances of Bhotiya tribal. Some of the popular Shotiya tribal dance forms are Dhurang and Dhuring, which are associated with death ceremonies. The Bhotiya tribe believed that the soul of the deceased resided in the body of a goat or another creature, and they sought to free it. This dance is similar to the pastorals of Himachal Pradesh or the hunting dance of Nagaland.
Ramola
Ramola dance is a popular folk dance form from Kumaon region. The people of Kumaon are filled with joy when Spring comes. Bards, moving from location to location, talk about its beauty while playing a sarangi or dholak: “Oh my love, oh my beloved, Spring has secretly arrived. Let's go quickly to the valley of flowers to play the Phag together. People come together during the Holi festival, leaving their worries behind and engaging in a month-long celebration, singing hundreds of classical, semiclassical, and folk songs, accompanied by the Harmonium, Tabla, Dholak and Manzira (cymbals).
Pandav Nritya
Pandav Nritya, a well-known folk dance of Uttarakhand, is presented throughout the state’s Kumaon area. It is called after the Pandavas, a group of five brothers who appear in the Mahabharata, a famous Hindu epic. A group of people who are dressed like the Pandavas in elaborate masks and costumes perform the dance. They also carry swords and shields, which they used to act out scenarios from the Mahabharata during the dance.
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