Garhwal Himalayas
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When the eastward caravan of the Aryans first encamped
on the banks of Ganga, since then Garhwal, the devbhoomi
(abode of gods), was closely related with the legends and mythology,
specially with the legendry heroes of Maha- bharata and Ramayana.
Garhwal has its prehistory hidden in the heavy veils of time. Recent archelogical excavations near Srinagar, and Mordhwaj date some settlements back to 800 B.C. |
Geographically, Tons river separates Garhwal from the Himachal Pradesh in the west, and district boundaries of Kumaon in the east. Starting from the foothills from the south , the region extends upto snow clad peaks, making the Indo Tibetan boundary Today Garhwal consists of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pauri, Tehri, and Uttarkashi districts and is spread over some 55,000 sq. Kilometers.
| Tourism as pilgrimage ,is an age old pheno- menon in Garhwal, Fortunately the recent trend of tourism towards nature have provided it better prospects to be the perfect destination. Considering the thrilling land architecture, unique Himalayan flora and fauna, and of course the culture heritage, Garhwal, surpasses the other parts of Himalayas. Apart from beig the source of two most important life giving rivers of North India . i.e. Ganga & Yamuna, the area is evidenced by a variety of landforms viz. Snow peaks, black mountains, steep escarpments, |  |
deep gorges,
hanging valleys , glaciers and lakes, numerous gushing streams
and swift cascading,
falling , foaming
rivers, and lush green
meadows.
The lure of Garhwal Himalayas is
irresistible
for the
mountaineer, as it
nestles some of the most challenging peaks e.g.Nanda Devi, Trishul,
Shivling,
Bhagirathi,
Kamet, Neelkanth,
Dunagiri, & Banderpunch etc.
In the words of Dr. T.G. LONGSTAFF, a seasoned traveller, and mountaineer, who first set foot on the summit of Mt. Trishul.
“I still believe
that Garhwal , is the most beautiful country of all Asia. Neither the
primitive immensity of Karakoram, aloof domination of Mt. Everest, the
softer Caucasian beauties of the Hindukush, nor any of the many other
regions of Himachal can compare with Garhwal. Mountains and valleys, forests
and alps birds and animals , butterfiles and flowers, all combine to make
sum of delight usurpassable elsewhere.The human interest is stronger than in
any other mountain region of the world, for these anciently named peaks are
written of in the earliest annals of the Indo_Aryan Race.”
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There
is still more to Garhwal , than meets the eyes. Its mountains and
valleys, forest and meadows, butterfiles and flowers are in prefect
harmony. Its sights, scent, sound and silence provide a high degree
of sensual delight.
Apart from belong the Mecca o Yoga and meditation,Garhwal is a destination of trekker, mountaineer, water sports lover (Rafting ,Kayaking ), skiler, wild life viewer , and pilgrim |