Almora

State: Uttarakhand

Languages: Hindi, kumauni and garhwali

 

History:

 

Almora is located in one of the most beautiful districts in Uttarakhand. It is also one of the major headquarters of the same. Almora is the district of the Kumaun divisions of the state. History shows that the ancient town of Almora had been under the possession of Katyuri king Baichaldeo. The king had donated a major part of his land to a Gujarati Brahmin called Sri Chand Tiwari. The Chand kingdom had been founded later on in Baramandal. Almora had then been founded as a centrally located place in the year 1568 by Kalyan Chand. During those the days the Chand kings called this town Rajapur. Even the name Rajpur has been used in some of the ancient copper plates found here.

 

Geography and Demography:

 

Almora is located over a horse saddle shaped mountain ridge. Its eastern portion is known as Talifat and the western side is known as Salifat. The town has a market at the confluence of these two ridges. There is a village called Simalkhet near the border of Almora and Chamoli. The river Gori flows through the district of Almora. As per the 2001 census the township of Almora had a population of 30613 people. 

 

Tourism:

 

The town of Almora is famous for its cultural heritage, cuisine, handicrafts and wildlife. The city offers a breathtaking view of the Himalayas. On the top of a hill there is a temple called bhairav gadi temple. The market is situated at the top of the ridge and is about 1.25 miles long. It is covered with stone slabs. The area of the current cantonment was earlier known as Lamandi. The upper court of the Chanda kings was located where the collectorate exists now. The lower court stood where the district hospital is located. There are beautiful quotes written in the praise of this beautiful town including quotes by Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda. Apart from these the national wildlife parks in this area are a major attraction. The Nanda Devi festival, Uttraini Festival Bageshwer, Jageshwer Moonsoon Festival, Dushara Festival Almora are some of the popular festivals of the district.

 

Education and economy:

 

The rich cultural heritage of this ancient township led to the establishment of one of the most famous dance academies here. The academy had been set up by Udai Shankar who was a famous danseuse in during the 1930's. Some of the most famous French and Indian dancers have got training here. The Almora dance academy was located in the Pine Lodge on the outskirts of the town Ranidhara. Tourism and agriculture are main sources of income while the handicrafts industry also contributes to the economy.

 

Climate:

 

The temperature of this district is cool and bracing. The summers usually have a temperature of 15 to 30 degree centigrade while the winters have are below 24 degrees and go down to freezing points.

 

 

Transportation:

 

The nearest airport to the town is the Pantnagar or the Nainital airport which is about 127 km away. The nearest railway stations are Ramnagar, 90 km away and Kathgodam which is at the same distance. Almora can be reached through road also. It is 378 km from Delhi, 90 km from Kathgodam and 460 km from Lucknow.