Culture of Uttaranchal

Be it the presence of age old temples or the varied folk dances of the region, culture of Uttaranchal offers you varied aspects of the history of the region too. Often described as "Devbhoomi" or the 'Land of the Gods', the land is inded gifted with some of the impressive array of natural beauties you could ever think of. Before becoming the 27th state of India, in the year 2000, Uttaranchal was actually a part of Uttar Pradesh.

Today the state has 14 districts while Garhwal and Kumaon are two of the major divisions of the state. In this respect, its important to note that culture of Uttaranchal bears striking similarity with neighboring state of Himachal Pradesh and country of Nepal too. Since ancient ages, the region found special mention in great Hindu epics of Mahabharata and Ramyana, furthermore it occupies great pride in many Hindu scriptures as-- Kushanas, Kanishka, Pauravas, Katuris, Palas, Chandras and Pawaras.

Arts & Painting of Uttaranchal:

Uttaranchal Culture owes it origin to the Kols, who shared Dravidian tradition, later merged with Indo-Aryan Khas. In the earlier ages, the state of Uttarakhand served as the best place for Rishis and Sadhus. Since the 2nd century BC Shaivism came to be widely practiced and even today its widely accepted in different parts of the region. The wide aspects of Culture of Uttaranchal received a tremendous boost when in 18th C Garhwali kings sponsored the Garhwali school of painting which had striking similarity with varied art forms of Punjab and Kangra art style.

Towards the end of 1803, when the attack from the Gurkhas intensified many of the finest pieces of Garhwali paintings were lost. Though the original form of stone carving is no longer practiced in Uttaranchal yet the beautiful wooden carving has found wide acceptance worldwide and tourists make a beeline to buy these amorous pieces which are further used as home decor items. "Dekaras" are a special form of clay painting done on traditional festivities where clay miniatures of varied Gods and Godesses are made.

If you want to opt for Uttaranchal culture tours, you need to the different languages which are commonly used. The main language used in Uttaranchal is Garhwali though Hindi is widely spoken all through the state. Also if you're planning to travel to Uttaranchal, you have wide plethora of choices. The varied tourist places of the region as-- Bibi-ka-Maqbara and Pan Chakki reflect the fascinating aspects of culture of Uttaranchal.

Cuisines of Uttaranchal:

And for connoisseurs of good food, its added delight to be in Uttaranchal, though the localites prefer vegetarian dishes yet there are some awesome non-veg dishes which are speciality of the region. The usage of coarse grain with 'Mundua' known as Buck wheat is widely used in the dishes of the region. The food culture of Uttaranchal is similar to other regions of India. Some of the popular cuisines here are--Singal, Rus, Aloo ke Gutke,Gahat ki Dal,Chicken Korma,Kandalee ka Saag, Kaafli, Gulgula and Kulath Phanu.
 

Last Updated On: 2011/07/12