History and heritage

Uttarakhand is known as Dev Bhoomi or Land of the Gods because of the many Hindu pilgrimage spots here. Most famous are the Char Dham - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri - along with Rishikesh and Hemkund.

It is believed that the Vedas and the Shastras were written here and that Sage Vyasa composed the epic Mahabharata here. 

People of Uttarakhand are generally called either Garhwali or Kumaoni, according to the two main kingdoms established since the medieval period. By 1816, all these kingdoms, including Tehri had become a part of the British empire. After independence, when Uttar Pradesh was formed, the locals demanded their own state, a right granted to them in 2000 when Uttaranchal was formed and later renamed Uttarakhand. 

The state boasts the Corbett National Park, the Valley of Flowers Park and the Nanda Devi National Park as a part of its heritage.