Almora

History of Almora

Almora is a town with long and ancient history. The Kashaya Hill on which Almora is built finds mention in the Skanda Purana. Raja Kalyan Chand of Kumaon in 1560 made Almora his capital kingdom. In the days of the Chand kings, Almora was known as Rajapur. The name `Rajpur` is also mentioned over a number of ancient copper plates. The town of Almora is situated over a horse saddle shaped ridge of a mountain. The eastern portion of the ridge is known as Talifat and the western one is known as Selifat.

The rule of the Chand dynasty came to an end after the gorkhas from Nepal occupied the area in 1790. The British defeated the Gorkhas in 1815, and established a small Army and a Cantonment.

Culture of Almora

The festivals celebrated by the people of Almora are:
Nanda Devi Festival
Jageshwar Shrawan Mela
Dushara Festival Almora
Doonagiri Mela
Dwarahat Mela
Gananath Mela
Somnath Fair

Almora is endowed with exceptional natural beauty and is also called as the 'Switzerland of India'. Besides natural beauty, Almora is famous for its rich cultural heritage, exquisite handicrafts, delectable cuisine and exotic wildlife.

This charming hill resort was the flourishing capital of the Chand dynasty. The region was earlier under the reigns of the Katyuri king Baichaldeo, who donated this area to a Gujarati Brahmin Sri Chand Tiwari. In 1560 the capital of Chand Dynasty was shifted to Almora (from Champawat) by Kalyan Chand. The beautiful town is set on a 6 kms long horse saddle shaped ridge. It affords breathtaking views of the snowy summits of Himalayas and is an excellent place for a peaceful holiday.

Almora Stats

District Headquarters: Almora
Area: 3090 sq km
Latitude 29° 36' N
Longitude 79° 30' E
Total Population: 630,567
Literacy : 74.53%


Places to Visit in Almora

Chitai Temple : Eight kms from Almora is the Chitai Temple, dedicated to Golu Devta. An incarnation of Gaur Bhairav, he is reputed to make every wish come true, provided the worshipper ask for it with a clear conscience. All he asks for in propitiation is a bell, as was evident from the thousands of bells strung across the temple premises. Anyone can even seek Gol Devta's divine intervention by writing to him. A stack of letter ws pinned up next to his image, astride a horse.

Kosi Temple (10 kms): The temple was built in the 12th century by the Katyuri dynasty. One of the earliest Sun temples in India.

Someshwar : about 35 kms north from Almora, Someshwar has an ancient Shiva temple considered to be constructed by the founder of the Chand Dynasty, Raja Som Chand.

Kausani : This charming hill resort set amidst several snow- capped peaks is endowed with exceptional natural beauty. Mahatma Gandhi came here in 1929, and was fascinated by the scenic grandeur of Kausani. His commentary on the Gita-AnaShakti Yoga was written here at the Anashakti Ashram. Sumitra Nandan Pant, a noted Hindi poet was born here.

Jageshwar : The pilgrim site located in a verdant valley is 38 kms from Almora and is believed to be one of the twelve Jyotirlinga's in the country. The Swayambhu Linga named Nagesh is enshrined here. The temple complex has 124 shrines and hundreds of statues noted for exquisite craftsmanship. In Jageshwar, fairs are held during Shivaratri and in the month of 'Shravan' (July - August). The place is frequented by both religious as well as nature lover tourists.


How to Reach

By Air: The nearest airport for Almora is Pantnagar (127 kms)

By Rail: Nearest railway station is Kathgodam (90kms), which is connected with Lucknow, Delhi and Kolkata (Howrah).

By Road: Almora is well connected by road. Main road distance from Almora are - Lucknow (466 kms), Dehradun (412 kms), Nanital (71 kms), Delhi (382 kms), Bareilly (205 kms), Kathgodam (90 kms), Pithoragarh (122 kms), Haridwar (357 kms), Haldwani (96 kms).