Pithoragarh district is the easternmost district in the state of Uttarakhand. It is located in the Himalayas and has an area of and a population of 483,439 (as of 2011). The city of Pithoragarh, located in Saur Valley, is its headquarters. The district is within the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand state. The Tibet plateau is situated to the north and Nepal is to the east. The Kali River which originates from the Kalagiri Mountain flows south, forming the eastern border with Nepal.: "The river Kaliganga forms a natural boundary between India and Nepal. It has two headwaters: the eastern one Kalapani is a collection of springs, and the western one Kutiyankti [Kuthi Yankti] rises from the snow fields of the Himadri near Kuti, the last Bhotiya village in Vyas." The Hindu pilgrimage route for Mount Kailash-Lake Manasarovar passes through this district via Lipulekh Pass in the greater Himalayas.
The district is administratively divided into six Tehsils: Munsyari; Dharchula; Didihat; Berinag; Gangolihat; and Pithoragarh. Naini Saini Airport is the nearest civil airport, but it does not have a regular scheduled commercial passenger service. The mineral deposits present in the district are magnesium ore, copper ore, limestone, and slate. There are 11 tehsils. The overall sex ratio in Pithoragarh district is 1,020 females for every 1,000 males, which is notably higher than the national average.
Etymology Some attribute the name to King Prithvi Pal (Had his empire to Nainital & parts of UP) / Piru Gusain (Gusain refers to the younger son of a King), here the younger son of King of Askote (Pal)/ Pithora Shahi/ Pithora Chand from the Chand Dynasty, who built a fort named Pithora Garh in the Saur Valley.
History Pals (Branch of Katyuri kings) After its conquest by Bhartpal, the Rajwar of Uku (now in Nepal), in the year 1364, Pithoragarh was ruled for the rest of the 14th century by three generations of Pals, and the kingdom extended from Pithoragarh to Askot.
Bam Dynasty
According to a Tamra Patra (inscribed copper or brass plaque) from 1420, the Pal dynasty, based out of Askot, was uprooted by Chand kings. Vijay Brahm (of the Brahm dynasty from Doti) took over the empire as King. Following the death of Gyan Chand, in a conflict with Kshetra Pal, the Pals were able to regain the throne.
Chand Dynasty It is believed that Bharti Chand, an ancestor of Gyan Chand, had replaced Bams, the ruler of Pithoragarh, after defeating them in 1445. In the 16th century, the Chand dynasty again took control over Pithoragarh town and, in 1790, built a new fort on the hill where the present Girls Inter College is situated. The Chand rule, at its zenith, is seen as one of the most prominent empires in Kumaon. Their rule also coincides with a period of cultural resurgence. Archaeological surveys point toward the development of culture and art forms in this period.
Northern frontier: the Bhotiya Mehals
The northernmost tracts of Kumaon, bordering Tibet and Nepal, were known as the Bhotiya Mehals (also parganah Darma and parganah Johar). These high-altitude valleys — Johar, Darma, Chaudans and Byans — were inhabited by the Bhotiya communities, who practised transhumance and subsisted primarily on trans-Himalayan trade with Tibet through high passes such as the Lipu Lekh, Limpiya Dhura and the Unta Dhura.
Before the Gorkha conquest in 1791, the entire Byans region — including the villages of Chhangru and Tinkar east of the Kali River — was considered an integral part of Kumaon, distinct from the kingdoms of Doti and Jumla. After the Treaty of Sugauli, the Kali River was established as the boundary between British territory and Nepal. The Nepali governor Bam Shah then claimed the villages east of the Kali, and the British conceded Changru and Tinkar on the grounds that the treaty entitled Nepal to territory east of the river. However, when Bam Shah further claimed the villages of Kunti and Nabhi — arguing that the western branch (Kuthi Yankti) should be considered the main stream of the Kali — the claim was firmly rejected by the Governor-General, Lord Moira, in September 1817. The parganah of Byans was thus divided between two countries, with seven villages remaining in British Kumaon and two transferred to Nepal.
Under British administration, the Bhotiya Mehals were governed as part of the Non-Regulation Province of Kumaon, in which the commissioners — notably G. W. Traill, J. H. Batten and Sir Henry Ramsay — exercised broader discretionary powers than in the regulated areas of the plains. The Bhotiya communities spoke Sino-Tibetan languages — Byansi, Chaudansi, Darmiya and Rangkas — distinct from the Indo-Aryan Kumaoni language of the rest of the division.
Modern history British rule began on 2 December 1815 when Nepal was forced to sign the Sugauli Treaty. Pithoragarh remained a tehsil under Almora district until 1960 when its status was elevated to that of a district. There was an army cantonment, a church, and a mission school, resulting in the spread of Christianity in the region.
The Bhotiya communities living in the Pithoragarh district historically practised transhumance between summer villages located at higher altitudes, close to the border with Tibet, and winter settlements located at lower altitudes, close to the Himalayan foothills and the Gangetic plains. With transhumance as a base, many of them would engage in annual trade visits to market towns such as Taklakot in western Tibet, and some would practice nomadic pastoralism as well. This way of life came to an abrupt end in the 1962 due to the Sino-Indian War. Trans-Himalayan trade was allowed again since the under 1990s. But unlike in the past, it was now to be conducted under state-imposed regulations and limitations, and was allowed only across the Pithoragarh district's Lipu Lekh pass, whereas in earlier times, in Kumaon and Garwhal, the Trans-Himalayan trade had been conducted across several passes.
In 1997, part of the Pithoragarh district was cut out to form the new Champawat district.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Pithoragarh district has a population of 483,439, roughly equal to the nation of Suriname. This gives it a ranking of 546th among the 640 districts of India. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 5.13%. Pithoragarh has a sex ratio of 1021 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 82.93%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 24.90% and 4.04% of the population respectively.
Native tribes in the district include the Gurjars, Van Rawats, Van Gurjars and Shaukas. Van Rawats are hunter-gatherers. Shaukas are traders. In Pithoragarh the Shaukas are divided into two main tribes. Johari Shaukas and Rung Shaukas. The Johari Shauka community inhabits the areas in Munsiyari while Rung Shaukas tribe are spread among the three valleys of Darma, Chaundas, and Byans. Kangdali Festival, celebrated once every 12 years by inhabitants of Chaundas Valley, is one of the major festivals in this area.
Languages
Kumaoni, with its several dialects, is the most widely spoken language. Natives of the district speak the distinct Soryali dialect. Hindi is the common language between the locals and outsiders, and English is spoken by some people, especially teachers, lecturers, and students in tertiary education.
Several Sino-Tibetan languages of the West Himalayish branch are spoken by small communities. These include the three closely related languages of Byangsi, Chaudangsi, and Darmiya, as well as Rangkas & Rawat. The Van Rawat tribe speaks their own variety of Kumaoni.
The speakers of the West Himalayish languages, who collectively call themselves Rang, inhabit the valleys of Byans, Chaudans and Darma in the extreme north-east of Pithoragarh district.
Pithoragarh district: mother-tongue of population, according to the 2011 Indian Census. Mother tongue code Mother tongue People Percentage 002007 Bengali 414 0.1% 004001 Dogri 396 0.1% 006102 Bhojpuri 1,654 0.3% 006195 Garhwali 1,634 0.3% 006240 Hindi 35,590 7.4% 006340 Kumauni 423,862 87.7% 006439 Pahari 653 0.1% 013071 Marathi 281 0.1% 014011 Nepali 7,259 1.5% 016038 Punjabi 383 0.1% 022015 Urdu 1,224 0.3% 031001 Bhotia (also called "Jad") 1,325 0.3% 046003 Halam 5,623 1.2% 103003 Rai 263 0.1% – Others 2,878 0.6% Total 483,439 100.0%
Assembly Constituencies Dharchula Didihaat Pithoragarh Gangolihaat (SC)
Formerly Kanalichhina
Climate Pithoragarh town, being in a valley, is relatively warm during summer and cool during winter. During the coldest months of December and January, the tropical and temperate mountain ridges and high locations receive snowfall and have an average temperature of . Pithoragarh district has extreme variation in temperature due to the wide range of variations in altitude. The temperature rises from mid-March through mid-June. The areas above remain in a permanent snow cover. Regions lying at become snowbound for four to six months. At places like the river gorges at Dharchula, Jhulaghat, Ghat and Sera, temperatures reach . The annual average rainfall in lower reaches is . After June the district receives monsoon showers. Winter is a time for transhumance – the seasonal migration of the Bhotiya tribe with their herds of livestock to lower, warmer areas.
Seasons Winter (cold weather): December–March Summer (hot weather): March–June Season of general rains: North–West monsoon – mid-June to mid-September Season of retreating monsoon: September–November
Glaciers of Pithoragarh Locally, glaciers are known as Gal. Some important glaciers of the district are as follows: Milam Glacier Namik Glacier Ralam Glacier Meola Glacier Sona Glacier Panchchuli Glacier Balati Glacier Shipu Glacier Rula Glacier Kalabaland Glacier Lawan Glacier Northern Lwanl Middle Lwanl Lower Lwanl Bamlas Glacier Baldimga Glacier Terahar Glacier Poting Glacier Talkot Glacier Sankalpa Glacier Lassar Glacier Upper Lassar Lower Lassar Middle Lassar Dhauli Glacier Baling Golfu Glacier Dhauli Glacier Sobla Tejam Glacier Kali Glacier Kuti Glacier Yangti Basin Glacier Lower Dhauli Middle Dhauli Upper Dhauli Lower Kali Upper Kali
Himalayan peaks of Pithoragarh Peak Height (m) Sunanda Devi 7,434 Hardeol 7,151 Trishuli 7,099 Rishi Pahar 6,992 Panchchuli II 6,904 Nanda Kot 6,861 Chiring We 6,559 Rajrambha 6,537 Chaudhara 6,510 Sangthang 6,480 Panchchuli V 6,437 Nagalaphu 6,410 Suitilla (Suj Tilla West) 6,374 Suj Tilla East 6,393 Panchchuli I 6,355 Bamba Dhura 6,334 Burphu Dhura 6,334 Panchchuli IV 6,334 Changuch 6,322 Nanda Gond 6,315 Panchchuli III 6,312 Nanda Pal 6,306 Suli Top 6,300 Kuchela 6,294 Nital Thaur 6,236 Kalganga Dhura 6,215 Jonglingkong or Baba Kailash 6,310 Om Parvat 6,191 Lalla We 6,123 Kalabaland Dhura 6,105 Telkot 6,102 Bainti 6,079 Ikualari 6,059 Nagling 6,041 Menaka Peak 6,000 Trigal 5,983 Yungtangto 5,945 Sankalp 5,929 Laspa Dhura 5,913 Sahdev 5,782 Ralam Dhura 5,630 Gilding Peak 5,629 Shivu 5,255 Tihutia 5,252 Draupadi Peak 5,250 Rambha Kot 5,221 Panchali Chuli 5,220 Gelding 50,29 Dunkhan 5'035 Halsyun 5'105 Lalla We 6'123 Adi Kailash 6'321 Rajrambha 6'537 Deo Damia 6'632 Bamchhu 6'302 Syakaram 6'258 Mangron 6'565 Latu Dhura 6'389 Bati ka Dhura 5'858 Nanda Lapak 5'782 Kalchhu Dhura 5'421 Mapa Dhura 5'206
Mountain passes of Pithoragarh
International passes to Tibet Pass Height (m) Lampiya Dhura 5,530 Lipu-Lekh pass 5,450 Lowe Dhura 5,562 Mangshya Dhura 5,630 Nuwe Dhura 5,650 Kungri Bingri Pass 5,564
Intra-district Himalayan passes Pass Height (m) Ghantesh Baba 5,164 Nama pass 5,500 Sinla pass 5,495 Ralam pass 5,630 Keo Dhura 5,439 Belcha Dhura 5,384 Kalganga Dhura 5,312 Traills pass 5,312 Gangchal Dhura 5,050 Birejrang Dhura 4,666 Ghatmila Dhura Unta Dhura 5,350 Yangkchar Dhura 4,800 Rur Khan 3,800 Bainti Col 5,100 Longstaff Col 5,910
Valleys of Pithoragarh Vyas valley (includes Kuthi Valley and the valley of Kalapani River)