Kotdwara

Kotdwara (कोटद्वार) (or Kotdwar) is a town in Pauri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Geography

Kotdwara is a small town, situated at the border of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, on the foothills of the Shivalik Range of Himalayan Mountains. It is locked in by hills from three sides. The name Kotdwara indicates the gateway (dwara) to the Abode of God (Dev Bhoomi), since this is the place from where the pilgrimage to two famous temples Kedarnath (Lord Shiva) and Badrinath (Lord Vishnu) starts. It is situated on the banks of three seasonal rivers namely Kho, Malini, and Sukhro. This area was the place of meditation for many sages and rishis.

History

Kotdwara or Kotdwar was called Khohdwara initially;–meaning a gateway to the Khoh;–after river Khoh on whose banks it is located. Kotdwar is a transformation of this name. The town has always been a commercial centre; and being located on the foothills of Garhwal, it has played the important role of a supplier of essentials to the upper reaches of the hills, such as Pauri, Srinagar, Badrinath and Kedarnath.

In common with the rest of the region, Kotdwara was ruled by the Mauryan Empire under Ashok the Great, then by the Katyuri dynasty followed by the Panwar dynasty of Garhwal. The Gorkhas of Nepal followed for a brief 12 years and then the British colonists.

Writing in 1882 in The Himalayan Gazetteer (Vol III, no II) E.T. Atkins says that it was a small but rapidly increasing mart located on a flat piece of land on the left banks of the Khoh. There was a fort at the hill end of this flat land, to fend off robbers from the plains. Kotdwara’s bazaar, he says, was increasing in importance partly due to the recently introduced cultivation and because of “increased means of communication, as hill men, instead of purchasing cloth, gur, etc. from Srinagar now go direct to this place where they can procure all they want at cheaper rates, and also barter ghi, red pepper, turmeric, hempen cloth, ropes of different fibres, and a few barks and jungle products, for what they require for home consumption”. He adds that the forest department had a large amount of timber and bamboo cutting in the vicinity and that there was a large mill on the canal used for grinding grain from Najibabad and Nagina. According to him, two fairs were held here during the week on Tuesdays and Fridays, frequented by thousands of people. The town itself, he points out, “was peopled by petty traders from the Bijnaur district numbering 1,000 for 10 months a year, as a large number of traders form Najibabad and also the hills keep shops open during this period, only going away for the unhealthy months of August and September.”

Before the coming of the railway to Kotdwar and even before the metalled road came into existence, the majority of trade passed through Kotdwara on bullock carts and horse-driven carts up to Dugadda from where it was further carried on mules and donkeys up the hill to neighbouring hill towns like Pauri and Srinagar.

In 1910, H.G. Walton reports in British Garhwal: A Gazetteer that the establishment of a cantonment at Lansdowne and the extension of the railways from Najibabad, both in 1887, had contributed to the prosperity of Kotdwara. He however points out that, “The town has already passed its prime and is waning rapidly as Dugadda waxes” – a situation which has now been completely reversed. Mr. Walton reports that the shops were no longer shut during the rains as the sanitary conditions of the town had improved, and that during the winter the town was a busy market which catered to residents of the region who all did their shopping here.

Once the metalled road was extended beyond Kotdwara in 1920, the town’s destiny became ascendant. Mechanised transport started carrying the bulk of goods from the railhead at Kotdwara directly to the mountain towns and cities. Businessmen from Dugadda started shifting their operations and homes to Kotdwara.

Even before all this Dhaniram Mishra’s uncles and associates had started occupying Kotdwara in a big way; Kashirampur near Kauriya was one such example.

During British times, Kotdwara was a part of British Garhwal; on India’s independence, it became a part of the Pauri district of Uttar Pradesh and then of Uttarakhand on the formation of this new state in 2000.

Demographics

India census, Kotdwara had a population of 25,400. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Kotdwara has an average literacy rate of 70% - higher than the national average of 59.5% - Male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 66%. In Kotdwara, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Overview

Ashram of Karnav Risihi is situated at the bank of the Malini river and is about 9 km from the main town, and is described in ancient literature. Shakuntala, daughter of Rishi Vishwamitra And Fairy Menika, had lost the ring given her by King Dushyant at this place. She later gave birth to Bharat who became a famous king.

In 1901 with a population of 1029, Kotdawar was an important business mart of the district, of commercial goods as well as farm produce. Jagmohan singh Negi was a prominent fredom fighter from this area , after the independence, he later served in the Uttar Pradesh Parliament, he was the first person from the Garhwal area to become the Minister in the Government of Utter Pradesh. After his demise his son Chandramohan singh negi also served in the parliament and also became the minister in the Uttar Pradesh parliament.

Education

Kotdwara has a government Postgraduate college affiliated with the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University. Other colleges are Institute of Hotel Management Studies, Malini Valley college of Education, Law College and Mauryan Institute of Hotel Management. The city is surrounded by many small villages and towns which are generally termed as Bhabar area such as Shibunagar,Durgapuri,Motadhak,Kashirampur Padampur,Haldukhata & Kishanpur. The Garhwal Regiment also has its base at Kotdwara.BEL (Bharat Electronics Limited) is 4.5 km from Railway station in route of Motadhak via Kauria check post. Kotdwara has got many famous school like Blooming Vale Public School one of the famous school and known in uttrakhand for its disipline and education ,coopreation with best school management including principe mam,big sir,Mrs.Dey,Mrs.Jain,Mrs.Gaur and many more govt intermediate college of kotdwara has a very fine standard of education. scholars of this college have reached very high posts in all over the world.convent school is also a very fine school for educating the infants.

Transport

Kotdwara can be accessed from Delhi by train (distance about 240 km) or by road (distance about 210 km). Trains such as 4041 Mussouri Express and 4044 Garhwal Express are available from Old Delhi Railway Station). A computerised railway reservation counter is available in Kotdwara. Bus services from Uttarakhand Roadways and UP roadways can be used from Kashmiri Gate ISBT, though for some time the UP roadways is running its operations from Kaushambi, near Anand Vihar ISBT. UPSRTC bus service is also available daily from NOIDA. Kotdwara, located at an altitude of 650 meters, has carved a niche for itself as the biggest center of trade and commerce in the district. Kotdwara acts as an entrance to the hills. All the items of daily use for the neighboring areas pass through this place.

The emergence of Kotdwara as a commercial center does not date back to an ancient era. In fact, the place was nothing but a small market till 1953 A.D. as the key business center was Dogadda. However, in 1953, a major change came when Kotdwara became connected to the railway route. This saw a radical shift amongst the business groups, a majority of which shifted base from Duggada to Kotdwara. This was beginning of Kotdwara’s phenomenon rise as a hub of trade and commerce, which is still continuing. Kotdwara can be reached via air through the airport of Jollygrant, which is the nearest one from this place. Jollygrant lies close to Deharadun, 115 km away enroute to Haridwar. Kotdwara is also quite well connected via rail and road to all the key towns and cities of India.

Nearby Important Places

Satpuli is a town en route from Kotdwara to Pauri,Lansdowne is a notable hillstation near to Kotdwara,Sidhbali Temple Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple,Durga Devi Temple & Kanvashram are some places one can visit in around Kotdwara Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand.

External links

Kotdwar, Official website

Kotdwar Information

Kotdwara on wikimapia

References

Category:Cities and towns in Pauri Garhwal district