Rudraprayag district General information
Rudraprayag district, also known as Rudra Prayag district, is a district of Uttarakhand state of northern India.
The district is bounded by Uttarkashi District on the north, Chamoli District on the east, Pauri Garhwal District on the south, and Tehri Garhwal District on the south.
History
Today’s Garhwal was known as kedar-khand in the past. In puranas kedar-khand was said to be abode of God. It seems from the facts vedas puranas, Ramayna and Mahabharat that these Hindu scriptures are scripted in kedar-khand . It is believed that God Ganesha first script of vedas in Vayas gufa situated in the last village Mana only four km.from Badrinath.
According to Rigveda(1017-19) after Inundation (Jalprlya) Sapt-Rishis saved their lives in the same village Mana. Besides there the roots of vedic literature seems to be originated from Garhwal because the Garhwali language has a lot of words common with sanskrit .The work place of vedic Rishis are the prominent pilgrim places in Garhwal specially in chamoli like Atrimuni Ashram in Anusuya about 25 km. from chamoli town and work place of Kashyap Rishi at Gandhmadan parwat near Badrinath. According to Aadi-Puran vedviyas scripted the story of Mahabhrat in Vyas Gufa near Badrinath. Pandukeshwar a small village situated on the Rishikesh Badrinath high-way from where Badrinath is just 25 km away is regarded as Tapsthali of king Pandu. In Kedar-khand Puran this land is regarded the land of lord Shiva.
The authentic script about the history of Garhwal is found only 6th A.D on word. Some of the oldest example of there are the trishul in Gopeshwar, lalitsur in Pandukeshwar .The Narvaman rock script in siroli the chand pur Gari rock script by king Kankpal authentitcates the history and culture of Garhwal.
Some Historian and scientist believe that this land is origin of Arya race. It is believed that about 300B.C. Khasa invaded Garhwal through Kashmir Nepal and Kuman. A conflict grew due to this invasion a conflict took place between these outsiders and natives .The natives for their protection builded small forts called “Garhi’’. Later on Khasa defeated the native totally and captured the forts.
After Khasa, Kshatiya invaded this land and defeated Khasa accomplished their regime. They confined Garhwal of hundreds of Garhi in to fifty-two Garhi only. One kantura vashudev general of kshatriya established his regime on the northern border of garhwal and founded his capital in joshimath then Kartikeypur vashudev katyuri was the founder of katyura dynasty in Garhwal and they reign Garhwal over hundreds of years in this period of katyuri regime Aadi-Guru Sankaracharya visited garhwal and established Jyotrimath which is one of the four famous Peeths established by Aadi-Guru Sankaracharya. In Bharat varsh other these are Dwarika , Puri and Srinagar. He also reinstated idol of lord Badrinath in Badrinath, before this the idol of Badrinath was hidden in Narad-Kund by the fear of Budhas. After this ethicist of vaidic cult started to pilgrim Badrinath.
According to Pt.Harikrishna Raturi king Bhanu pratap was the first ruler of Panwar dynasty in garhwal who founded chanpur-Garhi as his capital. This was is strongest Garh for the fifty- two garhs of garhwal.
The devastating earthquake of 8th September 1803 weakened the economic and administrative set up of Garhwal state. Taking advantage of the situation Gorkhas attacked Garhwal under the command of Amar Singh Thapa and Hastidal Chanturia. They established there reign over half of the Garhwal in 1804 up to 1815 this region remain under Gorkha rule.
Mean while the king of Panwar dynasty Raja Sudarshan Shah contacted east India Company and soughted help. With the help of British he defected Gorkas and merged the eastern part of Alaknanda and Mandakani along with the capital srinagar in British Garhwal from that time this region was known as British Garhwal and the capital of Garhwal was set up at Tehri instead of Srinagar. After the death of Sudarshan Shah Bhawani Shah succeeded him, who died in 1871 and was succeeded by his elder son Pratap Shah. Pratap Shah ascended the throne of Tehri at the age of 21 only. He was the founder of Pratap Nagar. He also tried to improve the forest, judicial and police administration. During his rule several public uprisings took place in the state. He died in 1886.
Kirti Shah at the time of his father’s death was still in his adolescence, so his mother Rajmata Guleri appointed Vikram Singh as the regent . But after sometime she herself took over administration. Kirti Shah took over charge of the state in 1892. His rule saw a marked improvement in the functioning of courts, forest and other departments. He is said to have invented typewriter for Hindi but gave the copy write to a company. The religious inclination of Kirti Shah is aptly proved by the fact that he organized a religious conference of the followers of different religion at Tehri. He died on 25th April 1913.
Narendra Shah the successor of Kirti Shah was again a minor at the time of succession. Thus, during the initial years the state administration was looked after by a Regency under the presidency of his mother. During the War period(1939-42) Tehri state supplied a huge amount of wood to the Britishers while the king himself offered his services for them during the first world war. Some of his achievement were developing the new township of Narendra Nagar, construction of Kirti Nagar, Tehri , Muni ki Reti. He died on 22nd September 1950 in a car accident but had already relinquished the throne in favour of his son Manvendra Shah on 26th May 1946. The later ruled the state from 1946 till the state was merged with the Indian Union in August 1949.
The newly crated Rudraprayag District was part of three district Chamoli,Pauri and Tehri. On 16th September 1997 Rudraprayag District was carved out from whole of Augustmuni & Ukhimath block and part of Pokhri & Karnprayag block from Chamoli , part of Jakholi and Kirtinagar block from Tehri District, part of Khirsu block from Pauri.
GEOLOGY
The geology of the region shows that the Himalayas are the young mountains in the world. During early Mesozoic times, or the secondary geological period, the land mass now covered by them was occupied by the great geosynclinal Tethys sea . The probable date of the commencement of the elevation of the Himalayas is about the close of the Mesozoic period, but the unraveling of the story of their structure has only just begin, and in many cases no dating of the rocks is yet possible, though they include ancient and relatively recent crystalline intrusive, rocks and sediments allied to the peninsular part of India . The section of the range in the district is deeply cut into by the headwaters of the Alaknanda river, this trunk stream seeming to have reached a latter stage of development than its tributaries. This much, however, is known that there has been intense metamorphosis. In some parts uplift has been considerable since the mid-pleistocene period, in others there are great stretches of high but subdued topography and elsewhere there are the deepest gorges.
MINERALS
The minerals that are found in the district are the following-
Asbestos - This is of the amosite variety and can be used for the production of asbestos, cement bricks, laboratory asbestos sheet and paper, but is not considered to be of economic importance.
Magnestic - This is of an average quality is crystalline in nature, and is found associated with crystalline dolomites and sometimes with soapstone. The Magnesium carbonate found here is also of average quality and its mineralisation has also been reported to occur in the district.
Soapstone or Steatite - This white saponaceous stone resembling pipe clay is obtained in as lenticular body and is associated with mineral pyrites, which adds a color to it, and in places with magnesite. it can be mined for use as filler in soap and in the cosmetic industries. In the past various utensils were made of it which, when polished, had the appearance of marble.
Copper - The copper mines in the district are extensive and of reputed during the period of Hindus and The Gorkhas rules. All the rich mines have since being exhausted and at present they do not offer a fair field for the employment of capital.
Iron - Small and sporadic occurrence of iron are known to occur in several parts of district but are of hardly any economic important. Iron ore, rich in haematite, and magnetic ore, with haematite and siderite, also occur in the district.
Graphite - In the past this mineral, also known as plumbago, found mostly in patti Lohba, was used as a dye but no large deposits have been noticed for a long time.
Gypsum - This mineral is found on the bank of some river and was used in the past for the manufacture of saucers and bowls .when ground to a fine powder it is known as Plaster of Paris and can be used for a number of purposes.
Lead - Deposits of this metal were fairly numerous in the past but it is found in somewhat inaccessible places and has long since ceased to be worked.
Slate - This dense, fine grained metamorphic rock, which is produced from a fine clay, can be split into thin, smooth plates and is quarried throughout the district. It is suitable for roofing purposes, the thin dark blue slates being somewhat inferior in quality.
Building Stone - Stone which can be used for building purposes is available in most parts of the district. Sand stone is found in abundance in the lower hills. Gneiss and chlorite schists which are available throughout the district are frequently used for building purposes.
Sulphur - This yellow mineral, also known as brimstone is found in the district as green sulphate of iron and is obtainable from iron pyrites and copper mines, its presence being characterised by a small as of rotten eggs. Sulphur springs also occur in many parts in the district.
Bitumen - The brownish white natural sulphate of alumina known as Shilajit is found in rocks at a fairly high altitude and occur in small lumps which generally have an admixture of red sand and micaceous stone embedded in them. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine and during the season when there is an influx of pilgrims, it fetches good income to those who deal in it.
Some other minerals found in the district are Antimony, Arsenic, Lignite or Brown Marble, Mica and silver.
Physiographically the district, which lies in a region of tectonic or folded and overthrust mountain chains, has strata are structurally marked by complex folds, reverse faults, overthrusts and nappes of great dimensions, all these as well as frequent earthquake of varying intensity give region to believe that the region is still unstable. Although any movement or tremor of the earths crust in the district is not produced by volcanic activity, the Chaukhamba peak a pair to be the crater of an extinct volcano.
CLIMATE
As the elevation of the district ranges from 800 mts. to 8000 mts above see level the climate of the district very largely depend on altitude. The winter season is from about mid November to March. As most of the region is situated on the southern slops of the outer Himalayas, monsoon currents can enter through the valley, the rainfall being heaviest in the monsoon from June to September.
Rainfall - Most of the rainfall occur during the period June to September when 70 to 80 percent of the annual precipitation is accounted for in the southern half of the district and 55 to 65 percent in the northern half. The effectiveness of the rains is, among others, related to low temperature which means less evapo-transpiration and forest or vegetation cover. However, the effectiveness is neither uniform nor even positive in areas where either the vegetational cover is poor or / and has steep slops or the soils have been so denuded that their moisture absorption capacity has become marginal.
Temperature - The details of temperature recorded at the meteorological observatories in the district show that the highest temperature was 340C and lowest 00C. January is the coldest month after which the temperature begin to rise till June or July. temperature vary with elevation. During the winter cold waves in the wake of western disturbances may cause temperature to fall appreciably. Snow accumulation in valleys is considerable.
Humidity - The relative humidity is high during monsoon season, generally exceeding 70% on the average. The driest part of the year is the pre monsoon period when the humidity may drop to 35% during the afternoon. During the winter months humidity increases toward the afternoon at certain high stations.
Cloudiness - Skies are heavily clouded during the monsoon months and for short spells when the region is affected by the passage of western disturbances. During the rest of the year the skies are generally clear to lightly clouded.
Winds - Owing to the nature of terrain local affect are pronounced and when the general prevailing winds not too strong to mask these effect, there is a tendency for diurnal reversal of winds, the flow being anabatic during the day and katabatic at night, the latter being of considerable force.
RIVERS
The river Mandakini, which is the most important river coming down from the slopes of Kedarnath peak, joins the Alaknanda (the alaknanda originates at a height of 3641 metres below Balakun peak 16 kms. upstream fromadrinath.) at Rudraprayag. The river actually originates from the springs fed by melting snow of Charabari glacier about one km above Kedarnath temple. Mandakini is itself fed by Vasukiganga, which meets it at Sonprayag 16 km down-stream from Kedarnath.
The fact is that the main river of the Himalaya are older than the mountains they traverse. This is why they flow right across the axis of the ranges through deep gorges carved out by the river themselves. All the rivers of the district are snow fed.
As the water levels of the rivers are much below the arable land levels, the rivers cannot be generally used for irrigation purposes.
Temples
Out of the five Kedars, three lies in Rudraprayag District.The term Kedar itself means a natural rock formation or glacial moraine. According to legend, Kedarnath, the chief seat of Panch Kedar, came into being during the period when the five Pandava brother were asked to seek Lord Shiva's blessing, purging them of the sin of killing their cousin brothers in the battle of Kurukshetra. Shiva disguised himself as a bull and started to plunge underground when he was spotted by the Pandavas. No wonder, the natural rock formation that is worshipped here resembles the rump of bull. The other two places where Shiva is worshipped take their appearance from different pats of his body - the navel at Madmaheshwar and the arm at Tungnath.
Tourist Place
Rudra Prayag
Named after Lord Shiva (Rudra), Rudraprayag is situated at the holy confluence of Alaknanda and Mandakini rivers, at a distance of 34 kms. from Srinagar(Garhwal). The meeting of the Mandakini and Alaknanda rivers has a unique beauty of its own and it seems as if two sisters were embracing each other. It is believed that to master the mysteries of music, Narad Muni worshipped Lord Shiva, who appeared in his Rudra Avtaar (incarnation) to bless Narad.The Shiva and Jagdamba temples are of great religious importance.
Till recently, Rudraprayag was a part of district Chamoli and Tehri. In 1997, the Kedarnath Valley and parts of district Tehri & Pauri were conjoined to form Rudraprayag as a new district.
The entire region is blessed with immense natural beauty, places of religious importance, lakes and glaciers.
Agastmuni
18 kms. from Rudraprayag, at an altitude of 1000 mts. and on the bank of river Mandakini, this is the place were rishi Agastya meditated for years.
A temple by the name of Agasteshwar mahadev is dedicated to sage Agastya and this temple is also of an archaeological significance; figures of Gods and Goddess have been carved out on stones. On the occasion of Baisakhi a large fair is held and many devotees come here to worship and pay their homage to God.
For food and accommodation, a Forest Rest House and private hotels are available. Other facilities include market, bank, hospitals etc.
Guptkashi
Guptkashi has a great importance quite like that of Kashi. The ancient Vishwanath temple, Ardhnareshwar temple and Manikarnik Kund, where the two streams of Ganga and Yamuna are believed to meet, are the main places of attraction in Guptkashi.
It is believed that after the battle of Mahabharata, the Pandavas wanted to meet Lord Shiva and seek his blessing. But Lord Shiva evaded from Guptkasi to Kedarnath as he did not want to meet the Pandavas, the reason being that although they had fought for the right cause, they were also responsible for destroying their own dynasty.
Guptkashi is situated at an elevation of 1319 mts. The one Stupa is situated in Nala which is quite close to Ukhimath. Some local people call it the grave of Rana Nal.
3 kms. from Guptkashi, the remains of Ramgarh(in Ronitpur) still seem to echo the love between Lord Krishna’s son Anniruddha and Vanasur’s daughter Usha.
Gaurikund
At a distance of 5 kms. from Son Prayag and at a altitude of 1982 mts., Gaurikund is the last bus station on the Kedarnath route. Before proceeding for Kedarnath on foot, people bath in the hot water pond here and visit the Gauri Devi temple. This is the place where Goddess Parvati meditated to attain Lord Shiva.
Deoria Tal
It is situated on the Chopta-Ukimath road about 2 kms. from road head at Sari village. This lake has captivating surroundings with forest all around. Te reflection of the mighty Chaukhamba peak in the lake creates a beautiful effect.
The road is motorable upto Sari, 10 kms. from Ukhimath and from there one has to trek about 2 kms. All arrangements have to be made for a night halt at the spot.
Chopta
Situated on the Gopeshwar - Ukhimath road, about 40 kms. from Gopeshwar at an altitude of about 2900 mts., Chopta is one of the most picturesque places in the entire Garhwal region. It provides a breathtaking view of the Himalayan ranges and surrounding areas. P.W.D. guest house is available at Dogalbhita 8 kms. from Chopta.
Ukhimath
This is the winter seat of Lord Kedarnath and worship is done here during the winters when the temples of Kedarnath remain closed. The temples of Usha and Aniruddha, Lord Shiva and Parvati are worth visiting. Ukimath is at a distance of 41 kms. from Rudraprayag and 13 kms. from Guptkashi. It is situated at an elevation of 1311 mts.
Son Prayag
At an elevation of 1829 mts. and on the main Kedarnath route, Son Prayag lies at the confluence of river Basuki and Mandakini. The holy site of Son Prayag is of immense religious significance. It is said that a mere touch of the holy water of Son Prayag helps one to attain the “Baikunth Dham”. Kedarnath is at a distance of 19 kms. from Son Prayag. Triyuginarayan, which is supposed to be the marriage place of Lord Shiva and Parvati, is at a distance of 14 kms. by bus and 5 kms. on foot from here.
Khirsu
The snow covered mountains of Khirsu offers a panoramic view of the central Himalayas and attracts a large number of tourists. From here one can get a clear view of many named and unnamed peaks.
Located 19 kms. away from Pauri at an altitude of 1700 mts., Khirsu is a peaceful spot, free from pollution. The tranquility of the adjoining thick Oak and Deodar forests and people orchards, is broken only by chirping of birds.
The ancient temple of Ghandiyal Devta in the vicinity is well worth a visit. Accommodation is available at Tourist rest house and Forest rest house.
Gandhi Sarovar
A small lake from where Yudhishthir, the eldest of the Pandavas, is believed to have departed to heaven is known as Gandhi Sarovar. The floating ice on the sparkling water is a fascinating site.
Vasuki Tal
Vasuki tal is 8 kms. from Kedarnath, at a height of 4135 mts. The lake is surrounded by high mountains and offers an excellent view of the Chaukhamba peaks.