Almora district | |
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   .jpg)  Clockwise from top-left:Jageshwar,Almora town,Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary,Nanda Devi fromRanikhet, Surya templeKatarmal | |
.svg) Location in Uttarakhand | |
 Almora district | |
| Coordinates:29°35′50″N79°39′25″E / 29.59718°N 79.6570°E /29.59718; 79.6570 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttarakhand |
| Division | Kumaon |
| Headquarters | Almora |
| Government | |
| • District collector | Vineet TomarIAS[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,082 km2 (1,190 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,646 m (5,400 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 622,506 |
| • Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 263601 |
| Telephone code | 91-5962 |
| Vehicle registration | UP 01 (till 2000) UA 01 (2001-2007) UK 01 |
| Climate | Alpine (BSh) and Humid subtropical(Bsh)(Köppen) |
| Annual temperature | 28 to -2 °C |
| Summer temperature | 28 - 12 °C |
| Winter temperature | 15 to -2 °C |
| Website | almora |
Almora district is adistrict in theKumaon Division ofUttarakhand state, India. The headquarters is atAlmora. It is 1,638 meters above sea level. The neighbouring regions arePithoragarh district to the east,Chamoli district to the west,Bageshwar district to the north andNainital district to the south.
The ancient town of Almora was the capital of theKumaon Kingdom, before its establishment, it was under the possession ofKatyuri king Baichaldeo. Later on when the Chand dynasty was founded in Champawat, the town of Almora was founded at this centrally located place in 1568[2] by Kalyan Chand. Later Chand kings shifted the capital of the Kumaon Kingdom fromChampawat to Almora.[3]
Almora town was the administrative headquarters of the Kumaun district; which was formed in 1815 following the defeat of Gorkha army in theAnglo-Gorkha war and the 1816Treaty of Sugauli. The Kumaun district then consisted of the completeKumaon Division excluding theTerai district with its headquarters atKashipur.[4] In 1837,Garhwal was made a separate district with its headquarters atPauri. TheNainital district was carved out of the Kumaun District in 1891, and the Kumaon District was then renamed Almora District after its headquarter. In 1921 the population of the district was recorded as 530,338.[5]
In the 1960sBageshwar district,Pithoragarh district andChampawat district had not yet been formed and were part of Almora district.[6]Pithoragarh district was carved out of Almora on 24 February 1960 and Bageshwar district on 15 September 1997. In 2011, Ranikhet District was proposed to be carved out of the Almora District and has yet to come into existence.
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 market is at the top of the ridge where these two, Talifat and Selifat jointly terminate.
The market is 1.25 miles (2.01 km) long and is covered with stone slabs. The place of the present cantonment was formerly known as Lalmandi. Presently where the collectorate exists, the 'Malla Mahal' (Upper Court) of Chanda kings was located. The site of present District Hospital used to be 'Talla Mahal' (Lower Court) of Chand rulers.[citation needed]
Simalkhet is a village situated on the border of Almora and Chamoli. People of this village can speak both Kumauni and Garhwali languages.[citation needed] On the top of a hill there is a temple called Bhairav Gadi.
There is also a village known asShitlakhet that sits in the south quadrant. This village is ahill station.[7]
Gori River flows through Almora District.
District of Almora is divided into ninetehsils: Almora, Bhikiyasain, Bhanoli, Chaukhutiya, Dwarahat, Jainti, Ranikhet, Someshwar, Syalde andSult.
ItsAssembly constituencies are Dwarahat, Salt, Ranikhet, Someshwar (SC), Almora, and Jageshwar.
Upon the creation of Kumaon district in May 1815, seven tehsils were set up in the district atAlmora,Kali Kumaun,Pali Pachaon, Kota,Shor, Phaldakot andRamnagar.[8]: 4 taking the total number of tehsils to nine.
| Kumaun region | Garhwal region |
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Almora was also the site of the dance academy set up by dancer Udai Shankar in 1938 – several well-known Indian and French dancers[who?] trained there. The Almora dance academy was housed in Pine Lodge on the outskirts of the town (Ranidhara). The site has views of the Himalayas and the city.
"In these hills, Nature’s hospitality eclipses all that man can ever do. The enchanting beauty of the Himalayas, their bracing climate and the soothing green that envelops you, leave nothing more to be desired. I wonder whether the scenery of these hills and the climate are to be surpassed, if equalled, by any of the beauty spots of the world. After having been for nearly three weeks in the Almora hills, I am more than ever amazed why our people need to go to Europe in search of health."[9]
"These mountains are associated with the best memories of our race: Here, therefore, must be one of centers, not merely of activity, but more of calmness of meditation, and of peace and I hope some one to realize it."
-Swami Vivekananda (replying to the address given to him by the people of Almora)
The Nearest airports to Almora arePantnagar Airport (127 km) inNainital andNaini Saini Airport (125 km) inPithoragarh.
The nearest railway station is atKathgodam, 90 km, from where direct trains are available forDelhi,Lucknow andAgra. Some of the major trains from Kathgodam are:
Almora is well connected by road to important centres in the region.NH 87 passes through to almora is known as karnaprayag national highway. Some distances:
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 216,960 | — |
| 1911 | 251,423 | +1.49% |
| 1921 | 253,675 | +0.09% |
| 1931 | 279,009 | +0.96% |
| 1941 | 328,748 | +1.65% |
| 1951 | 369,697 | +1.18% |
| 1961 | 420,152 | +1.29% |
| 1971 | 483,876 | +1.42% |
| 1981 | 560,381 | +1.48% |
| 1991 | 610,453 | +0.86% |
| 2001 | 632,866 | +0.36% |
| 2011 | 622,506 | −0.16% |
| source:[10] | ||
According to the2011 census Almora district has apopulation of 622,506,[11] roughly equal to the nation ofMontenegro[12] or the US state ofVermont.[13] This gives it a ranking of 517th in India (out of a total of640).[11] The district has a population density of 198 inhabitants per square kilometre (510/sq mi).[11] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was −1.73%.[11] Almora has asex ratio of 1139females for every 1000 males,[11] and aliteracy rate of 81.06%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 22.68% and 0.21% of the population respectively.[11]
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 98.19% | |||
| Islam | 1.25% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.56% | |||
| Distribution of religions | ||||
In 2001, Hindus were 621,203, Muslims 7,283 (1.15%), Christians 959. Most of the population lives near the main market of Almora that forms nearly 45% of the population.[15]
The major first language of the district isKumaoni, spoken by over 90% of the population.[16]
| Almora district: mother-tongue of population, according to the2011 Indian Census.[16] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother tongue code | Mother tongue | People | Percentage |
| 002007 | Bengali | 555 | 0.1% |
| 004001 | Dogri | 737 | 0.1% |
| 006102 | Bhojpuri | 885 | 0.1% |
| 006195 | Garhwali | 17,939 | 2.9% |
| 006240 | Hindi | 33,198 | 5.3% |
| 006340 | Kumauni | 561,642 | 90.2% |
| 014011 | Nepali | 2,604 | 0.4% |
| 016038 | Punjabi | 536 | 0.1% |
| 022015 | Urdu | 1,408 | 0.2% |
| – | Others | 3,002 | 0.5% |
| Total | 622,506 | 100.0% | |
Montenegro 661,807 July 2011 est.
Vermont 625,741
Places adjacent to Almora district | |
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