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 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Garhwal inUttarakhand, India | |
| Languages | |
| Garhwali | |
| Religion | |
 Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kumaoni people,Khas people |
TheGarhwali people are anIndo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who speakGarhwali, aCentral Pahari language and are native to theGarhwal division of theIndian state ofUttarakhand.[1]
In modern usage, "Garhwali" is used to refer to anyone whose linguistic, cultural, and ancestral or genetic origins is from theGarhwal Himalayas. Theirethnonym is derived from the word'Garhwal' or'Gadwal'.
The earliest reference to this region is in theSkanda Purana which called itKedar Khand andHimvat. It describes the area that contained Gangadwar (Haridwar and Kankhala), Badrinath, Gandhamardan, and Kailash.[2]
TheKingdom of Garhwal was founded byParmars. The area comprises 52 principalities calledgarhs (fortresses). These were small and had their own chiefs who were responsible for the welfare of thegarhs. The Parmar dynasty ruled the Kingdom until 1803 before the "Gurkhas" invaded Kumaon and Garhwal, driving the Garhwal chief into the plains. For 12 years the Gurkhas ruled the country with an iron rod, until a series of encroachments by them on British territory led to theAnglo–Nepalese War in 1814.[3]
At the termination of the campaign, Garhwal and Kumaon were converted into British districts, while theTehri principality was restored to a son of the former chief (that is King Pradymun), KingSudarshan Shah. A part of this kingdom was taken by the British, and later, it became known as the British Garhwal which spread over the area of 5,629 mi2 (14,580 km2). After the British rule, Garhwal made rapid development. Two battalions of the Indian army (the 39thGarhwal Rifles) were deployed in the area, stationed at the military cantonment ofLansdowne. Grain was one of the major corps of this area. Apart from this, cloth, while salt, borax, livestock, and wool were imported fromTibet. The administrative headquarters of the area were established at Pauri. Srinagar (Garhwal) was the largest city and served as an important trade center along with the town of Kotdwara which is situated at Oudh and Rohilkhand railway tracks. Later, it became a part of thePunjab Hill States Agency ofBritish India. Most of theUttarkashi district acceded to theUnion of India in 1949.
Garhwali are known for their courage because they were preferred by the British as an army. Garhwali Kingdom was one of the few kingdoms that never came under the Muslim rule influence.
The history of Garhwal is older than that ofRamayana andMahabharata. Worshipping Lord Shiva is attributing reverent honour and homage to him. According to the great Mahabharata, Garhwal is believed to be the land where theVedas and theShastras were made.[4]
TheGarhwali language (गढ़वळि भाख/भासा) is primarily spoken by the Garhwali people of the north-western Garhwal Division from the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas. TheGarhwali language is classified as aCentral Pahari language belonging to theNorthern Zone ofIndo-Aryan languages. Garhwali is one of the 325 recognised languages of India[5] which is spoken by over 2,267,314 people[6] such as in districts ofTehri Garhwal,Pauri Garhwal (exceptKotdwar),Uttarkashi (exceptBangan, Ravain and Parvat areas),Chamoli andRudraprayag districts ofUttarakhand.[7]
The language has many regional dialects including:[8] Srinagari, Tehri (Gangapariya), Badhani, Dessaulya, Lohbya, Majh-Kumaiya, Bhattiani, Nagpuriya, Rathi, Salani (Pauri), Gangadi (Uttarkashi), Chandpuri. Srinagari dialect is the literary standard, while Pauri is generally regarded as the prominent one.
However, for a number of reasons, Garhwali is a rapidly shrinking language. TheUNESCO Atlas of the World's Endangered Languages book authored by "Theo Baumann" has described Garhwali language one of themoribund languages that needs to be protected.[9]
Chandrabadni Devi Temple is located in Tehri Garhwal. The temple can be reached either from 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long routKandikhal toSrinagar-Tehri or 9 kilometres (5.6 mi)) longJamnikhal en route Dev Prayag-Tehri via a link road ofJurana. It can also be reached via (1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi)) long bridle path.
The temple administration body organises several annual events including cultural and religious seminars.[10]
Umra Narayan is situated between the mystic and peaceful hills of Rudraprayag where "Devine" temple of Lord Umra Narayan (Isth Dev of gram sann) is located. According to mythology, this temple was built during the time ofAdi Shankracharya, and is believed that it was constructed by Adi Shankracharya when he was on his way to Lord Badrinath's temple. The temple has been now renovated and is 5–7 kilometres (3.1–4.3 mi) away from the central city of Rudraprayag.
It is also believed that most of the "Isth Devas" in the Garhwal region are the incarnation of "Lord Vishnu" (Narsingh Dev Ji), and sometimes even the incarnation of "Vishnu" itself.
Koteshwar Mahadev is located about three kilometres inside the 'heart' ofRudraprayag, Koteshwar Mahadev temple. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This place is presumed to be the same spot where Lord Shiva was stopped for meditation where he was on his way to Kedarnath. According to local mythology, this temple has its presence since the time ofBhasmasur (the Deadly Asur/demon), who received a boon from "Shiva" that turned a head intoBhasma orashes whenever he touched with boon to anyone's head. Lord Shiva accompanied by another one reached to a cave which was the home of Lord Shiva, and finally lord "Vishnu" helped him by killing the demon. The temple is filled with fantastic energy/aura, and one can feel it. Few drops of water are continually running through the hill.
Dhari Devi temple of "Dhari Devi" is situated on the banks of the river Alaknanda. One has to travel 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Srinagar (Pauri Garhwal) on Srinagar-Badrinath highway to Kaliya Saur, and then turn down where one has to travel half of a kilometre towards Alaknanda river. The upper part of Goddess "Kali" is worshipped here. According to the local people, the face of the idol changes as a girl, a woman, and an old lady according to the passage of time. This idol is located in an open area. Many times, villagers and some philanthropists tried to build a roof for Goddess, but their efforts returned empty handed as the roof gets dismantle every time. As per "Srimad Devi Bhagwat", there are 108Shakta pithas as in India, and this is one of them.
Kalimath, also known as "Kaviltha", is a village which is regarded as a divine place andShakta pitha. It lies at an altitude of around 6,000 feet (1,800 m) (1,800 m) on the riverSaraswati in the Himalayas, surrounded by the peaks of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand. Kalimath is situated close toUkhimath andGuptakashi. It is one of the "Siddha Peeths" of the region and is regarded a respectful place with religious importance. The temple of the goddess Kali is located in this village and is visited by many devotees throughout the year, especially during the "Navratras". There are 108Shakta pithas in India, and this is one of them as described in the "Srimad Devi Bhagwat". The upper part of goddess Kali is worshipped in "Dhari Devi". Goddess Kali killed the demon "Raktavija" here in this area. After killing the demon, they went under the earth.Usually they have their own pantheon consisted of rural deities who are worshipped throughJagar (ritual), these deities includeNarsingh,Bhairav,Nagaraja (Nagaraja is believed to be form ofKrishna according to local legends),Pandav andDraupadi etc. This pantheon was headed byDurga andMahadev, who is referred to by many names such as Bhagwati, Surkanda, Kali, Bhavani, Nanda etc. They also worship their ancestors who were locally known as Bhumiyal, which literally means guardians of Land each and every Garhwali villages have their own Bhumiyal they are worshipped in a small stone made shrine known as Thaan where they are represented by small rocks placed inside the thaan. Usually during the crops were offered to Bhumiyal as a way to thanking them for protecting the village.
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