History of Uttaranchal

Except a few works of the colonial period, nothing wholesome on the history of the region is available. The colonial writers have in a very systematic manner tried to distort the events of the colonial period. This book attempts to set all those wrongs right after analysing the events in their immediate and past contexts. The historical account for the earlier period is burdened with mythical, metaphorical and anecdotal narratives notwithstanding the fact that there still exists a very rich and living repository of traditions, customs and folklore with the people of the region. There is a need to explore these unconventional sources of history, which may illuminate numerous obscure recesses and fill many gaps of the ancient history. For the feudal period, an attempt has been made to study the entire region as a composite whole. Different events of history have been suitably correlated. Attempt has been made to evaluate and reinterpret the popular practices and traditions in a wider historical and socio-cultural perspective. An attempt has been made to present the regional history as history of the people rather that a feudalistic chronological narrative. The book covers the socio-cultural geography of Uttaranchal; rise and fall of the Katyuri imperialism; rise of the Chand dynasty in Kumaon; dynastic rule in Garhwal; Uttarakhand under the colonial rule; and the post-independence era. This book is, thus, a comprehensive and up-to-date work on the history of the newly born state of Uttaranchal.