Kotdwar
| Kotdwar कोटद्वार Kotdwara | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
|
St. Joseph's Cathedral, Kotdwar | |
  Kotdwar Location of Kotdwar in Uttarakhand | |
| Coordinates: 29°45′0″N 78°31′48″E / 29.75000°N 78.53000°ECoordinates: 29°45′0″N 78°31′48″E / 29.75000°N 78.53000°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Uttarakhand |
| District | Pauri Garhwal |
| Elevation | 454 m (1,490 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 1,16,497 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi |
| • Regional | Garhwali |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 246149 |
| Telephone code | 91-1382-XXXX XXXX |
| Vehicle registration | UA 12, UK 12, UK 15 |
Kotdwar or Kotdwara is a town and tehsil in the Pauri Garhwal district of Indian state of Uttarakhand. Kotdwar is one of the oldest Railway stations in the country.It was established in 1890 by British for timber transport from Himalayan Region. First Passenger train was run in 1901. It is situated in the south-western part of state and is one of the main entrance points in the state of Uttarakhand.
Climate
The climate of Kotdwar is generally temperate, although it varies from tropical; from hot in summers to severely cold, depending upon the season and the altitude of the specific location. The nearby hilly regions often get snowfall during winter but the temperature in Kotdwar is not known to fall below freezing. Summer temperatures can often reach 43 °C whereas winter temperatures are usually between 4 and 20 °C. During the monsoon season, there is often heavy and protracted rainfall. Kotdwar and other plains areas of Uttarakhand see almost as much rainfall as Coastal Maharashtra. The weather is considered to be good during winter in the hilly regions. Agriculture benefits from fertile alluvial soil, adequate drainage and plentiful rain.
| Climate data for Kotdwar | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 20 (68) |
22 (72) |
27 (81) |
33 (91) |
36 (97) |
34 (93) |
31 (88) |
30 (86) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
26 (79) |
22 (72) |
28.3 (83.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
6 (43) |
13 (55) |
18 (64) |
21 (70) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
23 (73) |
21 (70) |
17 (63) |
9 (48) |
5 (41) |
15.2 (59.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 72 (2.83) |
76 (2.99) |
78 (3.07) |
55 (2.17) |
113 (4.45) |
296 (11.65) |
599 (23.58) |
568 (22.36) |
301 (11.85) |
102 (4.02) |
23 (0.91) |
91 (3.58) |
2,374 (93.46) |
| Source: Accuweather [1] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
As of 2011 India census,[2] Kotdwar had a population of 1,16,497. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Kotdwar has an average literacy rate of 79.63% - higher than the national average of 64.83% - Male literacy is 88%, and female literacy is 70%. In Kotdwara, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Industry
Kotdwar has two major industrial areas, SIDCUL and BEL. Among the industries, the most prominent ones are Simpex Pharma,[3] Reliance Medi Pharma, Del Monte, Indica Chemicals, etc.
Military establishment
The Garhwal Rifles has its base in Lansdowne, approximately 37 km from Kotdwar. Kotdwar also has a cantonment area called Gabbar Singh Camp and a combined ECHS polyclinic & CSD complex
Excursions
Jim Corbett National Park
Entry into India’s oldest national park will now include a new gate positioned from Kotdwar area of Pauri district. Plans for the new gate were announced late last summer but missed the targeted opening of 15 November 2011. To help facilitate tourism traffic a new booking centre will be opened at Kotdwar Gate shortly. Kotdwar Gate will join the existing six entry gates which span the five tourism zones with Corbett Tiger Reserve: Amadanda, Dhangarhi, Durgadevi, Khara, Kalagarh, and Vatanvasa.
Kanvashram
Kanvashram is an important place both historically, culturally and archaeologically in the history of India. It is located on the bank of river Malini about 14 km from Kotdwara. It is believed that Indra, the king of Gods, was scared by Sage Vishwamitra's meditation, sent a beautiful heavenly damsel named Menaka to the earth to disrupt his meditation. She succeeded in disturbing Vishwamitra's meditation. With their union she gave birth to a girl child. Menka having succeeded in her purpose left the child on the bank of river Malini and went back to her heavenly abode. This child was found by sage Kanva and brought up in his ashram called Kanvashram. She was named Shakuntala by the sage. She later married the King of this region named Dushyant. She gave birth to a boy child who was called Bharat, the prince after whom India was named as Bharatvarsh. About 10,000 pupils used to get education in the ashram of Kanva Rishi in ancient time and since then the valley or ghati is known as Kanvaghati.[4]
Lansdowne
Lansdowne (town) is one of the quietest hill stations of India and is popular since British came to India. Lansdowne is unlike other hill stations as it is well connected with motorable roads but remote in its own way. It is situated at an altitude of 1,700mts above sea level surrounded with thick oak and blue pine forests in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand state.
Lansdowne got its name from Lord Lansdowne, who was the then Viceroy of India during the period of 1888 - 1894. Presently, Lansdowne has the command office of the Garhwal Rifles division of the Indian Army. Lansdowne is one of the most popular hill station of Garhwal region when it comes to weekend destination.
Siddhabali Temple
At a distance of 2 km from Kotdwar, the Siddhabali temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Large number of devotees visit the place round the year. One of the world-renowned place and truly worth a visit. Not only Hindus but people from other Communities also visit the temple.
Durga Devi Temple
Situated at a distance of 9 km from the main town, the Durga Devi temple is one of the most important places of worship of the town. Durga Devi temple attracts numerous visitors traveling to Lansdowne. Durga Devi temple is situated 11 km ahead Kotdwara and 4 km before Duggada.
Koteshwar Mahadev
Situated at an elevation of 1428 m, this temple has a great following among childless couples. The temple houses a Shivling and is surrounded by the Himalayan ranges in the east, Haridwar in the west and Siddha Pith Medanpuri Devi temple in the south. Legends has it that a village woman inadvertently hit a Shivling while digging, divine voices were then heard, directing the people to construct a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Accordingly, the Koteshwar Mahadev temple was erected. It is believed that childless couples who chant the Mahamrityunjaya mantra (verse) during the whole month of Shravana with full faith and devotion are blessed by the Lord and their wishes are granted. It is also believed that during the Navratras the Goddess roves around, besitted upon her steed, the lion. Kotdwar is also known as the entrance towards Himalayas of Uttarakhand.
Medanpuri Devi
Situated at an elevation of 1657 m, the temple is popularly known as Medanpuri Devi temple. 'Medan' literally means curd and it is believed that the Goddess showers Her devotees with milk, curd and whey by way of blessings. Legend has it that the Goddess had appeared in a curd-bowl in the hearth of a family living in village Marora. The Goddess revealed to the head of the family the place where she would appear and a temple dedicated to the Goddess was then erected in Her honour. Special offerings are made during the Navratras, followed by a big fair on Ashtami. Jeeps and taxis are available at Rishikesh (37 km), Chandighat and Haridwar (42 km). Accommodation is available in Tourist Rest Houses at Chila (36 km).
Tarkeshwar Temple
It is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva surrounded by thick Cedar trees. It is located 38 km from Lansdowne at an altitude of 1800 m to the north east of Lansdowne on road Lansdowne-Deriyakhal.Tarkeshwar temple is one of the most visiting tourist place in [pauri_district] approx 75-80 km from [kotdwara] Tarkeshwar Temple is surrounded by [deodar_tree]. Way to Tarkeshwar Temple got diverted from Cakhuliyakhal (RIKHNIKHAL BLOCK) Beeronkhal highway.
Devi Bhagwati Temple
At a distance of 135 km from Kotdwar. Large number of devotees visit the place round the year. Devi Bhagwati temple is one of the most important places of worship of the Garhwali people (Especially Chandkot, Pauri Garhwal)
References
- ↑ "Kotdwara Weather - AccuWeather Forecast for Uttarakhand India". Accuweather.com. Retrieved 2015-04-24.
- ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ↑ Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ kanvashram.org