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GARHWAL, or GURWAL

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Originally appearing in Volume V11, Page 466 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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GARHWAL, or GURWAL . I. A See also:district of See also:British See also:India, in the See also:Kumaon See also:division of the See also:United Provinces. It has an See also:area of 5629 sq. m., and consists almost entirely of rugged See also:mountain ranges See also:running in all directions, and separated by narrow valleys which in some cases become deep See also:gorges or ravines. The only level portion of the district is a narrow See also:strip of waterless See also:forest between the See also:southern slopes of the hills and the fertile plains of See also:Rohilkhand. The highest mountains are in the See also:north, the See also:principal peaks being Nanda Devi (25,661 ft.), Kamet (25,413), Trisul (23,382), See also:Badrinath (23,210), Dunagiri (23,181) and Kedarnath (22,853). The Alaknanda, one of the See also:main See also:sources of the See also:Ganges, receives with its affluents the whole drainage of the district. At Devaprayag the Alaknanda joins the Bhagirathi, and thenceforward the united streams See also:bear the name of the Ganges. Cultivation is principally confined to the immediate vicinity of the See also:rivers, which are employed for purposes of See also:irrigation. Garhwal originally consisted of 52 See also:petty chieftainships, each See also:chief with his own See also:independent fortress (garb). Nearly 500 years ago, one of these chiefs, Ajai See also:Pal, reduced all the See also:minor principalities under his own sway, and founded the Garhwal See also:kingdom. He and his ancestors ruled over Garhwal and the adjacent See also:state of See also:Tehri, in an uninterrupted See also:line till 1803, when the Gurkhas invaded Kumaon and Garhwal, See also:driving the Garhwal chief into the plains.

For twelve years the Gurkhas ruled the See also:

country with a See also:rod of See also:iron, until a See also:series of encroachments by them on British territory led to the See also:war with See also:Nepal in 1814. At the termination of the See also:campaign, Garhwal and Kumaon were converted into British districts, while the Tehri principality was restored to a son of the former chief. Since See also:annexation, Garhwal has rapidly advanced in material prosperity. Pop. (1901) 429,900. Two battalions of the See also:Indian See also:army (the 39th Garhwal Rifles) are recruited in the district, which also contains the military See also:cantonment of See also:Lansdowne. See also:Grain and coarse See also:cloth are exported, and See also:salt, See also:borax, live stock and See also:wool are imported, the See also:trade with See also:Tibet being considerable. The administrative headquarters are at the See also:village of Pauri, but See also:Srinagar is the largest See also:place. This is an important mart, as is also Kotdwara, the See also:terminus of a See also:branch of the Oudh and Rohilkhand railway from See also:Najibabad. 2. A native state, also known as Tehri, after its See also:capital; area 4180 sq. m.; pop. (r9o1) 268,885.

It adjoins the district mentioned above, and its topographical features are similar. It contains the sources of both the Ganges and the See also:

Jumna, which are visited by thousands of See also:Hindu pilgrims. The See also:gross See also:revenue is about £28,000, of which nearly See also:half is derived from forests. No See also:tribute is paid to the British See also:government.

End of Article: GARHWAL, or GURWAL

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