A virtual tour to PAURI, Uttarakhand, India

Pauri, my home town, is a beautiful hill station in the heart of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand is a beautiful state and so is Pauri. Uttarakhand is ninety percent hills and is called "Devbhumi" in India, which means land of Gods. There is belief that many Gods either born in Uttaranchal or they lived here. Lets talk about Pauri now.

Pauri Garhwal district was a part of the erstwhile Garhwal Kingdom ruled by the Pal (Shah) dynasty. In 1803 Gurkhas, were successful in capturing Garhwal by defeating the army of King Pradyumna Shah. Later in 1816, the Britishers defeated the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War, and the Garhwal Kingdom was re-established from Tehri.

After India got Independence it was known as Garhwal district but later divided into Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli Garhwal districts.

The climate of Pauri Garhwal is generally cold in winter and pleasant in summer. But at times you may feel the cold here even in summer season. In rainy season the whether becomes very cold and constant wind enhances the cold. But, usually the climate of Pauri is enjoyable and people come here to celebrated there vacations, particularly in summer season. It is advisable for the tourist who are planning to come to Pauri that they should keep their raincoat and atleast one pair of woolens. It may rain anytime here and the weather can also change suddenly. In the winters though it is very cold but the sunshine heer aslo is very bright and clear. The snowfall can also happen here in the month of January and February.

The main occupation of the people nearby Pauri is agriculture. Besides agriculture, army forces and teaching are a major source of employment for young people. Rest of the population are engaged in their own businesses like shops, transport etc to earn their living. Due to the lack of required infrastructure and the geography of the area, there are no major industries in this region. However, some industrial units have been established in Kotdwara, Rudrapur, Haridwar and Dehradun. All these cities are in plains.

The people of Pauri (or most part of Uttarakhand for that matter) are very simple and sweet natured. They will give you respect, talk to you softly and are ready to help you anytime. If you visit a village nearby Pauri and for some reason you have to spend stay overnight there, there will be many who will ask you to give them the opportunity to help you. They are not money minded but expect honest as they are also very honest in whatever they do. The people in villages in Uttarakhand still do not lock their houses while they are away for few hours. Yes, there has been some cheating and fraud in the Pauri city but the migration of the people from other states is responsible for that. In 99% cases you will not find any person from Uttarakhand being the culprit.

The people of Pauri (or most part of Uttarakhand for that matter) are very simple and sweet natured. They will give you respect, talk to you softly and are ready to help you anytime. If you visit a village nearby Pauri and for some reason you have to spend stay overnight there, there will be many who will ask you to give them the opportunity to help you. They are not money minded but expect honest as they are also very honest in whatever they do. The people in villages in Uttarakhand still do not lock their houses while they are away for few hours. Yes, there has been some cheating and fraud in the Pauri city but the migration of the people from other states is responsible for that. In 99% cases you will not find any person from Uttarakhand being the culprit.

They people normally wear traditional dresses. Men wear kurta payjama and women wear sarees which is tied in a unique style. But ofcourse as the time changed the western and modern fashion got in the minds of the modern generations. So, now you will find the traditional outfits of Uttaranchal among the villages of Uttarakhand only.

The prime modes to commute in pauri is public bus and taxis. The railway service is only limited to Kotdwara, which is around 90 Kms away from Pauri. The public bus transport is taken care by Garhwal Motor Owner Union (GMOU) Ltd. GMOU is the largest transport service provider in the district. Himgiri transport has also emerged now as a public transport service provider. But apart from Buses, the private taxis are always there to hire. you can either hire them privately or you can travel on a pool cab.

Pauri provides a panoramic view of the snow covered Himalayan peaks of Nandadevi & Trisul, Gangotri Group, Thalaiya-Sagar, Neelkanth, Bandar Poonch, Swarga-Rohini, Kedarnath, Kharcha Kund, Satopanth, Chaukhamba, Ghoriparvat, Hathiparvat, Sumeru etc.

Pauri has many ancient temples such as Kandoliya, Kyunkaleswar Mahadeva, Nagdev, Hanumaan Mandir, Lakshmi-Narayan Mandir etc. Apart from temples one can visit nearby villages to know the culture, people and Uttarakhand more. You can plan trekking as there are plenty of place for a perfect trekking. There are many places near Pauri to visit. And not to forget, this place is perfect for mediation. Its pollution free environment, peace, surrounding nature, pleasant weather makes it a perfect place meditation spot.

To explore more stunning places in Uttaranchal visit: Uttaranchal Villages and Towns