which lies in the arms of the heavenly Himalayas, is the ideal choice for one who seeks beauty and adventure. This easternmost hill district of the Uttarakhand Pradesh is often referred as 'Miniature Kashmir'. The district of Pithoragarh came into being in 1960 when it was carved out of the district of Almora. It borders with China (Tibet) on the north and Nepal on the east. The northern part of the district is thinly populated and is adorned with many lofty snow covered peaks like Nanda Devi (east), Nanda Devi (west), Trishul, Nandakhat, Rajrambha, Panchchuli group and many others. Below these lofty snow bound mountains are many charming mountains are many charming alpine meadowsw and glaciers, the main being Milam glacier, Ralam glacier, Namik glacier and Sunder Dhunga glacier.

Pithoragarh City

Nestling in a small valley 5kms. long and 2kms. wide, the town of Pithoragarh was an important landmark of the chand Rajas of kumaon and was known as soar valley. Pithoragarh is a treasure house for visitors, mountaineers, botanists & religious minded tourists. The Mansarovar Yatra route is a delight for trekkers and adventure seekers.Many rivers originate from the lofty pithoragarh mountains, thus providing ample scope of water sports. The dense forests around have a wide range of wild flowers & animals including peacocks, elephants, tiger, musk deers and snow leopards. The charming & colourful people of Pithoragarh celebrate all festivals and religious ceremonies with great fanfare & devotion.

TOURIST ATTRACTION

Chandak :

Situated 7 Kms away by bus through an uphill climb Chandak constitutes the northern of Soar Valley. The famous temple of Mostamanu is 2 Km from Chandak. Chandak offers a fascinating view of the Himalayan ranges and the sprawling Soar Valley.It is a potential hang gliding resort and the magnesite mining factory is located too here.

Thal Kedar :

Known for its famous temple of Mahadev. 16 Km from Pithoragarh. Jayanti Temple of Dhwaj 21 Km via Totanaula. Cave temple of Kapileshwar. Cave temple at Rai , Ulka Devi Temple, Kailash Ashram Wadda , Hanuman Temple etc.

Gangolihat :

An important religious place and rich in folk culture and ancient myths , is situated 77 Km from Pithoragarh . It is particularly well known for the famous Mahakali temple where the Shakti Peeth was installed by Shankaracharya himself. During Navratries a fair is held on the occasion of which devotees offer pujas-along with sacrifices. 2 Km from Gangolihat near the Mankeshwar temple are the ruins of the fort which once belonged to the Mankotis -an obscure dynasty of Kumaon region. 2 Km away is Uprara, the native village of poet 'Gumani', the first Kumaoni poet, who also wrote in Hindi, Sanskrit and Nepali with great dexterity and command. 4 Km east from Uprara, near the village of Tamanauli is the Bharbhyo cave. The temple on the top of Bilwa Parvat is dedicated to the Goddess Mansa Devi. Here, one statue of the Goddess has three mouths and five arms while the other statue has eight arms. A beautiful view of the city can be had from this place. There is a Ropeway service by the name of Mansa Devi Udankhatola from lower station to the Mansa Devi Temple which takes only 5 Minutes to reach the Temple. The length of Ropeway is 540 mts and height 178 mts.

Daksha Mahadev Mandir

This temple is an ancient shrine located at Kankhal, and is one of the five sacred places around Haridwar. It is associated with Sati, the spouse of Lord Shiva who immolated herself to preserve his honour on being insulted by her father, King Daksha Prajapati. This incident provoked the disciples of Mahadev and killed King Daksha. But later Lord Mahadev brought him back to life. The temple is an attribute to this legend. Daksha Mahadev Temple is also known as Shri Daksheshwar temple. It has a gilded image of a serpent symbolising Shiva.

Sapta Rishi Ashram

The Ganges flows in seven streams in front of this Ashram, hence this place is also called Sapt Sarovar. It is said that Saptrishis (Seven sages) trapped the Ganga and agreed to release the River on King Bhagirath's request. The Ashram commemorates the event. This is about 5 km north of Hari ki pauri, where the Ganga had to split into seven streams to avoid the displeasure of Sapta Rishis.