Uttarakhand Foundation Day - 9 November : 

Uttarakhand is celebrating its Foundation Day on 9 November. It became a State of the Union, after separation from Uttar Pradesh. Police Parade, Marathons, and cultural programmes are being organized across the 13 districts of the state today.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat flagged off Cultural Procession in the state capital.The hill state of Uttarakhand as it is known today was carved out of Uttar Pradesh on 9th of November 2000, under the BJP Government, after a long-drawn agitation.

Uttarakhand is famous as the Land of the Gods or “Dev Bhumi”.  During the time of foundation, it was named Uttaranchal. It is situated in Northern India and is a great pilgrimage centre.

About Uttarakhand :

Uttarakhand was formed on 9 November, 2000 by joining several districts from the Northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh and a portion of the Himalayan Mountain range. This year 19th Uttarakhand Foundation Day is going to celebrate. In 2007, the name of the state was formally altered from Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand is rich in natural resources including glaciers, rivers, dense forests, and snow-clad mountain peaks. The four most sacred and revered Hindu temples of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri also known as Char-dhams are situated in Uttarakhand and so, is known as 'Land of the Gods'. The capital of the state is Dehradun and the High Court is situated in the Nainital.

Uttarakhand Foundation Day - Celebrations :

On the 19th State Foundation Day, the Uttarakhand government is celebrating a week-long "Foundation Week" from 3 November to 9 November. It began with the third edition of the 'Raibaar' programme which was first organised in November 2017 in Dehradun and this time it was organised in Tehri to reconnect with the people who migrated from Uttarakhand.

The 'State Foundation Week' aimed to discuss and sketch the future roadmap of the progress of Uttarakhand. Various events are organised in the week-long celebration like 'Mera Sainik, Mera Abhimaan' was observed on 4 November in Dehradun to highlight the contribution of Army personnel in the development of Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand ‘The Deva Bhoomi’ - Facts at a Glance :

• The State Government organised a special 'women power' conference at Srinagar on 6 November. It was organised to remember the contribution of women in the statehood agitation and the development of Uttarakhand.
• 'Mahila Shakti Sammelan' was inaugurated by the CM of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat.
• Further, the event which is dedicated to the youth of the Uttarakhand is celebrated on 7 November, at Almora. It is followed by a 'film conclave' at Mussoorie on 8 November which will be attended by the Bollywood personalities. The State Foundation week long celebration will end with a programme 'Bharat Bharati' to promote nationalism among youngsters on 9 November in Dehradun.

History of Uttarakhand :

Uttarakhand history is a long and consists of the glorious past of the territory. It highlights the great emperors including the Kushanas, Kudinas, Kanishka, Samudragupta, Katuria, Palas, Chandras and Pawaras. In various Hindu scriptures, reference of Uttarakhand also exists. Through the history of Garhwal and Kumaon, history of Uttarakhand can be better understood. The state is the amalgamation of culture, ethnicity and religion.

Uttarakhand is separated from Uttar Pradesh on 9 November 2000 as the 27th state of India. That time it was known as Uttaranchal. The bordering states of Uttarakhand are Tibet, Nepal, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The meaning of Uttarakhand has been extracted from the Sanskrit dialect which means 'northern city'. In 2007, officially, it was renamed to Uttarakhand from Uttaranchal.

Climate of Uttarakhand :

Uttarakhand climate is temperate which is marked by seasonal variations in temperature. It is also affected by tropical monsoons. The coldest month is January and July is the hottest month in the north. In the southeast, May is the warmest month. In the lower stretch of valleys, floods and landslides are major problems during rainy season. Snowfall is common in the northern part of the state between December and March.

Population composition of Uttarakhand :

The state consists of multiethnic population which spread across two recognised geo cultural regions: the Garhwal and the Kumaon. Large portion of the population of Uttarakhand consists of Rajputs, Garhwali, Gujjar and Kumauni. Mostly, people of Uttarakhand speak Indo-Aryan languages. The official language of the state is Hindi. Other languages include Gharwali, Kumauni, Punjabi and Nepali.

Festivals of Uttarakhand :

According to Hindu calendar, Dussehra, Diwali, Shivratri, Holi, etc. are celebrated in the Uttarakhand. And according to the lunar calendar, Muslims observed Muharram, Ramadan, Id-al-Fitr, Id al-Adha that signals the completion of the hajj and is celebrated worldwide. With the tradition of Buddhist, Buddha Purnima is a major festival. Jain celebrates, Mahavir Jayanti that honours the birthday of Mahavira. The Guru Nanak Jayanti is also observed by the Sikh population. Christians celebrates, Christmas in Uttarakhand state. Various small fairs and festivals also held across the state.

Therefore, Uttarakhand Foundation Day is celebrated as a week-long event from 3 November and end up with the ‘Bharat Bharati’ programme on 9 November in Dehradun.