Etymology The term
Uttarkashi, a composite of
Uttara and
Kashi, literally means the
North Kashi where Kashi refers to
Varanasi. Both Uttarkashi and Varanasi are highly significant
Hindu pilgrimage sites on the sacred
Ganges. Both Kashi and Uttarkashi have important Shiva temples called Kashi Vishwanath temple.
History Vedic era The area now made up by Uttarkashi district has been known since the times of the
Rig Vedic period. The
Aitareya Brahmana mentions it as the land where the
Devas performed ritual sacrifices, and the
Kaushitaki Brahmana mentions this area was where
Vedic Sanskrit had changed the least. In the Upayana Parva of the
Mahabharata, various hill tribes from the hill and mountain region of what is now
Garhwal are mentioned as giving gifts to
Yudhishthira during his
Rajasuya yagna, including the Taganas,
Kiratas and
Kunindas.
Ptolemy mentions the Taganas as the Taganoi and says they lived on the eastern side of the Ganges, while he says the Kulindrine (Kunindas) lived above the sources of the
Beas,
Sutlej,
Yamuna and Ganga, and the Kiratas on the northern slops of the Himalayas. According to legend,
Parshurama killed his mother
Renuka at Nakuri, 10 km from Uttarkashi town. Also, it is said the
Pandavas, after leaving their kingdom to
Parikshit, halted at Patangini before continuing to
Swargarohini, where they died.
Medieval era Historically, the region might have been a part of the
Mauryan empire, but this is unknown. It is presumed to have been a part of the
Kushan empire, which extended through the western and central Himalayas as far as Tibet. In the 1st century CE, Rajapala of Badrinath established a kingdom that may have extended to Uttarkashi. A 5th century CE inscription in the Uttarkashi Vishwanath temple mentions a prince called Ganeshwara whose son had commissioned the inscription to honour himself and his father. The city of Uttarkashi is mentioned as Brahmapura by
Xuanzang, who notes it was ruled by queens. In the 7th century, a branch of the
Katyuris pushed out the descendants of Rajapala of Badrinath to the position of feudatories and established an empire covering what is now Kumaon and Garhwal. The last descendant of Rajapala was Bhanupratapa, the pre-eminent chief among the 52 rulers called (fort holders, from where Garhwal derives its name). Bhanupratapa had two daughters, one of whom he married to a Paramara prince from Malwa,
Kanak Pal, who was on pilgrimage. Kanak Pal was made his heir, and ascended the throne in 888 CE. Kanakpal and his descendants began establishing their hegemony over the other petty chiefs, some of whom had headquarters in Uttarkashi, as the power of their Katyuri overlords declined. In 1947, Garhwal acceded to the Indian Union as Garhwal district of the United Provinces (soon to be renamed Uttar Pradesh). In 1960, Uttarkashi was carved out as a separate district. Uttarkashi was later included in the newly formed state of Uttarakhand in 2000. ==Geography ==