Almora is a small town situated in the great Himalayas. It is situated in Kumaun mountains in the eastern Uttarakhand. Known for its cultural diversity, Almora is an alluring hill station spread across 5 km ridge atop of Kashyap Hill. This place has divine atmosphere which is enough to attract the travel junkies. To make this place more alluring to the travelers the snow-capped Himalayas stand majestically to please the tourists. Almora is also known as the town of temples and Goddess Nandadevi temple is situated at the centre of the city. Almora is also famous for its largely spread agriculture. An amazing fact about the exploration fact about the exploration of Almora is that unlike other hill stations in India, it was not discovered and developed by the Britishers. The rivers Kosi and Suyal flow around Almora to give the natural boundary. The unknown fact about this scenic beauty is that Jawaharlal Nehru served a term of imprisonment in the jail of Almora during the British rule.

History of Almora

History of Almora is dated back to the mythological time of Mahabharata. A Chinese pilgrim wrote a detail about a kingdom names “Brahmaputra”, this was the first time Almora had its mention in the history. Katyuri dynasty had just established the kingdom in this area. The Katyuri kingdom ruled from Dwarahat in Katurya valley. The region where present day Almora is located was reined by King Baichaldeo. Almora was founded around 1560 by Kalyunchand and named it “Alam Nagar” which was also called “Rajpur”. Almora was raided by Ali Muhammad Khan Rohilla. Later, it was also conquered by the Gurkhas in 1790 and was ruled by them for 24 years until it was taken away by the Britishers in 1815. The mountain on which Almora is situated has its mention in the great epic Mahabharata. This place is named after the tiny plant “Kilmora” which is found in the nearby province of Almora. Kilmora plant was used for washing the utensils of the Katarmal temple. According to the ancient lore, the earliest inhabitants of Almora were Tewaris. At present Almora is the hub for trade and other social, cultural, political activities. It is a district place for Uttarakhand state.

Culture of Almora

Almora region of Kumaun hills has ample of folk lore and folk tales of Narsingh and Ghana, Parukh Pant and the fable of courage of Gangnath and legendary tales of Golu, Kalsem, Bin-bhat, Ganwara, Pari, Churmal Airi and Anchari are well-known. Almora is known as the heart of Kumaon culture and has a fascinating rich cultural heritage. The folk songs in this region are in the poetic form narrating the grandeur of the Himalayas, inherent delight of Nandadevi, Panchhchuli, Trishul and mesmerizing nature. The folk songs are frequently dedicated to the fields, forest, streams, rivers, fauna and the snow-capped mountains. Their folk dance and music are inspired by the daily life of people of the town. Nandadevi mela festival starts on the day marked for the Devi’s visit to her parents’ home and ends with the return to her husband’s home. Folk songs of Uttarakhand beautifully explain this tradition. At the time of Nandadevi festivals, the travelers can enjoy the glimpse of their traditional folk dance “Jhora” and “Chanchari”. Almora has eye-catching handicrafts and prominent copperware industry of its own. The festival of Basant Panchami as per Hindu calendar is the second last month of the year “Magh”. On this pious day goddess Saraswati is worshipped and everyone wears yellow color clothes.

How to Reach Almora

By Air– There is no availability of airport in Almora. Pantnagar is the nearest airport, located 115 kms away from Almora. Regular buses and taxis are available from airport to Almora and is well connected by highways to Almora.

By Rail– The Nearest Railway station to Almora is Kathgodam which is 83 kms away. It does not have a railway station of its own. Most of the trains from Kathgodam are via Delhi. You can hire taxi to reach Almora from kathgodam.

By Road– Road is the best way to reach Almora as they are well connected to all major cities of North India and other hill stations. There are buses are run by private and government operators that connect to Almora and are mostly overnight. Private taxis are also easily available.