Culture

Pride of Uttarakhand

Mountaineers and explorers, soldiers and poets, athletes and forest guardians — the people and achievements that the hills of Uttarakhand are proud of.

Explorers and Mountaineers

  • Nain Singh Rawat (1830–1882): From Milam in the Johar valley, he was one of the most remarkable explorers of the 19th century. Working in disguise for the Survey of India, he walked across Tibet counting his steps with prayer beads, mapped the route to Lhasa and fixed its position. The Royal Geographical Society awarded him its gold medal.
  • Bachendri Pal: Born in Nakuri village in Uttarkashi district, she became the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest in 1984. She went on to train and lead hundreds of climbers and has been honoured with the Padma Bhushan.

Leaders and Freedom Fighters

  • Govind Ballabh Pant (1887–1961): Born in Almora district, he was a leading figure of the freedom struggle, the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and later India's Home Minister. He received the Bharat Ratna in 1957.
  • Chandra Singh Garhwali (1891–1979): The Garhwal Rifles soldier who refused to fire on unarmed protesters in Peshawar in 1930.
  • Sridev Suman (1916–1944): The young activist who gave his life in a hunger strike against the autocratic rule of the Tehri state.
  • Indramani Badoni (1925–1999): Called the "Gandhi of Uttarakhand" for his leadership of the statehood movement. Read more in The Statehood Movement.

Guardians of the Environment

  • Gaura Devi: Led the women of Reni village to save their forest in 1974, the most famous act of the Chipko movement.
  • Chandi Prasad Bhatt: A founder of the Chipko movement, honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award and the Gandhi Peace Prize.
  • Sunderlal Bahuguna (1927–2021): Carried Chipko's message across the Himalaya and the world, and campaigned against the Tehri Dam. He received the Padma Vibhushan.

Soldiers and the Hill Regiments

Uttarakhand has one of the highest proportions of people serving in the armed forces of any Indian state, and almost every hill village has a soldier's story.

  • The Garhwal Rifles and the Kumaon Regiment are among the Indian Army's most decorated regiments. Naik Darwan Singh Negi and Rifleman Gabar Singh Negi of the Garhwal Rifles both received the Victoria Cross for gallantry in France in 1914–15.
  • Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat of the Garhwal Rifles held off Chinese attacks at Nuranang in Arunachal Pradesh in 1962 and was posthumously awarded the Maha Vir Chakra. A memorial, Jaswantgarh, stands where he fell.
  • General Bipin Rawat, from a Garhwali family, became India's first Chief of Defence Staff in 2020. He died in a helicopter accident in December 2021.

Writers, Poets and Artists

  • Sumitranandan Pant (1900–1977): Born in Kausani, one of the great poets of modern Hindi and the first Hindi writer to receive the Jnanpith Award.
  • Shivani (Gaura Pant, 1923–2003): A much-loved Hindi novelist whose stories are often set among Kumaoni families.
  • Narendra Singh Negi: The voice of Garhwal — a singer and poet whose songs have recorded hill life for over four decades.
  • Mohan Upreti (1928–1997): A theatre director and composer from Almora who brought Kumaoni folk music, including the famous song "Bedu Pako Baro Masa", to national audiences.

Sports Stars

  • Lakshya Sen: The badminton player from Almora won Commonwealth Games gold in 2022 and was part of India's historic Thomas Cup-winning team the same year.
  • Vandana Katariya: From Haridwar district, she scored a hat-trick for the Indian women's hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics.
  • Jaspal Rana: A champion shooter with multiple Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medals, and later a national coach.
  • Ekta Bisht: From Almora, a leading left-arm spinner for the Indian women's cricket team.

World Heritage from Uttarakhand

  • Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks: A UNESCO World Heritage Site for their outstanding natural beauty and alpine flora. See Valley of Flowers.
  • Ramman: The religious festival and ritual theatre of Saloor-Dungra village in Chamoli district is on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
  • Kumbh Mela: Held at Haridwar among four sites, the Kumbh Mela is on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
  • Yoga: Also on UNESCO's intangible heritage list, with Rishikesh widely known as the "Yoga Capital of the World".