About Champawat District
Champawat is one of Uttarakhand's least-visited but historically most significant districts. It was the capital of the Chand dynasty (founders of the Kumaon kingdom) before they moved to Almora in the 16th century. The district borders Nepal to the east.
Champawat Town & Baleshwar Temple
The district headquarters at 1,615m. The Baleshwar Temple complex — a group of beautifully carved 10th-12th century CE temples dedicated to Shiva, dedicated by the Chand rulers — is Champawat's most important attraction. The stone carvings of the temples are among the finest in Kumaon.
Pancheshwar – River Confluence
Pancheshwar (85 km from Champawat) is the confluence of the Saryu and Mahakali (Kali) rivers on the India-Nepal border — a sacred spot for Hindus. Mahashivratri fair at the ancient Pancheshwar Mahadev temple draws pilgrims from both India and Nepal. Also one of India's best mahseer fishing destinations.
Abbott Mount
A British-era hill retreat at 2,090m near Lohaghat — a collection of charming colonial bungalows (now heritage homestays) surrounded by oak and rhododendron forests. Very peaceful, minimal tourists, excellent birding. The old St. Anne's church and the cemetery with British graves give a unique historical character.
Devidhura – The Stone Throwing Festival
A village 45 km from Champawat — site of the famous Bagwal Festival on Rakshabandhan (August). Thousands of men from four Kumaoni clans throw stones at each other until enough blood has been shed as an offering to Barahi Devi. A unique, primal and deeply fascinating folk festival. UNESCO has noted its cultural significance.
Lohaghat
A quaint hill town 14 km from Champawat on the Lohawati river. Gateway to Abbott Mount and Pancheshwar. Eerie silence, colonial-era feel, excellent for bird photography.
History of Champawat District
Champawat holds the distinction of being the original capital of the Kumaon kingdom — a fact that gives this quiet border district a historical weight disproportionate to its current size and population. Nestled in the Shivalik foothills near the Nepal border, Champawat town sits at 1,615m in the Lohawati valley and was the seat of Kumaoni power for several centuries before the capital moved to Almora.
The origins of Champawat's political importance lie with the Chand dynasty. According to traditional genealogies, Somdeva Chand established the Chand royal line at Champawat in approximately the 10th or 11th century CE, though the historical record is clearer from the 13th century onward. The Chand kings built Champawat as a fortified royal centre, constructing palaces, temples and administrative infrastructure. The finest surviving legacy of this era is the Baleshwar Temple complex — a group of beautifully carved stone temples dedicated to Shiva, Ganesh and Parvati, built between the 10th and 12th centuries in a blend of Nagara and local Kumaoni architectural styles. The intricate carvings on the temple walls — depicting celestial dancers, mythological scenes and geometric patterns — rival the finest medieval temple art in the Himalayan region.
The Chand kings ruled from Champawat until the late 15th or early 16th century, when the capital was shifted to Almora under Baldev Chand (1568). Even after the royal move, Champawat retained religious and strategic importance as a border sentinel facing Nepal. The district's location on the trade routes between the Terai plains, the Kumaon hills and the Himalayan passes ensured its continued commercial significance.
In 1790, along with the rest of Kumaon, Champawat fell to the Gurkha invasion from Nepal. The Gurkha occupation (1790–1815) brought considerable hardship — the district's proximity to Nepal meant it was particularly affected by Gurkha military and administrative presence. The Anglo-Gurkha War (1814–16) ended Gurkha control, and Champawat became part of the British-administered Kumaon Division under Almora district.
Champawat's history includes one of the most dramatic episodes of wildlife conflict in colonial India. Between 1900 and 1907, the Champawat Tiger — a man-eating Bengal tigress — killed 436 people in the Nepal Terai and Kumaon hills, the highest authenticated death toll from a single wild animal in recorded history. The tigress was finally shot by the legendary hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett in 1907 near the village of Champawat. Corbett's account of the hunt, published in "Man-Eaters of Kumaon" (1944), brought international attention to this remote corner of the Himalayas. Corbett later became one of India's greatest conservationists, lobbying for forest protection that led to the creation of what is now Jim Corbett National Park.
Champawat became a separate district in 1997 (carved from Pithoragarh district), gaining independent administrative status for the first time in the modern era. The district today is best known for the Bagwal Festival at Devidhura — an ancient stone-throwing ritual festival of immense cultural significance — and the Pancheshwar mahseer fishing at the Nepal border confluence. Its ancient temples, colonial wildlife history and unique cultural traditions make Champawat one of Uttarakhand's most historically layered districts.
How to Reach Champawat
- By Road from Tanakpur: 70 km (2 hours) — Tanakpur is the nearest railway station
- By Road from Haldwani: 175 km (4 hours)
- Nearest Railway: Tanakpur (70 km)
- Nearest Airport: Pantnagar (175 km)