About Pauri Garhwal
Pauri Garhwal is the administrative headquarters of the Garhwal division. The district town of Pauri sits at 1,814m on a ridge with breathtaking views of over 30 Himalayan peaks including Nanda Devi, Trishul, Kedarnath and Chaukhamba. The district shares a border with Jim Corbett National Park.
Top Places in Pauri Garhwal
Lansdowne – Colonial Hill Station
Lansdowne at 1,706m is one of Uttarakhand's most peaceful hill stations — a small British cantonment town known for its quaint Garhwali Rifles regimental centre, Tip-N-Top viewpoint, Bhulla Tal lake and dense oak forests. Ideal for weekend getaways from Delhi/NCR (260 km). Very low commercialisation — old-world charm intact.
Khirsu
A tiny village at 1,700m, 19 km from Pauri — with spectacular views of Nanda Devi, Trishul and Chaukhamba peaks. Surrounded by apple orchards, oak and rhododendron forests. A genuine off-beat gem in Garhwal.
Pauri Town – Himalayan Viewpoint
The town of Pauri itself offers stunning views from its ridge location. Kandoliya Devta temple and the Pauri-Khirsu-Lansdowne circuit is a classic Garhwal road trip.
Jim Corbett (Southern Boundary)
The southern and eastern parts of Pauri district border Jim Corbett National Park. The Kotdwar–Lansdowne–Pauri area is part of the Corbett Tiger Reserve buffer zone.
Kotdwar
The southern gateway to Pauri Garhwal — a bustling market town at the foothills. Connected by train from Delhi. Sidhbali temple on the Khoh river is a major regional pilgrimage site.
Srinagar Garhwal
A major town on the Alaknanda river — the former capital of the Garhwal kingdom. Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University is located here. Base for Alaknanda river rafting (Grade III–IV).
History of Pauri Garhwal District
Pauri Garhwal is the administrative centre of the Garhwal division and occupies the middle elevations of the western Garhwal Himalaya — between the subtropical foothills near Kotdwar and the snow ranges toward Kedarnath. Its history is fundamentally tied to the rise and fall of the Garhwal kingdom, one of the most significant Hindu Himalayan polities of the medieval and early modern period.
The medieval Garhwal kingdom (also known as the Parmar or Panwar dynasty) consolidated control over the 52 small garhs (fortresses) of the region in the 14th century under King Ajay Pal, who gave the kingdom its name — "Garhwal" meaning "land of fortresses." The capital was established at Srinagar on the Alaknanda — a major town in what is now the Pauri Garhwal district. Srinagar became a prosperous cultural and commercial centre, hosting scholars, artists and traders on the important trade route between the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Tibet via the Himalayan passes.
The Garhwal kings were ardent patrons of Hinduism. They maintained and patronised the great Kedarnath and Badrinath shrines (both in territory the Garhwal kings controlled), contributing to the elaborate temple administration and ritual traditions of these sacred sites. The Kandoliya Devata temple in Pauri town was a royal temple of the Garhwal kingdom — the royal deity who protected the capital and its people.
In 1803, the Gurkha army of Nepal invaded Garhwal with devastating effect. The last Garhwal king, Pradyumna Shah, was killed in the Battle of Khurbura (near Dehradun). The Gurkha occupation (1803–15) was particularly brutal in the Pauri region — heavy taxation, begar (forced labour) and military conscription impoverished the population. The Anglo-Gurkha War (1814–16) ended Gurkha control, and under the Treaty of Sugauli, the British East India Company acquired the Garhwal territory east of the Alaknanda (called British Garhwal). The western portion, including Tehri, was returned to the dispossessed Garhwal royal family as a subordinate princely state. Pauri became the administrative headquarters of British Garhwal.
The British established Pauri as a hill station and divisional headquarters, building roads, schools and hospitals. The Garhwal Rifles — one of the Indian Army's most celebrated regiments — was raised from the Garhwali hill people and became famous for its bravery in both World Wars. The 1930 Peshawar Incident, in which Garhwali soldiers refused to fire on unarmed Indian protesters, made headlines across the world and contributed to the independence movement. The soldier Chandra Singh Garhwali, who led the protest, became a national hero.
Pauri Garhwal district as it exists today was formed after Independence as part of UP, and came into Uttarakhand in 2000. The district is notable as one of Uttarakhand's most heavily affected by outmigration — the depopulation of mountain villages as younger generations move to the plains in search of employment has left many villages nearly abandoned. This demographic challenge is one of the defining issues of the district and the state as a whole. Srinagar (Garhwal), now home to Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, continues as the most important academic and commercial centre of the district.
How to Reach Pauri Garhwal
- Kotdwar by Train: 180 km from Delhi — the most accessible entry point
- Lansdowne by Road: 250 km from Delhi, 130 km from Haridwar
- Pauri town by Road: 192 km from Haridwar
- Nearest Airport: Jolly Grant, Dehradun (110 km from Pauri)