Uttarakhand (Hindi: Uttarākhaṇḍ, pronounced [ˈʊt̪ːəɾaːkʰəɳɖ], lit. 'Northern Land'), is a state in northern India. It shares international borders with Tibet to the north and Nepal to the east, while the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh border it to the west and south, respectively. Formerly known as Uttaranchal, the state was established on 9 November 2000 after being separated from Uttar Pradesh. Uttarakhand has a total area of 53,483 km2 (20,650 sq mi), equal to 1.6 per cent of the total area of India. Dehradun is the winter capital, while Bhararisain serves as the summer capital. Nainital is the judicial capital of the state. Administratively, Uttarakhand is divided into the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions, comprising thirteen districts. The state is renowned for its high-altitude and rugged topography, with the Himalayas covering most of its area and serving as the source of several major perennial river systems.
Uttarakhand's history dates back to prehistoric times, with archaeological evidence indicating early human habitation in the region. During the Vedic period, it formed part of the ancient Kuru and Panchal kingdoms. In later centuries, the region witnessed the rise of local dynasties such as the Kunindas and came under the influence of Buddhism, as evidenced by Ashokan edicts found in the area. Uttarakhand is predominantly mountainous, with the Himalayas covering much of the state. Its geography consists broadly of the Greater Himalayas in the north, the Lesser Himalayas in the central region, and the Shiwalik hills and Terai-Bhabar plains in the south. The state contains several of India's highest peaks, including Nanda Devi and Kamet, as well as extensive forests, deep valleys and river gorges. The Ganges is formed at Devprayag by the confluence of the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rivers; other major rivers include the Ramganga and Mandakini. Forests cover about 45 per cent of the state's geographical area. The cultivable area is 16 per cent of the total geographical area.
Though long known for agriculture and traditional hill farming, the state's economy is now dominated by the services industry and hydropower. Tourism and pilgrimage are important contributors to the state's economy, supported by its Himalayan landscape, religious sites and natural resources. Most of the state’s industries are forest-based. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Uttarakhand is ₹3.78 lakh crore (US$39 billion). Uttarakhand has five seats in the Lok Sabha and three seats in the Rajya Sabha. Its per-capita income is above the national average. Uttarakhand had a population of approximately 11.9 million. Hindus constitute the majority of the population, while Islam is the second-largest religion. The state's inhabitants are commonly identified as Garhwalior Kumaoni according to their regional origin. Hindi is the principal language of Uttarakhand and one of its official languages, while Sanskrit also has official status. Regional languages include Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari, as well as several languages spoken by communities in the Himalayan border regions.
The state is sometimes known as Devabhumi ("Land of the Gods") because of its numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres. Major religious destinations include Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kedarnath, Badrinath and the other sites associated with the Char Dham. In addition to the Char Dhams, other sacred circuits such as the Panch Badris, Panch Kedars, and Panch Prayags hold religious significance. The state is also home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The name Uttarakhand derives from Sanskrit: uttara (उत्तर), "north" or "higher") and khaṇḍa (खण्ड, "section" or "part"), thus literally meaning "Northern Section" or "Northern Land." In ancient Hindu scriptures, the term referred not to the present-day state but to a broader Himalayan region extending from the upper Ganges to the Tibet border. The Puranic texts specifically mention two sub-regions within this expanse: Kedarkhand (roughly corresponding to modern Garhwal) and Manaskhand (present-day Kumaon).
Despite its ancient roots, the name fell out of administrative use during the British colonial period. The region was subsumed under the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (later Uttar Pradesh), and official maps rarely employed "Uttarakhand" until the late 20th century. The name re-entered public discourse during the 1990s, when the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act (1994) first proposed a separate hill state. A contentious debate emerged over the proposed name: the central government favoured Uttaranchal (उत्तरांचल, "northern expanse"), while local activists and the Himalayan People's Association insisted on Uttarakhand, citing its historical and cultural authenticity.
The impasse continued through the creation of the state on 9 November 2000, which was initially named Uttaranchal. However, sustained public pressure — including petitions, rallies, and legislative resolutions — led the Union Cabinet to approve the renaming on 1 January 2007. The state officially became Uttarakhand with effect from 1 January 2007, under the Uttaranchal (Change of Name) Act, 2006.
The history of the region now comprising Uttarakhand extends to prehistoric times, archaeological discoveries, including stone tools, rock shelters, paintings and megalithic remains, attest to human presence in the Himalayan foothills and valleys long before the emergence of historically documented polities. The rock shelters at Lakhudiyar near Almora, which contain prehistoric paintings, are among the best-known archaeological sites in Kumaon. Taken together, the archaeological record indicates that the region's mountainous terrain supported human settlement and movement from an early period and formed part of wider networks linking the Himalayan valleys, foothills and trans-Himalayan routes.
By the early historic period, the region had become connected to the political and cultural networks of northern India. Sanskrit traditions associate parts of the central Himalaya with places such as Uttarakuru, but these references do not establish the existence of a historically identifiable Uttarakuru state in present-day Uttarakhand. More direct evidence comes from archaeological and epigraphic remains. The Ashokan rock edict at Kalsi, in present-day Dehradun district, records the incorporation of the western Himalayan foothills into the Mauryan political sphere and provides evidence for the spread of Buddhism in the region. From around the second century BCE, the Kunindas, an early historic polity associated with the western Himalayas, exercised authority over parts of the area. Their coinage and associated archaeological evidence indicate organised political activity and participation in trade networks extending through the Himalayan passes. The historical record becomes comparatively fragmentary in the centuries following the decline of the early historic polities and preceding the formation of the better-documented medieval kingdoms. During this period, the region was inhabited and influenced by several Himalayan communities and ruling groups, including the Khasas. Literary sources, inscriptions and archaeological remains provide evidence of continuing political and cultural activity, but they do not permit a continuous reconstruction of political authority across the region. Instead, the available evidence suggests a changing landscape of local centres and communities, connected at different times to wider Himalayan and north Indian political, economic and cultural networks.
A major phase in the political history of the central Himalaya began with the rise of the Katyuris. Between approximately the seventh and eleventh centuries, they established a kingdom centred on the Katyur valley in present-day Kumaon, whose influence at its height extended across substantial parts of the central Himalaya. Baijnath and surrounding settlements emerged as important political and religious centres, while surviving monuments at Baijnath and the Jageshwar temple complex attest to the development of regional traditions of temple architecture and religious patronage during the early medieval period. The decline of Katyuri authority was followed by political fragmentation and the emergence of several local principalities. In Kumaon, the Chand dynasty gradually established itself as the dominant power. The Chands initially centred their rule at Champawat and later made Almora their principal seat, governing Kumaon for several centuries. Their rule was marked by the consolidation of administrative institutions, continued temple patronage and the expansion of regional trade networks. Successive Chand rulers also contributed to the construction and modification of religious monuments, including the Jageshwar complex, reinforcing the importance of established pilgrimage centres within the political and cultural landscape of Kumaon.