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Uttarkashi district was created on February 24, 1960. It iles in
the extreme north-west corner of the state over an area of
8016 sq. kms. in the rugged terrain of the mystic Himalayas. On
its north lie
 Himachal Pradesh State and the territory of Tibet
and the district of Chamoli in the east. The district is named
after its headquarters town Uttarkashi, an ancient place with
rich cultural heritage and as the name suggests is the Kashi of
north (Uttara) held almost as high a veneration as Kashi of the
plain (Varanasi). Both the Kashi of the plain (Varanasi) as well
as the Kashi of north are situated on the banks of the river
Ganga (Bhagirathi). The area which is held sacred and known as
Uttarkashi, lies between the rivers Syalam Gad also known as the
Varuna and Kaligad also known as the Asi. The Varuna and the Asi
are also the names of the rivers between which the Kashi of the
plain lies. One of the holiest Ghats in Uttarkashi is
Manikarnika so is the one by the same name in Varanasi. Both
have temples dedicated to Vishwanath.
The terrain and climate of Uttarkashi district provide
uncongenial physical environment for human settlement. Yet
undaunted by hazards and hardships this land was inhabited by
hill tribes since ancient times bringing out the best in man his
adaptive talents. The hill tribes namely Kiratas, Uttara Kurus,
Khasas, Tanganas, Kunindas and Pratanganas find references in
the Upayana Parva of Mahabharata. The land of Uttarkashi
district has been held sacred by Indians since ages where the
seers and sages had found solace and spiritual aspirations and
performed penances and where devas performed their sacrifices
and Vedic language was better known and spoken than elsewhere.
People came here for learning Vedic language and speach.
According to an account given in the Mahabharata, Jada Bharatha
a great sage performed penances at Uttarkashi. the Kedar Khand
of Skanda Purna refers Uttarkashi and the rivers Bhagirathi,
Jahanavi and Bheel Ganga. The district of Uttarkashi was part of
Gharwal Kingdom ruled by Garhwal dynasty that carried the
cognomen `Pal' which was changed to Sah during 15th century
conferred by Sultan of Delhi perhaps Bahlul Lodi. In 1803
Gorkhas of Nepal invaded Garhwal and Amar Singh Thapa was made
Governor of this region. The Gorkhas came into contact with the
British power in 1814 as their frontiers in Gharwal became
determinous with those of the British. The border troubles
prompted the Britishers to invade Garhwal. In April, 1815
Gorkhas were ousted from Garhwal region and Garhwal was annexed
as British district and was split up into eastern and western
Garhwal. The eastern Garhwal was retained by the British
Government. The western Garhwal, lying to the west of the
Alaknanda river with the exception of the Dun was made over to
the heir of Garhwal dynasty Sudarshan Sah. This state came to be
known as Tehri Garhwal and it was merged with the state of Uttar
Pradesh in 1949 after India attained independence in 1947.
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