![GaucharChamoli](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/GaucharChamoli.jpg)
Gauchar is a Hill Town sort of a valley town located in
Karnaprayag
Karnaprayag is a town and municipal board in the Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Karnaprayag is one of the Panch Prayag (five confluences) of Alaknanda River, situated at the confluence of the Alaknanda and Pindar River.
Dem ...
tehsil within
Chamoli district
Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by the Tibet region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar to the east, Almora to the south, Pauri Garhwal to the southwest, ...
of
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
state in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Gauchar is situated on the left bank of river
Alaknanda
The Alaknanda is a Himalayan river in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and one of the two headstreams of the Ganges, the major river of Northern India and the holy river of Hinduism. In hydrology, the Alaknanda is considered the source ...
and is en route to the celebrated holy destination of
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
. It is well known for being one of the cleanest place in country. It has previously topped Swachta sarvekshan best ganga town award. Situated at an altitude of above the sea level, Gauchar is surrounded by seven mountains. Gauchar is well known for its historic trade fair and airstrip. Gauchar town known for its great work to curb loss of lives in 2013 flood disaster of Uttarakhand. This town is unique in terms of its geographical location and topography. Gauchar is located on one of the largest pieces of flatland in this mountainous region of Uttarakhand. Education institution in Gauchar includes a beautiful Kendriya Vidyalaya adjacent to the main playground.
Geography
Gauchar is located at .
History
Nature has endowed Gauchar with a large flat area, one of the largest such open spaces in the mountainous areas of Uttarakhand and this field has played a major role in its history. This field has served as an airstrip and played host to several dignitaries in the past. It has also been the venue of one of the largest trade fairs in the area. This flat land was the property of the Panwar kings of Garhwal and it was donated by them to the
Badrinath Temple
Badrinath or Badrinarayana Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. The temple is also one of the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to Vishnu - holy shrines for Vaishnavas - who is ...
at some point in history. It still belongs to the Badrinath Temple and as such is not supposed to be used for agriculture or any other purpose. (Gauchar's new airstrip has come up on agricultural land as a result and also because a much larger area was needed for the strip and the administrative buildings.)
![Gauchar At Night](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Gauchar_At_Night.jpg)
Gauchar first attained recognition in the 1920s when Lady Willingdon, wife of the then Viceroy of India landed here by air. Then, in 1938, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
along with his sister
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit
Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit (''née'' Swarup Nehru; 18 August 1900 – 1 December 1990) was an Indian diplomat and politician who was the 6th Governor of Maharashtra from 1962 to 1964 and 8th President of the United Nations General Assembly from 19 ...
also came here by air on the way to a personal visit to Badrinath. At that time cow dung used to be burnt on the field to gauge the direction of air currents! above contents Lady willingdon , wife of then viceroy viceroy visited Gaucher in 1920 is wrong Lord willingdon was viceroy of India during 1931-1936,Lord Chelmsford was viceroy of India during 1916-1921.so this information is wrong and fake that lady willingdon visited Gaucher in 1920,
Since 1943, Gauchar has played host to one of the largest trade fairs in Uttarakhand. The
Bhotias of Chamoli District, residing in the border regions of Garhwal Himalayas, are well known for their traditional expertise in making a range of woollen garments and materials, besides processing and colouring of wool. Before 1962, there was trans-border trade between India and former
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
, and the import of wool was the major source of income for the Bhotia's woollens-based, indigenous cottage industry. But after 1962, trade was stopped due to conflicts between
China and India. The Gauchar Mela served as huge market for the Bhotias to sell their ware including woollen products, precious jewels and heeng (asafoetida), and to buy good for daily necessity such as cloth and salt to carry back with them. This fair was not merely a local fair, but people travelled here from as far as
Bijnaur and
Kotdwar
Kotdwar is a city, municipal corporation in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, India. It's just 101 km from Pauri town , the district headquarter. It is the eighth-largest city in Uttarakhand. Its old name was "Khohdwar", which means the g ...
to participate in the brisk trade.
At a macro level, approximately 1000 AD to 1803, Gauchar – in common with the rest of Garhwal – was ruled by the Pal dynasty which later came to be known as the Shah dynasty. In 1803, taking advantage of the devastating earthquake that killed one-third of the region's population, the Gorkhas advanced towards Garhwal. Pradyuman Shah was the king at that time, and he lost his life and kingdom in the ensuing battle. In common with the rest of Garhwal, Gauchar came under Gorkha rule from 1803 to 1815. In 1815, the British who merged the eastern part of Alaknanda and Mandakini along with the capital Srinagar into British Garhwal. Initially, this area was administered from
Dehradun and
Saharanpur
Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district.
Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti.
Saharanpur is declared as on ...
. However, later the British established a new district in this area and named it Pauri. Today's Chamoli – and Gauchar – was a tehsil of Pauri. On 24 February 1960, Tehsil Chamoli was upgraded to a new district in independent India's state of Uttar Pradesh. Gauchar became a Nagar Panchayat in 1994.
Gauchar Mela
![GaucharMela](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/GaucharMela.jpg)
Gauchar Mela of Uttarakhand is a great attraction for the local people and the traders and merchants from every corner of the state. Held every year on 14 November, Uttrakhand's Gaucher mela is fundamentally an industrial and traditional fair. It is attended widely by tourists and inhabitants (villagers people mostly) of the state alike. This fair hold two kinds of themes, in day time sports and evening time cultural programs by schools and state level artist. These are major attraction of Gauchar mela at Uttarakhand. Gauchar Mela in Uttarakhand was first organized in 1943 and has since taken place every year on the same dates. Trade between India and Tibet was open at that time. On this side, the trade was largely carried out by the Bhotias, who inhabit the frontiers of Chamoli Garhwal, bordering Tibet. But these high-altitude regions were covered with snow throughout winter, and the inhabitants used to migrate to lower altitudes for six months. The Gauchar Mela at Uttarakhand helped the Bhotias to sell their woolen handicrafts and buy the raw materials for the next summer trade across the borders. It was not only a local fair; people from across north India, especially, Uttar Pradesh, attended it. After India's independence, Gauchar Mela is being organized by the government as a developmental, industrial, and cultural fair. It is considered one of the major fairs in the region for promotion of trade and culture. All the state government departments participate in this annual event, which is a platform to showcase modern agricultural methods.
Demographics
India
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
, Gauchar had a population of 7303. Males constitute 58% of the population and females 42%. Gauchar has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 76%. In Gauchar, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Transport
![GaucharAirport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/GaucharAirport.jpg)
By road, Gauchar is connected with
Haridwar
Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district.
The city is situated on the ri ...
and
Rishikesh by
NH 58
This article is about the old number of Delhi-Meerut-Roorkee-Haridwar-Badrinath National Highway.
National Highway 58 (NH 58) was a national highway in India before it was renumbered. It linked Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh near New Delhi with Ba ...
that passes through the town. The nearest railhead is Rishikesh (235 km) and nearest airport is
Dehradun Airport.
Gauchar Airport
It is located on the banks of River Alaknanda in the hills of Himalayas. It is very important airport during emergencies. Because of its location on one of the largest pieces of flatland in the mountainous region of
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
, a 4,000 ft airstrip was constructed at Gauchar in 1998–2000 and later upgraded.
Gauchar Airport
Gauchar is a Hill Town sort of a valley town located in Karnaprayag tehsil within Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state in India. Gauchar is situated on the left bank of river Alaknanda and is en route to the celebrated holy destination of Badrin ...
was a vital
staging area
A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to:
* In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...
for rescue and relief efforts following the disastrous
2013 North India floods
In June 2013, a mid-day cloudburst centered on the North Indian state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods and landslides, becoming the country's worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami. The rainfall received that month was far great ...
which ravaged in
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
in June 2013.
From February 8, 2020 the government has started a helicopter service from
Dehradun to Gauchar and a return flight for the same under the
UDAN
''Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik'' ( Hindi for "Let the common citizens of the country fly"), known by its acronym ''UDAN'' ( Hindi for "flight") is a regional airport development program of the Government of India and part of the Regional Connect ...
scheme of the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
which will help people living in the hills of Garhwal region to the capital city of
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
.
References
{{Chamoli district
Cities and towns in Chamoli district
Tourism in Uttarakhand