Kathgodam is a suburb of Haldwani city in the

Nainital district Nainital district is a district in Kumaon division which is a part of Uttarakhand state in India. The headquarters is at Nainital. Nainital District is located in Kumaon Division, and is located in the lower Himalayas. Haldwani is the largest c ...

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 of

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 ...

. It used to be a part of the twin township of

Haldwani Haldwani (Kumaoni language, Kumaoni: ''Haldvānī'') is the largest city of Kumaon division, Kumaon. It is also the third List of cities in Uttarakhand by population, most populous city and largest commercial market in the Indian state of Uttarak ...

-Kathgodam, and is immediately north of Haldwani. It is one of the important collection centres for forest products obtained from Kumaon Himalayas.

History

Literally meaning ''timber depot'', Kathgodam was a small village in 1901 with a population of 375, though its importance grew rapidly after the railway line was extended here in late 19th century, after it reached

in 1884. It was previously called 'Chauhan Patta' as it is still recorded in the land records. The advent of the residence of

Dan Singh Bist Thakur Dan Singh Bisht (1906 – 10 September 1964) was a philanthropist from Kumaon, Uttarakhand, India. At its height, his massive timber depots with attendant offices and bungalows for managers extended across the Himalayas from Lahore to ...

nearby in Beer Bhatti, Jeolikote, and his setting up his major timber depot as the 'Timber King of India' as Chauhan Patta, led to it being called 'Kathgodam'. Similarly, Beer Bhatti is called thus as it was previously an area where the British India Corporation Limited pursued a Beer Brewery until 1924 when Dan Singh Bist purchased it from them via deed registered at Nainital. India railways1909a

Today, the town contains a terminus station on its

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

line. From this point, one must travel by automobile to the

Kumaon Kumaon or Kumaun may refer to: * Kumaon division, a region in Uttarakhand, India * Kumaon Kingdom, a former country in Uttarakhand, India * Kumaon, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * , a ship of the Royal Indian Navy during WWII See also ...

region of the Himalayan Mountains. From Kathgodam, mountain roads lead to tourist destinations like

Nainital Nainital ( Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the High Court of the state being located there and is the headquarters o ...

Bhimtal Bhimtal ( Kumaoni: ''Bhīmtāl'') is a town and a nagar panchayat, near Nainital city in Nainital district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is situated at an altitude of 1370 meters above sea level and is about 22 kilometers from Nainita ...

Sattal Sattal or Sat Tal (Hindi for "seven lakes") is an interconnected group of seven freshwater lakes situated in the Lower Himalayan Range near Bhimtal, a town of the Nainital district in Uttarakhand, India. During the British Raj, the area had a ...

Mukteshwar Mukteshwar is a village and tourist destination in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. It sits high in the Kumaon Hills at an altitude of 2171 meters (7500 feet), 51 km from Nainital, 72 km from Haldwani, and 343 ...

Ranikhet Ranikhet (Kumaoni language, Kumaoni: ) is a hill station and cantonment town, nearby Almora, Almora Town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the home for the Military Hospital, Kumaon Regiment (KRC) and Naga Regiment and ...

Binsar Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is an Indian wildlife sanctuary. Binsar was the summer capital of the Chand Kings, who ruled over Kumaon from the 11th to 18th centuries AD. Binsar was established in 1988 for the conservation and protection of the shri ...

Kausani Kausani ( Kumaoni: ''Kôsānī'') is a hill station and Village situated in Bageshwar district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is famous for its scenic splendour and its spectacular 300 km-wide panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like ...

, Naukuchiyatal and

Almora Almora ( Kumaoni: ''Almāḍ'') is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the ...

Geography

Kathgodam is located at . It has an average elevation of 554 metres (1,483 feet). It is situated on the banks of the Gaula river. Kathgodam is one of the most picturesque locations situated in the Bhabar region, the foothills of Kumaon Himalayas.

Local attractions

Close to Kathgodam are beautiful temples called 'Sheetla devi' and 'Kalichaud' which attract large numbers of devotees from the surrounding region during festivals. Kathgodam also leads a way to one of the beautiful ashram called as Hairakhan. There is a beautiful dam which is built on the

Gola River The Gaula River, or Gola River, is a river in India originating in the Lesser Himalayas. It is approximately long. The river is also known by the names of Kichha and Baigul (or more specifically Baigul West) in its lower course. It originate ...

. Schools include the Maharishi school, Nirmala Convent Sr. Sec. School, St. Theresa School, St. Paul's Senior Secondary School, Naini Valley School, Inspiration School and Beersheba School.(these arranged from katghodam to haldwani). College include

Kumaun Institute of Information Technology Kumaun Institute of Information Technology (KIIT) is an educational institute in Kathgodam, Uttarakhand. Background KIIT is established by Uttrakhand Shiksha Prasar Samiti. KIIT is affiliated to Kumaun University, Nainital Nainital ( Ku ...

(KIIT) on Nainital road and Pahal Institution for capacity building close to the railway station. Kathgodam Railway Station has been awarded the cleanest railway station three times.

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census Haldwani-cum-Kathgodam urban agglomeration had a population of 252,060, out of which males were 121,363 and females were 110,697. The literacy rate was 85.17 per cent.

References

{{Nainital district Haldwani-Kathgodam Cities and towns in Nainital district