Auli is in

Chamoli district Chamoli district is a district of the Uttarakhand state of India. It is bounded by China's Xizang Autonomous Region to the north, and by the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh district, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar district, Bageshwar to the eas ...

in the Himalayan mountains of

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Auli, also known as Auli Bugyal, in Garhwali, which means "meadow", is located at an elevation of above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Between June and October, the valley has one of highest numbers of flower species found anywhere in the world, with 520 species of high-altitude plants, 498 of which are flowering plants with significant populations of

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

History

This place came to light when in the 8th century, Adiguru Shri Shankaracharya established a Matha ( Jyotir Math or Shri Shankaracharya Math) at Joshimath, about 6.6 km from Auli, which still exists today. After the establishment of the monastery, this place also came to be known as the "Gateway of the Himalayas". After the establishment of this math, Adi Shankaracharya Ji moved forward like Badrinath. Semi-nomadic tribes of Tibetans, Mongolians and Bhotias conducted trade and communication between

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

( China) and India from here. They took the help of their long haired yaks and horses to cross the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. The popular Trishul peak (23,490 feet) is the scene of an unusual expedition that took place here in 1958. It took the mountaineers almost four days to climb and about 90 minutes to ski down to the base. Auli and Joshimath are situated in the high Himalayas bordering China. In the Sino-Indian War of 1962, there have been several initiatives by Chinese troops to cross the borders and enter Indian territory. During the conflict, the residents of the border village supported the Indian Army. Auli ropeway was constructed in September 1993 to enhance tourism in Auli. At an altitude of about 10,000 feet, this ropeway serves as a transport between Joshimath and Auli.

Tourism

Auli is a hiking and ski destination and after the creation of the state of Uttarakhand, formerly part of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, Auli was marketed as a tourist destination. It is surrounded by coniferous and oak forests, with a panoramic view of the peaks of the Himalayas. The slopes are intended for both professional skiers and novices. The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited (GMVNL) a state government agency which takes care of this resort, and Uttarakhand Tourism Department conduct winter sports competitions at Auli to encourage skiing in India. It has a cable car, a

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers. They are the primary on-hill tran ...

and a ski lift, along with a maintained trek route. Auli Ropeway is the second-longest ropeway in Asia and India’s longest cable car. There is a training facility of Indo-Tibetan Border Police. A small

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

connected with the Hindu epic the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'' is also present.

Transportation

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun, about from Auli. The airport operates daily flights to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, The nearest international airport is Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, about from Auli. The nearest railway stations are Rishikesh railway station () and Dehradun railway station (). Nearby attractions include Vishnu Prayag, Gorson Bugyal, Kuari Pass, Joshimath, Badrinath, and Tapovan. Auli and Dehradun hosted the First South Asian Winter Games in 2011.

Gallery

File:Auli Himalayas.jpg, Auli File:Auli Bugyal Green.jpg, Auli Bugyal Greenery File:Auli Bugyal Himalayas.jpg, Auli Bugyal File:Himalayas near Auli.jpg, Himalayas near Auli

Climate

''Cwb''.

Sports

Auli is major center for winter sports in India with Skii slopes. Alpine skiing and cross country skiing. Auli hosted inaugural South Asian Winter Games in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

. Auli also hosted Winter National Games of India. Auli is also popular for adventure sports such as

Rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

, Mountain trekking etc.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Auli
Auli – Uttarakhand Tourism

Tourist places of Chamoli district: Auli
Tourist attractions in Uttarakhand Ski areas and resorts in India Aerial tramways in India Cities and towns in Chamoli district