Kumaon is a revenue and administrative division in the Indian State of Uttarakhand. It spans over the eastern half of the state and is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Nepal, on the south by the state of Uttar Pradesh, and on the west by Garhwal. Kumaon comprises six districts of the state: Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar.
Uttarakhand, formerly known as Uttaranchal, is a state in northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the northwest, Tibet to the north, Nepal to the east, Uttar Pradesh to the south and southeast, with a small part touching Haryana in the west. Uttarakhand has a total area of 53,566 km2 (20,682 sq mi), equal to 1.6 per cent of the total area of India. Dehradun serves as the state capital, with Nainital being the judicial capital. The state is divided into two divisions, Garhwal and Kumaon, with a total of 13 districts. The forest cover in the state is 45.4 per cent of the state's geographical area. The cultivable area is 16 per cent of the total geographical area. The two major rivers of the state, the Ganges and its tributary Yamuna, originate from the Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers respectively.
Kumaoni is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by over two million people of the Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand in northern India As per 1961 survey there were 1,030,254 Kumaoni speakers in India. The number of speakers increased to 2.2 million in 2011.
Garhwali is an Indo-Aryan language of the Central Pahari subgroup. It is primarily spoken by over 2.5 million Garhwali people in the Garhwal region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas.
Meena Rana is an Indian Uttarakhandi singer. She has released many Garhwali and Kumaoni music albums.Meena Rana is a celebrated Uttarakhandi singer, renowned for her melodious voice and extensive contribution to the regional music of Uttarakhand. Born on May 24, 1975, in Delhi, she has become a prominent figure in the folk music scene, especially known for her songs in the Kumauni and Garhwali languages. Often hailed as the 'Lata Mangeshkar of Uttarakhand,' Meena Rana's career began with her debut in the Garhwali film "Nauni Pichhadi Nauni" in 1992, where she lent her voice to three songs. With no formal training in her early years, she honed her craft through sheer passion and dedication, leading to a prolific output of over 500 songs in various languages, including Hindi and Ladakhi. Her achievements have been recognized with multiple awards, such as the Young Uttarakhand Cine Award for Best Singer Female, which she won for her song "Palya Gaun Ka Mohana" in 2010, among others. Her journey from a young talent at the Akashvani Club in Mussoorie to a revered artist is a testament to her enduring talent and love for music.
Mohan Upreti (1928–1997) was an Indian theatre director, playwright and a music composer, considered one of the pioneers in Indian theatre music.
Narendra Singh Negi, also referred as 'Garh Ratna' and 'Bob Dylan of the hills' is one of the most prominent folk singers, composer and a poet of the Garhwal and Uttarakhand who prominently sings in Garhwali language. Reportedly, he has sung more than 1000 songs. His unparalleled work in the field of folk music of Uttarakhand is an inspiration for all the upcoming singers of Uttarakhand.
The Garhwali people are an Indian ethnolinguistic group native to the Garhwal, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, who speak Garhwali, an Indo-Aryan language.
Kumaonis, also known as Kumaiye and Kumain, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group who speak Kumaoni as their first-language and live mostly in Kumaon division in the state of Uttarakhand in India and parts of the Sudurpashchim Province in far western Nepal.
Bedu Pako Baro Masa is a Kumaoni folk song in Kumaoni language which was composed by Mohan Upreti, B. M. Shah and written by Brijendra Lal Shah. This Kumaoni song was composed, written and first performed in the early 1950s and since has become popular all over Uttarakhand as even before it had been sung as a traditional folk song among the villagers in Kumaon. This song is the official regiment song of the Kumaon Regiment of Indian Army.
Jagar is a Hindu form of Shamanism which is practiced in the hills of Uttarakhand, both in Garhwal and Kumaon. As a ritual, Jagar is a way in which gods and local deities are woken from their dormant stage and asked for favors or remedies. The ritual is connected to the idea of divine justice and is practiced to seek penance for a crime or to seek justice from the gods for some injustice. The word Jagar comes from the Sanskrit root, Jaga, meaning "to wake".
The mashak is a type of bagpipe found in Northern India, Uttarakhand, Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal and parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The pipe was associated with weddings and festive occasions. In India it is historically found in Kumaon and Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. This bagpipe uses single reeds, and can be played either as a drone or as a melody instrument.
Kumaon Kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in Kumaon, a region located in the eastern part of the present-day Uttarakhand state of India. It was established around 7th century and remained an independent and sovereign kingdom until 1791.
Jeet Singh Negi was a music composer, singer, lyricist, writer and director from the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. He is considered to be the father of modern Garhwali folk music.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Uttarakhand:
Naima Khan Upreti was an Indian theatre actor, singer and a producer at Doordarshan. She was also the wife of Mohan Upreti, considered to be one of the pioneers in Indian theatre music.
Chander Singh Rahi was a prominent folk singer, balladeer, musician, poet, storyteller, and cultural conservator from Uttarakhand, India.
Uttarakhand Devabhumi Matribhumi is the official state song of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
