Semwal | |
---|---|
Classification | Brahmin |
Religions | Hinduism |
Languages | Garhwali |
Country | India |
Populated states | Uttarakhand |
Related groups | Garhwali people |
Semwal is one of the thirty-six subcastes of Sarola Brahmin from Uttarakhand. [1] They are the sole custodians and pandits of the Gangotri temple. [2]
The name "Semwal" originates from a place called Sem-Mukhem (Hindi:सेम-मुखेम) in Uttarakhand, abode to the shrine of Sem-Mukhem Nagraj (Hindi: सेममुखेम नागराज) often considered among the locals as the fifth shrine of the Chota Char Dham pilgrimage of which the Semwals are permanent serving priests. [3] [4] Apart from this, the name "Semwal" might also have originated from Sem village in Karnaprayag, Chamoli district. [5]
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.
Garhwal is one of the two administrative divisions of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Lying in the Himalayas, it is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon, on the south by Uttar Pradesh state, and on the northwest by Himachal Pradesh state. It includes the districts of Chamoli, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, and Uttarkashi. The people of Garhwal are known as Garhwali and speak the Garhwali language. The administrative center for Garhwal division is the town of Pauri. The Divisional Commissioner is the administrative head of the Division, and is a senior Indian Administrative Service officer. As the administrative head of the division, the Commissioner is overall incharge of the 7 districts in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, and is aided in his duties by an additional commissioner and the district magistrates. Sushil Kumar is the divisional commissioner of the Garhwal Division since December 2021.
Yamunotri, also Jamnotri, is the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna in Hinduism. It is situated at an altitude of 3,293 metres (10,804 ft) in the Garhwal Himalayas and located approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) North of Uttarkashi, the headquarters of the Uttarkashi district in the Garhwal Division of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the four sites in India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage. The sacred shrine of Yamunotri, source of the river Yamuna, is the westernmost shrine in the Garhwal Himalayas, perched atop a flank of the Bandarpunch mountain. The chief attraction at Yamunotri is the temple devoted to the Goddess Yamuna and the holy thermal springs at Janki Chatti which is 7 km away.
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 53,483 km2 (20,650 sq mi), equal to 1.6% 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% of the state's geographical area. The cultivable area is 16% 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.
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.
Pauri is a town and a municipal board in Pauri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Pauri is the seat of the Divisional Commissioner of the Garhwal Division.
Tehri Garhwal is a district in the hill state of Uttarakhand, India. Its administrative headquarters is at New Tehri. The district has a population of 618,931, a 2.35% increase over the previous decade. It is surrounded by Rudraprayag District in the east, Dehradun District in the west, Uttarkashi District in the north, and Pauri Garhwal District in the south. Tehri Garhwal is a part of the Himalayas.
Lt. Col. Maharaja Manabendra Shah was a member of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Lok Sabha of India. He represented the Tehri Garhwal constituency of Uttarakhand and was a member of the Indian National Congress before joining the Bharatiya Jan Sangh and later the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He became one of the BJP's longest-serving members. Shah was India's ambassador to Ireland from 1980 to 1983.
Badarinath or Badarinarayana 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 for Vaishnavas, who is worshipped as Badrinath. It is open for six months every year, because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centers of India, having recorded 2.8 million visits in just 2 months in 2022. It is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites.
Baijnath is a small town on the banks of the Gomati river in the Bageshwar district in Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, India. The place is most noted for its ancient temples, which have been recognized as Monuments of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India in Uttarakhand. Baijnath has been selected as one of the four places to be connected by the 'Shiva Heritage Circuit' in Kumaon, under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Government of India.
Uttarakhand is a Himalayan state in North India, nestled between the Tibetan Plateau and the Indo-Gangetic Plains. The name, which means "northern land" or "section" or "northern part" in Sanskrit was made popular in the 80s as part of the wider statehood struggle within the region.
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.
Garhwal kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, founded in 823 CE by Kanak Pal the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom uninterrupted until 1803 CE.
Sarola Brahmin, also called Saryul and Serul are the oldest Garhwali Brahmins from Uttarakhand, India. These families were founded in the 6th and 7th centuries by scions of multiple Brahmin magnate clans to rule as the sacerdotal aristocracy of the Himalayan Kingdoms.
Uttarakhand is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhoomi" due to its religious significance and numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage sites found throughout the state. As a result, religious tourism forms a major portion of the tourism in the state. Uttarakhand is known for the natural environment of the Himalayas. 2019 Tourist Arrivals Domestic – 40,000,000 per/year and Foreigner – 150,000 per year. Tourism business in Uttarakhand generated ₹ 23,000 crores during 2013–14.
Auden's Col is a high altitude mountain pass connecting Rudugaira valley and Bhilangna valley in India. It is situated at 5,490 metres (18,010 ft) elevation and connects the ridge coming from Gangotri III peak on the north-west and the ridge coming from Jogin I on the east, and also binds a glacier coming from Jogin I on the north side of Rudugaira valley, and deadly Khatling glacier on the south side of Bhilangna valley.
Raghunathji Temple in Devprayag, a pilgrimage town in Tehri Garhwal district in Himalayas in the North Indian state of Uttarakhand, is dedicated to Vishnu. It is located 73 km from Rishikesh on the Rishikesh–Badrinath highway. Constructed in the Deula style, the temple is glorified in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, the early medieval Tamil canon of the Alvar saints from the 6th–9th centuries CE. It is one of the 108 Divyadesam dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped as Raghunathji (Rama) and his consort Lakshmi as Sita.
Gangari Brahmin is a Brahmin subcaste originating from the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India. They were settled in the villages surrounding the Ganges valley hence known as "Gangari" Brahmins.
Trepan Singh Negi was an Indian politician. He was a member of the 6th and 7th Lok Sabha. He represented the Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha Constituency and was a member of the Congress political party. He was elected to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Uttar Pradesh Assembly from Tehri Assembly Constituency.
Thapliyal is a Sarola Brahmin toponymic surname from Thapli, a village in the Chamoli District of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. In around 980 CE, people of Thapliyal Sarola Gaur Brahmin caste settled in a village named Thapli in Chandpur. Their Kuladevi is Jwalpa Devi.