page_title: Garhwali people
section_title: Garhwal Kingdom
hierarchical_section_title: Garhwali people / Garhwal Kingdom
caption_attribution_description: English: Kumaon and Garhwal Division
context_page_description: The Garhwali people are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Garhwal, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, who speak Garhwali, an Indo-Aryan language. The bulk of Garhwal people predominantly live in Garhwal – Anyone lives in Garhwal or is associated with Garhwal's heritage is called a Garhwali. Garwhalis includes all speakers of the Garhwali language or its other dialects who live in the Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag areas of Uttarakhand, India.
  Many Garhwali diaspora residents live in Indian states and territories such as Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. An approximate estimate of 2.5 million Garhwali migrants are living in Delhi and the National Capital Region.
context_section_description: The Kingdom of Garhwal was founded by Mayal Rajputs nearly 1000 years ago. The area comprises 52 principalities called Garhs (fortress). These garhs were small and had their own chiefs who were responsible for the welfare of the garh. The Mayal dynasty ruled the Kingdom until 1803 before the "Gurkhas" invaded Kumaon and Garhwal. Gurkhas defeated Garhwal king and ruled for over twelve years. These Gurkha raided in the British territories that led to broke out the Anglo–Nepalese War in 1814.
  At the end of the Anglo–Nepalese War, Garhwal Kingdom and Kumaon Kingdom were known as the British districts. However, Tehri's principality was left to King Sudarshan Shah, son of king Pradymun. A part of this kingdom was taken by the British, and later, it became known as the British Garhwal which spread over the area of 5,629  mi² (14,580  km²). After the British rule, Garhwal made rapid development. Two battalions of the Indian army (the 39th Garhwal Rifles) were deployed in the area, stationed at the military cantonment of Lansdowne. Grain was one of the major corps of this area. Apart from this, cloth, while salt, borax, livestock, and wool were imported from Tibet. The administrative headquarters of the area were established at Pauri. Srinagar (Garhwal) was the largest city and served as an important trade center along with the town of Kotdwara which is situated at Oudh and Rohilkhand railway tracks. Later, it became a part of the Punjab Hill States Agency of British India. Most of the Uttarkashi district acceded to the Union of India in 1949.
  Garhwali are known for their courage because they were preferred by the British as an army. Garhwali Kingdom was one of the few kingdoms that never came under the Muslim rule influence.
  The history of Garhwal is older than that of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Worshipping Lord Shiva is attributing reverent honour and homage to him. According to the great Mahabharata, Garhwal is believed to be the land where the Vedas and the Shastras were made.
caption: Location of Garhwal in Uttarakhand.
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