We all know that Uttarakhand is the hub of tourist places and is also known as Devbhoomi Uttarakhand, because of the Char Dham which are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The history of Uttarakhand is so long from the ancient era and in this article, we are going to talk about an ancient site that was the capital of the Garhwal kingdom, and the site is Chandpur Garhi. Chandpur Garhi Chamoli is one of the historic sites and best places to visit nearby Karnaprayag Chamoli. If you are in Karnaprayag then you must add this place to your travel list.
History of Chandpur Garhi
In ancient times there were 52 kingdoms in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, they were called Garhs at that time. And one of the garh(kingdom) was Chandpur Garhi. This was the capital of the Panwar generations and then later the capital was shifted to Srinagar Garhwal because the kingdom was becoming weaker due to regular attacks.
According to ancient historians and pieces of evidence, it is believed that the first king of Chandpur Garhi was King Kanalpal who established this fort and set up his capital here. He was one of the most powerful kings of that time, and all the 52 garhs(kingdoms) were under his influence. There is no proper evidence to proof the history of this mysterious fort and kingdom.
Ajaypal was the last king of Chandpur Garhi as per the historic writings. He shifted the capital from Chandpur Garhi to Devalgarh under his rule. Devalgarh site is located in today’s Pauri district of Uttarakhand, nearby Srinagar Garhwal.
Architecture and location of Chandpur Garhi
The fort was built with flat plate-like stones from the nearby stone mine. That stone mine is approx 3 Km away from the main site. Chandpur Garhi is located approx 500 meters on a hilltop from the Nainital national highway. The whole site is surrounded by hills tops and a few villages are located on those hilltops. The fort is surrounded by green, lush trees and small mountains. You can see the old traditional style Okhlis here, which were used to smash the grains at that time. Okhlis can be seen in almost all the villages of Uttarakhand. Today, only 20% structure of the fort is left and this site is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
How to reach Chandpur Garhi
Chandpur Garhi is located 3 Km before Adi Badri temple and is well-connected with the national highway NH 109. The approximate distance from Karnaprayag to Chandpur Garhi is 16 Km. You can get a cab or bus from Karnaprayag to Chandpur Garhi or travel via your personal vehicle.
Conclusion
So if you are a history enthusiast who wants to explore the history of Garhwal then you must visit Chandpur garhi. It is one of the best tourist destinations nearby Karnaprayag Chamoli. We recommend you visit this site for sure if you really want to explore the history of the Garhwal region.