THE LAND AND PEOPLE OF GARHWAL
In order to better understand a place, it is better to know
its geographical feature and people. Keeping this in mindr
I will like to give you a glimpse of the land and people of
Garhwal and then about the Kumaon.
Garhwal, the epitome of the Himalayas where Lord Vishnu
chose to act the world drama is inhabited by tough, hardy
and enduring people. It is bordered on the north by Tibet
and in the east by Kumaon, on the south by Bijnore and
Dehradun and on the west by Sirmaur and Nahan. The
physical features of the area have been best described by
Walton as "The vast tracts are composed of bare rocks or are-
covered with forests. In some parts such features are canfined
to the upper parts of the mountains whose sides and base are
adorned with the richest fertility, whilst in other parts the*
fairest slopes or the finest valleys are succeeded by continuous
miles of river glen where precipices and woods extend to the
lowest depths."
It was divided into petty chieftains, numbering fifty two*
who were put together by Ajaipal in fifteenth century A* D.