Uttarakhand 37
and Garhwal Inclusive of three Uttarakhand districts was once
known as "Uttarkuru" or "Brahmarishidesh". It extended
from Kalsi-Ajrakote in the west to Vyas-Chandaus in the
north-east and Tanakpore, Ramnagar, Muni-Ki-Reti and
Dehradun in the south-west. Puranas have described this area
as Kedarkhand which extended from Nari Khorsim (western
Tibet) to Tarai Bhabar in the south-west. Puranas have des-
cribed this area as Kedarkhand, Kinnerdesh and Manaskhand
which extended from Nari-Khorsim (Western Tibet) to Tarai-
Bhabar in the south, Garhwal in the west and Nepal in the
east. Later on, the Puranic chronicles started describing the
present Kumaon as 'Manaskhand' and Garhwal as 'Kedar-
khand'. The entire areas has been thus described in Skanda-
purana—
Agangadwar maryadam swetant barwenium tamsatat-
patati purvarwaks bauddhachalam subaham
Kedarmandalam khyant bhumyast dwichala sthalam
References about Kedarkhand, Manaskhand, Kinnerdesh
.and Uttarakhand are found in various scriptures including
Mahabharata and Ramayana which make pointed reference to
Kulinda, Kalkoot and Anartdesh. In Mahabharata detailed
description has been given about the various kingdoms and
places which were subjudicated by Arjuna. This is probably
-one reason that Garhwal has been referred in some ancient
texts as Panchaldesh and even today numerous places are
Scnown after the names of Pandavas as Pandosera, Panai,
Pandukeshwar, Nili and Panduakhal. In these places, several
dance forms are in existence after the glorious tradition of
Pandavas and are known as Pandava Nrityas.
Shaktisangam Sutra has described Uttarakhand as—
Kurmashya maheshani kadhyate
srincesampratam
Shankesh dakshbhage kamakhya
purvagochar uttere
Manshesh pachhima shardabhawet.
The very name Kumaon is derived from Kurma, the
tortoise incarnation of Vishnu giving it a mythological
colouring. Legend has that Shri Ram sent the head of
Kumbha Kama, the brother of Ravan to Kumaon through