ilttarakhand 39
marks like Jaunsaris, Gujars, Bokshees, Rawats and Tharus.
However, the history of Kumaon and Garhwal in early
times is not clearly distinct from that of Northern India as a
whole. The inhabitants also, as they now exist9 may be said
to belong to wider divisions of population. Those dwelling in
the lower hills between the snowy range and plains are
practically Hindus, and enjoy what is really and Indian
climatic conditions as prevail in the plains below. But we have
also to include within the ambit of the area the area known
as Bhot, inhabited by the Bhotiyas, a tribe of Mangolians and
Tibetan affirmities, whose proper habitat is the snowy tract
lying beyond the first range of high peaks and extending upto
the watershed, when the headwaters of the great rivers take
their rise. The climate there differs widely from that of the
sub-Himalayan hills, and the conditions of life resemble those
of Tibet, which it adjoins*
The history of the region is mostly disjointed and is availa-
ble in piecemeal, till Katyuris finally settled over the region.
The glimpses of early history are available through Lakha-
rnandal inscription of Isvara Devi temple, Bageshwar, inscrip-
tion as rendered by Atkinson, Taleshwar copper plate grant,
Pandukeshwar plates, Gopeshwar inscription of Ashokachalla.
The inscription carved on trident at Uttarkashi and Gopesh-
war are remnants of ancient history. These landmarks of early
history were visited and interpreted by early historians li^e
Atkinson, Buhler, T.D. Gairola, Cakley, Jt Goetez, Hari
, Krishna Raturi, Badri Dutt Pandey, Badri Shah Thulgbaria,
Rahul Sanskrityayan and Shiv Prasad Dabral. , Amongst early
pioneer writers Cunningham worked very hard to find out the
real background of Kulindas who were supposedly preceded
by Kjj^atas who inhabited thp region around the sources of
Ganga and Yamuna.
Amongst the most exciting and living trace of Indian
history in Garhwal is Kalsi where in I860, a rock edict was
.unearthed, heralding a new dimension in the history of
Uttarakhand.
From the archaeological -finds, the Ashokan pillar at Kalsi
and the Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta, we
carne to know about a place called Kartikeyapura or Kartipura