History
On the banks of the Bhagirathi, surrounded by the rivers Varuna and Assi, this sacred, fast developing town is the capital of the newly constituted westernmost district of Uttarakhand along the Indian border. This is a town packed with temples, historical monuments, `ashrams` and `dharamsalas`. It is a Shiva town populated by over 12,000 people. Shiva is the leading deity and is worshipped morning, noon and night in the ancient temple of Lord Vishwanath. The evening song evokes an atmosphere of beauty in religion as the music of singing bells blends with the chants of the pandits. Within the courtyard and directly opposite to the temple is the Shakti Temple dedicated to the Goddess of Energy, projecting a massive brass trident which, according to an inscription in Sanskrit fixed on it reveals that the temple of Vishwanath was built by king Ganeshwar, whose son, Guh a great warrior, had the trident forged. It is 8 metres high with a base measuring 2.74 metres and atop measuring almost a metre in circumference. Another inscription bearing trident, on a smaller scale, can be found in the Shiva Temple in the town of Gopeshwar, near Chamoli.
Among the other temples in this many splendour town are the Parashuram, Kali and that of the Ekadash Rudra, built by the former maharaja of Jaipur and where, in the days of yore, two brave heroes, Kirat and Arjun dwelled until death took Kirat. Above the town is the temple of Sri Chandreshwar, situated on Varunavat Parbat with commanding magnificence and dignity. Besides the Anglo-Sanskrit College, and the old seat of the Deputy Collector, there are the Kshettras of the Baba Kali Kamli Wala, the Maharaja of Jaipur and the Punjab Sind Kshettra.