Haldwani

Known as the "Gateway to Kumaon", Haldwani (in the Nainital district) is one of the most populous towns in Uttaranchal. In Kumaoni (the local dialect), the place is called "Halduvani", after the tree named "Haldu" which was found in abundance prior to deforestation for agriculture and settlement. Kathgodam is a satellite town of Haldwani.

In 1815, after the Britishers defeated Gorkhas, Gardner was appointed as the Commissioner of Kumaon. Later on Gerorge William Trail took over as Commissioner. In 1834 Trail renamed Halduvani as Haldwani.

"Gora Padao", 4 kms south of Haldwani is named after a British camp/post at that location in the mid 1800s. In 1856, Henry Ramsay took over as the Commissior of Kumaon. He connected Nainital with Kathgodam by road in 1882. In 1883-84, the railway track between Bareilly and Kathgodam was laid. The first train arrived at Haldwani from Lucknow on 24 April 1884. Later, the railway line was extended to Kathgodam.

The Arya Samaj Bhavan was built in 1901 and Sanatan Dharm Sabha in 1902. The Tehsil office was opened in 1899. In 1907 Haldwani got the status of town area.

Haldwani-Kathgodam Municipal Council was established on 21 Sept 1942. Currently it is the second largest Municipal Council in the state of Uttaranchal after Haridwar.

Well connected with the Indo-Gangetic plain by road (to New Delhi, Dehradun and Lucknow) and rail (New Delhi, Lucknow and Agra), Haldwani is an important commercial hub. It is home to one of the largest vegetable, fruit and foodgrain markets in Northern India.

Haldwani is also home to a few schools which provide an exceptionally high standard of pre-college education, without the elitism and expenses associated with the residential hill schools of Uttaranchal. It also boasts a premier university of agriculture and technology nearby, and a medical college locally.

Geologically, Haldwani is settled on a piedmont grade (called Bhabhar) where the mountain rivers go underground to re-emerge in the Indo-Gangetic plain.

8 Kms north of Haldwani at Ranibagh is a multicolored boulder called Chitashila amidst the river Gaula (Gargi). A fair called Uttarayani (also called Ghughutiya in Kumaoni) is held here on Makarsankranti (on 13-14 of January) every year.

Long in the shadow of its famous hill cousins, the Haldwani area has a lot to offer by the way of quaint villages, rolling deciduous forests and open spaces outside the urban sprawl.

The last 20 years have seen an explosion in the demographics leading to a creaking infrastructure. Struggling to live upto its sobriquet of "Green City", Haldwani seems to be coming apart at its seams.