Gangolihat

Gangolihat is a town in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India. It is the headquarters of its eponymous tehsil- one of the 12 revenue subdivisions of the Pithorarh district.

Gangolihat
town
From top, left to right: Gangolihat Skyline; Gangolihat Group of Temples; Patal Bhuvaneshwar; Hat Kalika Temple; view from Patal Bhuvaneshwar
Gangolihat Location in Uttarakhand, India Show map of Uttarakhand Gangolihat Gangolihat (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 29.67°N 80.05°E / 29.67; 80.05
Country	India
State	Uttarakhand
District	Pithoragarh
Area
• Total	7 km2 (3 sq mi)
Elevation	1,760 m (5,770 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	7,112
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	UK
Website	uk.gov.in

Gangolihat is known for its shakti peeth of Haat Kalika Temple.^[2]

History

Janhavi naula houses a stone inscription dated 1264 A.D. having the names of the Mankoti kings.

Being situated between the Saryu Ganga and Ram Ganga rivers, the region where Gangolihat is situated was earlier called Gangavali, which got corrupted to Gangoli over the course of time.^[3] Gangolihat was the primary market and main trading center of the Gangoli region. Before the thirteenth century, the region was under the rule of the Katyuri kings.

Around the thirteenth century, Gangolihat came under the rule of the Mankoti kings, who had their capital at Mankot.^[4][5][6][7] In Janhavi naula at Gangolihat belonging to 1264 A.D. there is a piece of stone with the names of the Gangoli kings and also records an inscription about a possible invasion of Mankot by the Delhi Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah.^[8] On the piece of stone of 1352, found in the temple of Baijnath, is written that the kings of Gangoli (Hamirdeo, Lingarajdeo, Dharaldeo) built the kalash of the temple.^{[8][clarification needed]}

The kingdom of Gangoli was invaded by the Chand king, Balo Kalyan Chand, in the 16th century.^[3] Following its defeat, Mankot was merged into the Kumaon Kingdom. In the nineteenth century, Gangoli was made a pargana of Almora district, and the pargana headquarters were established in Gangolihat town itself.

Geography

Gangolihat is located at 29.48°N 80.05°E / 29.48; 80.05.^[9] It has an average elevation of 1,760 metres (5,773 feet). It is 78 km from Pithoragarh. The main town is at a hill top. The region is surrounded by two rivers-Saryu and Ramganga.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census of India, Gangolihat town is spread over an area of 7 sq km and has a population of 7,112. Gangolihat has an average literacy rate of 74.11%.^[1]

Hills view from Gangolihat