script) -->
 

People



People in Uttarakhand are mainly referred to as "Pahari" which means hill person. The people are called so because of the location of Uttarakhand in the foothills of Himalayas. Garhwal and Kumaon being two important regions, these part of Uttarakhand people are also referred as Garhwali or Kumaoni.

Uttarakhand boasts of Apart from the Garhwali and Kumaoni people, the other tribes that exist in Uttarakhand are Jadh, Marcha, Tolcha, Shauka, Buksha, Tharu, Jaunsari, Bhotia, Raji and Gujjar. These people around Uttarakhand are engaged in different occupations.

Caste wise, people in Uttarakhand can be divided into Kol-Doms, Khasi Rajput, Khasi Brahmin, Immigrant Rajput, Immigrant Brahmin and lastly people who don't believe in caste systems such as Bhotias and other such tribes. Kol-Doms belong to lower caste groups and are too poor to own small lands. Hence they serve the Rajput landlords and do farming on their lands. Rajputs are held with high esteem and they own lands. Brahmins are respected for they perform all the holy rituals.

Apart from the local tribes, people of Uttarakhand also comprise of Punjabis, Nepalis, Bengalis and Tibetans. Uttarakhand people follow many religions. But the majority of the population follows Hinduism which is followed by Islam. The other religions adopted by people at Uttarakhand are Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism. Other religions are also practiced but their followers are often too secretive to disclose.





Last Updated on 4 March 2013