Askot

Askot or Askote (Hindi: असकोट) is a small Himalayan town in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand in India. It is the part of Kanalichhina development Block and Didihat Tehsil.

Askot
Town
Askot
Askot
Coordinates: 29.77°N 80.35°E / 29.77; 80.35
CountryIndia
StateUttarakhand
DistrictPithoragarh
Elevation
1,106 m (3,629 ft)
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
262543
Vehicle registrationUK
Websiteuk.gov.in

The place is also famous for the Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary dedicated to the conservation of Musk deer. Askot lies midway between Pithoragarh to Dharchula road and located on a ridge. 'Kailash-Mansarovar Pilgrimage route from Delhi - Kathgodam - Didihat - Dharchula, passes through Askot.

along with surrounded regions the area was once part of Manaskhand region[1] and came under Katyuri kings after fall of katyuris the Rajwars dynasty which was a branch katyuri kings continued to rule the region[2],ruled by Chand, Gorkha, Raikas and British rulers, though Rajwars continue to be its ceremonial Head. Van Rawats - an endangered tribe of Uttaranchal, inhabits around this area.

Geography

Askot is located at 29.77°N 80.35°E / 29.77; 80.35.[3] It has an average elevation of 1,106 metres (3,629 feet). It is located on Gori Ganga- Kali river geographical divide. Under beautiful natural setting of trees like Pinus, Quercus and Rhododendron, etc., are at the backdrop of Chhiplakot and Panchchuli . The Fertile slopes of Garkha are situated on the front side, and Kali river and mountains of Nepal on its left.

The area around is under heavy tunnel mining operations. There are polymetallic mines of copper, zinc, gold, silver and lead deposits.

Origin of name

The name Askot is originated from Assi Kot (Eighty Forts).[4] Many of these forts were in Darchula District of Nepal.

History

Pals migrated from Ayodhya to Askot in the Kumaun Hills of Uttrakhand. Pals ruled this area for ages. Askot was ruled by a branch of Katyuri kings. After the breakdown of Katyuri Dynasty, King Abhay Pal, the grandson of Katyuri King, Brahm Deo (the Pals original last name was 'Deo' but one of their ancestors called Kunwar Abhay Pal Deo, wrote his surname as Pal and the generations after him followed suit), brought a branch of Katyuri Dynasty, here as the Rajbars, and established the state of Askot, by taking it as a grant from Kings of Doti in 1279 AD.[5]


Later on they came under Chand rulers. From 1279 to 1588 the descendants of Abhay Pal, the Rajbar dynasty ruled over the region,

Later there is a Strong off shoot known as Mahson Mahuli Raj (Uttar Pradesh). Alakh Deo Grandson Abay Pal Deo of Askote and Great Grand son of Emperor of the Might Katyuri Bhram Deo, led an army into plains of north Eastern UP and engaged the local tribal king in a ferocious battle in which Alakh Deo and his Suryavanshi Rajput forces emerged victorious. Alakh Deo established his capital 32 in away from Basti in Mahuli in 1305. The area was covered with thick jungles and swamps and the Ghagra river in south and Rapti river in east protected this region from heavy attacks. The feudal kingdom of Mahson and Mahuli stretched 14 Kose 47 (km).

Administratively, at that time, Askot had two regions-Malla Askot and Talla Askot. This area came under Gorkha control (1791-1815) but the descendants continued to fight against each other. This family feud continued even after the British defeated the Gorkhas in 1815. Before Askot became Capital, the king used to live at Lakhanpur Kot, near the now Bagarihat (Bagar means river bank) village on the right bank of river Kali. It was situated at the base of Champhachal mountain. The remnants of the fort and market are still here.

Source:

Rajwars of Askot

Rajwar or Rajwara was the official title of the former ruler (feudal kings) Zamindari, of the estate of Askot.[6]

Pals migrated from Ayodhya to Askot in the Kumaun Hills of Uttrakhand. Pals ruled this area for ages. Pals original last name was 'Deo' but one of the ancestors called Kunwar Abhay Pal Deo, wrote his surname as Pal and the generations after him followed suit. The present titular ruler is Rajwar Bhanu Raj Singh Pal (b. 1958), who is 108th in his bloodline to claim the title.

Important tourist places near Askot
  • Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary
  • Ghangdhura
  • Chhiplakot Or Najurkot
  • Chhipladhura lake
  • Narayan Ashram
  • Askot Polymetallic Deposit tunnel Mines
  • Bhadigad river ;Rauntishgad river
  • Gurjigad river
  • Confluence of Gori Ganga river with river Kali at Jauljibi
  • Dhanlekh, which is a place near Singali. It is famous place for Hindu devotees.

Native Tribes

Van Rawats or Raji or Kirat are native indigenous, ethnic minority community of this area. They inhabit at high altitude. Jamtadi is their nearby village. Their other villages are situated at Ghangdhura ridge.

References
  1. Debroy, Dipavali; Debroy, Bibek (1990). The Kurma purana. Books For All. OCLC 29941922.
  2. Atkinson, Edwin Thomas (1990). Himalayan Gazetter. Cosmo. OCLC 183008777.
  3. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Askot
  4. "Pithoragarh District Gazetteer" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  5. Askote Genealogy of Indian Princely States.
  6. Pals migrated from Ayodhya to Askot in the Kumaun Hills of Uttrakhand. Pals ruled this area for ages. Pals original last name was 'Deo' but one of the ancestors called Kunwar Abhay Pal Deo, wrote his surname as Pal and the generations after him followed suit. The present titular ruler is Rajwar Bhanu Raj Singh Pal (b. 1958), who is 108th in his bloodline to claim the title. Askot The Imperial Gazetteer of India 1909,v. 6, p. 14.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.