Garhwal

Garhwal, a native state in the North-west Provinces of India, on the borders of Tibet: area, about 4180 sq. m.; pop. 241,242. Also the name of a British district in the North-west Provinces, next to independent Garhwal: area, 5630 sq. m.; pop. (1891) 407,818. Being on the southern slope of the Himalayas, Garhwal is for the most part a mass of rugged mountain-ranges, whose elevation above the sea reaches in Nanda Devi 25,661 feet. The native state is the cradle of both the Jumna and the Ganges, and in the district are the Alaknanda and its point of junction with the Bhagirathi (see GANGES); consequently, in spite of the length and ruggedness of the way, crowds of pilgrims are attracted to the peculiarly sacred localities of Deoprayag and Gangotri.