A History of Kumaon: From Stone Shelters to Statehood
The Land of the Tortoise The word Kumaon is derived from Kurmanchal — kurma-anchal, “the land of Kurma”, the tortoise incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Tradition places the site of this incarnation at Kurmachal (Kandadev) hill near Champawat, from which the name spread to the whole region. Prehistoric Beginnings Human presence in these hills is far older than any dynasty. Rock paintings discovered at the Lakhu Udyar rock shelter (near Barechhina, on the Almora–Pithoragarh road) point to Mesolithic — middle stone age — settlements in the region, making it one of the oldest inhabited tracts of the central Himalaya. ...