Rudrapur

The city of Rudrapur is situated in the the Great Himalayas, in Udham Singh Nagar District of the state of Uttarakhand. A municipal board of the district, the city provides access to tourist destinations like Kumaon Hills. Although an industrial centre, the city with terraced farms, cassia trees, blooming flowers and pleasant weather has become one of the popular tourist destinations.

The history of Rudrapur dates back 500 years, which was founded by a Hindu tribal chief called Rudra. Rudra Chand, the well known emperor of Chand dynasty, was handed over the city during the rule of the Mughals. The city was named after the king of Kumaon region, which served as the capital of his kingdom. For people coming from Pakistan, West Punjab and Myanmar, Rudrapur was established as a refugee camp in 1960.   

Along with the local Kumaonis and Garhwalis, the region is inhabited by people following various religions. The diverse culture of the destination can be seen in the architecture, festivals, attire and cuisine. Kumaoni, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi are the commonly spoken languages in Rudrapur.

Dance forms like Chholia Nritya, Jhora and Chhapeli are predominant in this region. Folk songs including devotional and mythological themes, moral messages and love songs are quite popular. With the presence of mixed populace, festivals like Baisakhi, Diwali, Dussehra, Navratri and Holi are celebrated with zeal in the destination.  

The Atriya Temple, a chief religious centre, is associated with mythological legend. It is situated on the Rudrapur-Haldwani route at a distance of 2 km from the city centre. The temple is visited by tourists and devotees during the festival of Navratri. Chaiti Devi Temple, Laxmi Narayan Temple, Panch Mandir and Giri Sarovar Lake are some of the popular sites in Rudrapur.

Rudrapur can be reached by various modes, including air, rail and road transport. The closest airport to the city is at Pantnagar, which has limited flight connections. Besides, Indira Gandhi International Airport of Delhi is in close vicinity and is connected with various parts of the world. The railway station of the city has a well connected network and is linked with Kathgodam, Dehradun, Lucknow and New Delhi. The state owned buses render services to most of the cities in the state.

As the destination is situated in the midst of mountain ranges of the Great Himalayas, weather conditions remain cool and pleasant throughout the year. This makes Rudrapur a year round destination.