This Dev-Bhoomi (Land of Gods) is an area of hills , mountains, Holly rivers and lakes. The western half is known as Garhwal and the eastern part is Kumaon.
Historically this is a spiritually evocative place for Hindus. These mountains were a bastion of Hinduism, and today Hindus aspire to make a pilgrimage at least once each lifetime to attain moksha (release) at the feet of Gods.

Garhwal Himalaya is the source of the sacred ganges & Yamuna rivers. It is scored by dramatic gorges studded with glacial lakes and cascading waterfalls, traversed by valleys that, during the monsoon , are carpeted with wild-flowers. The highlands are called bugyals (high altitude meadows).
The scenic beauty and the grandeur of the central Himalaya ranges and the remote location of Char-Dham, the holy religious temples like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri have excited the interest of people since very early times.
The region and especially the peaks are abundantly reffered to in historical literature, indicating that great saints, travelers and kings frequently visited this part of the Himalayas. In fact every peak, rock and rivulet is dedicated to some deity or saint and has an appropriate legend attached to it.