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Kumauni
or Kumaoni are people from Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, India. They include
all those who speak the Kumaoni language or any of its numerous dialects,
including Dotiyali and Baitada dialects spoken in the Far-western region
(Doti region) of Nepal and living in the Almora, Bageshwar, Champawat, Pithoragarh,
Nainital and Uddhamsinghnagar districts of Uttarakhand, India and the adjoining
districts of Doti,Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Kanchanpur and Darchula of the Mahakali
Zone and the Seti Zone of Nepal. There is evidence that the hills of Kumaon
have been inhabited by mankind for a millennia, and the people of Kumaon
today are the descendants of different waves of migration to these hills
which took place over centuries. The word "Kumaon" can be traced back to the 5th century BC. The Kassite Assyrians left their homeland 'Kummah', on the banks of river Euphrates,and settled in the northern part of India. These inhabitants formed Koliyan tribe and having their new settlement as Kumaoon. Lord Buddha's mother, Mayabati belonged to this clan. Although this theory does not seem true considering the fact the distance between these two places is about 2000 miles and this region was already populated at this time (ruled by Kunindas dynasty). Another version of the origin is that word Kumaon is believed to have been derived from "Kurmanchal", meaning land of the Kurmavatar (the tortoise incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver according to Hindu mythology). The region of Kumaon is named after as such. Their Kumaoni language forms the Central subgroup of the Pahari languages. Kumaoni is one of the 325 recognized Indian languages, and is spoken by over 2,360,000 (1998) people of Indian states of Uttarakhand - Almora, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat, Rudrapur (Udhamsingh Nagar) districts; Assam; Bihar; Delhi; Madhya Pradesh; Maharashtra and Punjab, besides being spoken in some regions of Himachal Pradesh and Nepal. Amongst its dialects, the Central Kumauni is spoken in Almora and northern Nainital, Northeastern Kumauni is in Pithoragarh, Southeastern Kumauni is in Southeastern Nainital, Western Kumauni is west of Almora and Nainital. Dialects of Kumaon region In all, there are 20 dialects spoken in the Kumaon region, including, Johari, Majh Kumaiya, Danpuriya, Askoti, Sirali, Soryali, Chaugarkhyali, Kumaiya, Gangoli, Khasparjia, Phaldakoti, Pachhai, and Rauchaubhaisi. Dialects of Kumaoni Language * Kali Kumaon, Central Kumaoni * North-Eastern Kumaoni * South-Eastern Kumaoni * Western Kumaoni * Askoti of Askot * Bhabhri of Rampur * Chaugarkhiyali * Danpuriya of Danpur * Gangoli of Ganai-Gangoli * Johari of Malla and Talla Johar * Khasparjiya of Almora * Kumaiyya * Pachhai of Pali-Pachhau * Pashchimi * Phaldakotiya of Phaldkot * Rhau-Chaubyaisi of Upper Himalayan Valleys * Sirali of Sirakot * Soriyali of Sor Valley (Pithoragarh) * Baitada of Baitadi , Darchula and parts of Bajhang District in Nepal * Dotiyali of Doti in Nepal Scholars also consider the heavy influence of Kumaoni on the Palpa language of Nepal. * Tibeto-Burman (NOT dialects of Kumaoni; these non-Indo-European languages are indeed spoken in Kumaon) Rang or Rung Darmyali Bangbani Culture Religion The culture of the present Kumaon is a blend of influences from the indigenous population as well as from the immigrants to this region. Consequently, the myths, dialects, languages, folk literature, festivals, fairs and forms of artistic expression are examples of the creative influences of the different cultural groups that constitute Kumaon. Every peak, lake or mountain range is somehow or the other connected with some myth or the name of a God or Goddess, ranging from those associated with the Shaiva, Shakta and Vaishnava traditions, to local Gods like Haru, Saim, Golla, Chhurmal, Kail Bisht, Bholanath, Gangnath, Airy and Chaumu. Temples are dedicated to the nine famous Goddesses, other local Goddesses, Bhairava, Surya:. and Ganesh. The temples at Jageshwar, Bageshwar, Binsar, Thalkedar, Rameshwar, Pancheshwar, Baijnath and Gananath are devoted to Lord Shiva. The temples of Devidhura, Haat ki Kaali in Gangolihat, Pumagiri, Almora, Nainital, Kot Ki Mai and Kotgari Devi are associated with the Shakt tradition, while the region of Lohaghat - Champawat (Mount Kandeo) is associated with Kunna Avatar. This region also has two famous Sun temples. According to Atkinson there were 35 Vaishnava and 250 Shaiva temples in British Kumaon. Eight Vaishnava and 64 Shaiva temples were dedicated to the Shakti or female form alone. Although Lord Shiva's influence prevailed throughout Kumaon, mainly because of its proximity to the region of Panchkedars and Kailash - Mansarovar, this did not in any way hamper the influence of the local folk Gods and Goddesses. Although the tales of Nanda Devi and Naina Devi have now been linked together, they began as two different stories.
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