alpine meadows, rare highaltitude flora and fauna, the lifestyle of the mountain people, their settlement patterns, dress, dialect, Jewellery and others

Garhwal Himalayas Region
Garhwal is a region and administrative division of Uttaranchal sate, India, lying in the Himalayas. It is bounded on the north by Tibet, on the east by Kumaon region, on the south by Uttaranchal state, and on the west by Himachal Pradesh state. It includes the districts of Chamoli, Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal and Uttarkashi.

It is believed that Garhwal was named so because of the fact that it had 52 Garhs of 52 petty chieftainships, each chief with his own independent fortress (garh). Nearly 500 years ago, one of these chiefs, Ajai Pal, reduced all the minor principalities under his own sway, and founded the Garhwal kingdom.