Champawat

Champawat is a sparsely populated town in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Due to it is obscurity, not many hostels and guesthouses mushroomed here. Only a handful of budget accommodations can be found. Another option is to find accommodation at Lohaghat where one can find plenty of option to choose from ranging from budget to luxury. Lohaghat is only 13 kms from the town of Champawat.

Being a small town, Champawat does not have restaurants serving international cuisine. The few eateries and roadside food stalls in Champawat offer popular North Indian and Chinese dishes. Local cuisine is worth giving a try one can taste all sorts of Pahadi dishes like Chainsoo, Gahat Dal, Sisunak Saag, Kappa to name a few. Local sweet delicacies like Bal Mithai and Singauri  shouldn’t be missed.

Champawat was the former capital of the scions of Chand Dynasty. It is said that Champawat was named after Champawati, the daughter of Arjun Deos. In the 16th century, the Chand rulers built the famous Baleshwar temple in the Champawat city, which is an impressive monument that stands in utmost grandeur even today. With the advent of Gurkharaj in 1790, the Chandra Vansha came to its end. 

Later in 1814, the Britishers forced the Gurkhas to leave this place. On September 1997, the city of Champawat became a part of the separate Champawat district, carved out of Pithoragarh district.

According to the Hindu texts, it has been stated that Lord Vishnu incarnated in his ‘Kurma avatar’ or tortoise incarnation in Champawat.

Champawatpuri was the capital of nine naag kings as mentioned in Vayu Purana. Pandavas of Mahabharata also spend some part of there 12 years of exile at this place.