About Uttarakhand Foundation Day
Uttarakhand Foundation Day, or Uttarakhand Sthapana Diwas, marks 9 November 2000, when Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh as India's 27th state, first under the name Uttaranchal. It is marked by the state government, schools and Uttarakhandi communities across India, and in 2026 it falls on Monday, 9 November 2026.
Uttarakhand did not come about through a map drawn in Delhi. It came from two decades of meetings, marches and hunger strikes in the hills, and from three shootings in the autumn of 1994 that people in Garhwal and Kumaon still name by place: Khatima, Mussoorie, Rampur Tiraha.
Why is Uttarakhand Foundation Day celebrated on 9 November?
Uttarakhand Foundation Day is on 9 November because the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 created the state on 9 November 2000. It took thirteen hill and Terai districts of Uttar Pradesh, divided between the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions, and made them India's 27th state. Dehradun became the temporary capital.
The new state was named Uttaranchal. People in the hills had always called their region Uttarakhand, and the movement had fought under that name, so after sustained public pressure the state was officially renamed Uttarakhand on 1 January 2007.
Uttarakhand was one of three states created in November 2000. Chhattisgarh was formed from Madhya Pradesh on 1 November, and Jharkhand from Bihar on 15 November.
What was the Uttarakhand statehood movement?
The Uttarakhand statehood movement was a long campaign by people of the hill districts, who argued that a government in Lucknow could not understand or plan for their villages, forests and rivers. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal was founded in Mussoorie on 24 July 1979 to demand a separate hill state, and in 1988 the activist Indramani Badoni led a march through the hills lasting 105 days.
The movement became a mass uprising in 1994. The trigger was Uttar Pradesh's decision to apply OBC reservation in jobs and education in the hills, where very few people belonged to OBC groups, which students and families read as shutting them out of their own opportunities. Protests spread to every district, and the police response turned deadly.
- 24 July 1979Uttarakhand Kranti Dal founded
The regional party is set up in Mussoorie to press for a separate hill state.
- 1988Badoni's march
Indramani Badoni leads a 105-day march across the hills.
- 1 September 1994Khatima firing
Police fire on a statehood rally in Khatima; seven people are killed.
- 2 September 1994Mussoorie firing
Police fire on protesters at Jhulaghar in Mussoorie, and more activists die.
- 2 October 1994Rampur Tiraha
Police stop a convoy of activists heading to a rally in Delhi at Rampur Tiraha near Muzaffarnagar; six or seven are shot dead, by differing counts, and women are sexually assaulted in custody.
- 9 November 2000Statehood
The Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 creates Uttaranchal.
- 1 January 2007Renamed
Uttaranchal officially becomes Uttarakhand.
Rampur Tiraha remains the movement's deepest wound. Of the 345 activists detained that night, 47 were women, many of whom said they were raped or molested by police. Justice came slowly: in March 2024, almost thirty years later, a CBI court in Muzaffarnagar sentenced two retired Provincial Armed Constabulary constables to life imprisonment for gang rape and robbery in the case.
That history is why Foundation Day in Uttarakhand is not only a celebration. Official functions pay tribute to the martyrs of the movement and honour the andolankaris who are still alive.
How is Uttarakhand Foundation Day celebrated?
Uttarakhand Foundation Day is marked with a state function in Dehradun led by the Governor and Chief Minister, tributes at the memorials to the statehood martyrs, and cultural programmes of Garhwali, Kumaoni and Jaunsari music and dance across districts. Schools hold essay and quiz contests on the movement, and Uttarakhandi associations in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities hold gatherings with folk singers and pahadi food.
The silver jubilee in 2025 was the largest so far. The main event, at the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun on 9 November 2025, drew over a lakh people. Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative postal stamp and launched development projects worth more than ₹8,140 crore.
The day often falls close to Diwali, and some years Garhwal is still preparing for its own festival of lights a few days later.
| Festival | Region | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Igas Bagwal (Budhi Diwali) | Garhwal | Eleven days after Diwali | Villages celebrate a second Diwali; the story goes that news of Rama's return reached the hills late. People swing the bhailo, a burning rope of bark, in the dark. |
| Harela | Kumaon | Onset of the monsoon, in July | Grain sown in small pots some days earlier is cut, and the green shoots are placed behind the ears or on the head for luck. |
| Phool Dei | Garhwal and Kumaon | First day of Chaitra, March or April | Children go door to door placing spring flowers on thresholds and receive rice, jaggery or coins. |
Uttarakhand is often called Devbhoomi, the land of the gods, for the Char Dham of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, the Panch Kedar and the confluences of the Panch Prayag. Hindi is the state's official language and Sanskrit its second official language, while most people in the hills also speak Garhwali, Kumaoni or Jaunsari at home.
What should you write on Uttarakhand Foundation Day?
A good Uttarakhand Foundation Day message says something about the hills and something about the people who fought for the state. "Uttarakhand Sthapana Diwas ki hardik shubhkamnayein" works well in Hindi. If the person is from Garhwal or Kumaon, name it; the two regions have distinct languages and customs, and people notice when you know the difference.
Uttarakhand Sthapana Diwas ki hardik shubhkamnayein, Maa and Babuji. Wish I were home for the evening programme in the village.
Happy Uttarakhand Day. You may be in Delhi, but I know your heart is somewhere above Pauri tonight. Here's to going back soon.
On Uttarakhand Foundation Day, thank you for the years you gave to the movement. This state exists because people like you would not give up.
Happy Uttarakhand Foundation Day. Wishing you and your family in the pahad a good year, and a plate of bal mithai from someone's trip home.
Happy Uttarakhand Day. Here's to Kumaon, to Harela, and to the day you finally take me to Almora.
Warm wishes to our colleagues from Uttarakhand on Foundation Day. Twenty-plus years of a young state, and a much older people.
Do
- Remember the movement: Khatima, Mussoorie and Rampur Tiraha are part of the day.
- Name Garhwal or Kumaon if you know which one the person is from.
- Keep a solemn tone if writing to families of those killed or assaulted in 1994.
Avoid
- Don't call the state Uttaranchal; the name was changed at the people's demand.
- Avoid treating Uttarakhand as only a holiday destination in your message.
- Don't confuse the day with Himachal Pradesh's statehood day; the two hill states have different histories.
For the other hill state's day, see Himachal Pradesh Statehood Day, and for other state days, the 2026 calendar.
How to wish someone on Uttarakhand Foundation Day
Uttarakhand was won through a long public movement in which people died, so the best wishes combine pride in the hills with respect for the andolankaris, the statehood activists. Mention the pahad, a hometown, a festival or a dish. For Uttarakhandis living in Delhi, Mumbai or abroad, a line about home and the villages they left will mean more than a slogan.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + regional language.
When is Uttarakhand Foundation Day in 2026 and 2027?
Uttarakhand Foundation Day is on 9 Nov every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When was Uttarakhand formed?
Uttarakhand was formed on 9 November 2000, when the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 separated thirteen hill and Terai districts from Uttar Pradesh. It became India's 27th state, first named Uttaranchal.
Why was Uttaranchal renamed Uttarakhand?
The statehood movement had always used the name Uttarakhand, and many people in the hills opposed the name Uttaranchal chosen in 2000. After sustained public demand, the state's name was officially changed to Uttarakhand on 1 January 2007.
What happened at Rampur Tiraha in 1994?
On the night of 1 to 2 October 1994, police stopped statehood activists travelling to a rally in Delhi at Rampur Tiraha near Muzaffarnagar and opened fire, killing several, while women in the convoy were sexually assaulted. In 2024 a CBI court sentenced two former constables to life imprisonment in the case.
What is the capital of Uttarakhand?
Dehradun is Uttarakhand's capital and the seat of its government for most of the year. Bhararisain, in Gairsain in Chamoli district, is the state's summer capital.
Which other states were created in 2000?
Three states were created in November 2000: Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh on 1 November, Uttarakhand from Uttar Pradesh on 9 November, and Jharkhand from Bihar on 15 November.
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