Tanakpur

Positioned right where the majestic Sharda River (Mahakali) leaves the rugged outer Shivaliks and breaks into the fertile Gangetic plains at an altitude of 255 metres (837 feet) in Champawat district, Tanakpur is the historic southwestern gateway to the Kumaon division. Lying directly upon the international border with Nepal, the town blends spiritual reverence, riverine trade, and frontier mountain energy.

The spiritual heartbeat of Tanakpur is the world-renowned Maa Purnagiri Temple, perched on a dramatic mountain ridge at 1,700m overlooking the Sharda river valley, about 20 km north of town. Regarded as one of the 51 sacred Shaktipeeths, it marks the holy ground where the navel of Goddess Sati fell to earth.

During the colossal Chaitra Navratri Mela held between March and April, millions of fervent devotees from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Nepal, and Uttarakhand make the pilgrimage on foot, filling the mountain road with joyful chants of "Jai Mata Di" and the fluttering of sacred red chunris.

Tanakpur is home to the monumental Sharda Barrage, a massive British-era engineering feat completed in 1928 across the roaring river. Bordering the barrage is the lively frontier checkpoint of Banbasa, where travellers can walk or take cycle rickshaws across the international bridge into the bustling border markets of Mahendranagar in Nepal without needing a visa.

Historically, Tanakpur served as an essential timber transport riverhead and railway terminus. Today, the town remains an accessible jumping-off point for exploring eastern Kumaon destinations like Abbott Mount, Champawat, Lohaghat, and Meetha Reetha Sahib.

With scenic river ghats, rich local Kumaoni markets selling mountain spices and brass bells, and dense foothill sal forests teeming with wildlife, Tanakpur provides an authentic, culturally rich gateway to the sacred mountains of Devbhumi.