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"Warren Burt (born 10 October 1949) is an Australia-based composer of American birth. He is known for composing in a wide variety of new music styles, ranging from acoustic music, electroacoustic music, sound art installations, and text-based music. Burt often employs elements of improvisation, microtonality, humour, live interaction, and lo-fi electronic techniques into his music. Biography Warren Burt was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended the State University of New York, Albany (BA, 1971) and the University of California, San Diego (MA, 1975) before moving to Australia in 1975. In 1976, Burt, along with composer/performer Ron Nagorcka, established the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre, in an old Organ factory building in Gold Street, Clifton Hill, Melbourne. In 1976–77, Burt toured his video/spoken/electronic opera Nighthawk in the USA. There were fourteen performances including at the University of Illinois, the Experimental Intermedia Foundation in New York, California Institute of the Arts, and Oberlin College. From 1977 to 1978 he and John Campbell produced the New and Experimental Music Show on radio 3CR. During this period, Burt and Australian composer Les Gilbert published the New Music Newspaper. In 1986 he won the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award. The same year, Burt's works from his residency at International Synergy think tank in Los Angeles was shown at the American Film Institute's National Video Show, and won first prize in the computer graphics division of the 1986 Sydney International Video Show. In 2007, he completed a Ph.D. thesis, "Algorithms, Microtonality, Performance: Eleven Musical Compositions" at the University of Wollongong. Currently he lives in Daylesford, Victoria, and teaches at Box Hill Institute, Melbourne, where he is coordinator of the Masters of Music (Contemporary Practice) degree. In 2013, Burt's video works were included in the This is Video exhibition curated by Stephen Jones as part of ISEA Symposium on electronic art. Burt and Jones had collaborated on a video work in 1977 called Three Texts. References Further reading *Bandt, Ros. Sound Sculpture: Intersections in Sound and Sculpture in Australian Artworks. Sydney: Fine Art Publishing, 2001. *Burt, Warren. "Aardvarks IV: A Real-time Electronic Music Performance Machine." MM thesis, University of California San Diego, 1975. *Burt, Warren. "Algorithms, Microtonality, Performance: Eleven Musical Compositions". Ph.D. thesis, University of Wollongong, 2007. *Burt, Warren. "Interactive Improvisations With Electronic Music Systems." Sounds Australian 32 (1992): 41-44. *Jenkins, John. 22 Contemporary Australian Composers. Melbourne: NMA Publications, 1988. *Zurbrugg, Nicholas. Critical Vices: The Myths of Postmodern Theory. Commentary by Warren Burt. Australia: G+B Arts International, 2000. External links *Official web site 1949 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Australian classical composers Australian male classical composers Living people University of Wollongong alumni Winners of the Albert H. Maggs Composition Award 20th-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian male musicians "
"The bedhaya (also written as bedoyo, beḍaya, and various other transliterations) () is a sacred ritualized dance of Java, Indonesia, associated with the royal palaces of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. Along with the serimpi, the bedhaya epitomized the elegant () character of the royal court, and the dance became an important symbol of the ruler's power. The bedhaya has different forms in the two court cities, the bedhaya Ketawang in Surakarta (Solo), and the bedhaya Semang in Yogyakarta, the latter of which has not been performed for more than 20 years. The Solonese dance continues to be performed once per year, on the second day of the Javanese month of Ruwah (during May in the Gregorian calendar), to commemorate the ascension of the current Susuhunan (prince) of Surakarta. Nine females, relatives or wives of the Susuhunan, perform the dance before a private audience. An invitation to anyone outside of the inner circle of the court is a considerable honor.Becker, 143. History Sultan of Yogyakarta, c. 1876 Some kind of female dance known as bedhaya existed on Java at least as early as the Majapahit Empire.Becker, 116. Indeed, some of the steps of the modern dance are said to be as old as the 3rd century.Knutsson, accessed on June 29, 2006. However, the modern form is traditionally dated to the court of Sultan Agung of Mataram (reigned 1613–1645). Unfortunately there is almost no historical evidence to back up the claims made about the advances in the arts in Sultan Agung's courts, and the existence of the dance is not clearly documented until the late 18th century.Sumarsam, 20 and 54. There are many myths which explain the origin of the dance, which generally have either an account of a meeting with an Indic deity (Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, or the Buddha), or the meeting of Kangjeng Ratu Kidul, the Goddess of the South Sea, meeting with a founder of the Mataram dynasty, either Sultan Ageng or his grandfather, Senapati. In the former, the nine dancers were the creation of a deity, who were brought to life, and offered the dance to their maker in gratitude. In the latter, the dance was created when Kangjeng Ratu Kidul fell in love with the sultan, and danced the bedhaya for him; the nine dancers in the modern dance represent the spirit of the goddess.Becker, 119–124. Since the decline in the power of the royal courts, other, more accessible forms of bedhaya have become popular, not as religious ritual, but as artistic performance. These do not require the royal presence, and may be performed on stage for an admission fee. They frequently recount stories used in wayang.Becker, 141–142. Dance The dance is held in a pendhapa, a pillared audience hall with a peaked roof, with the Susuhunan on a throne in the middle of the room. The dance is performed in three large sections. In each section, the dancers emerge from a room behind the audience hall, approach the throne single file, dance in front of the throne, and then retreat, again single file. They approach and retreat on opposite sides of the throne, thus circumambulating the throne in a clockwise direction, the appropriate direction for veneration in Buddhist and Shaivist traditions. A name and number is given to each of the nine dancers, which designate a specific position in the changing choreographic pattern. There are slight variations between different sources in the names and numbers of the dancers, but there is consensus on the general forms. They are: a human being, representing taṇhā (the word for desire or craving in Buddhism), four chakras (the top three of which are used as note names; see slendro), and the four limbs:Becker, 132, citing K.G.P.H. Hadiwidjojo, Bedhaya Ketawang: Tarian Sakral di Candi-candi, Jakarta: Balai Pustaka, 1981, p. 20; Soedarsono, Wayang Wong in the Yogyakarta Kraton: History, Ritual Aspects, Literary Aspects, and Characterization, Ph.D. dissertation, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1983, p. 148; and N. Tirtaamidjaja, "A Bedaja Ketawang Performance at the Court of Surakarta", Indonesia Vol. 1, 1967, p. 48. # èndhèl/èndhèl ajeg, "desire", "constant/fixed desire", "attachment" # pembatak/batak, "head", "mind" # gulu/jangga, "neck" # dhadha, "chest" # buncit/bunthil, "tail", "genitals", "lower end of spinal column" # apit ngajeng/apit ngarep, "right arm", "right flank", "front flank" # apit wingking/apit mburi, "left arm", "rear flank" # èndhèl weton/èndhèl wedalan ngajeng/èndhèl jawi, "right leg", "emergent desire", "front emergent desire", "outside desire" # apit meneng/èndhèl wedalan wingking, "left leg", "quiet flank", "rear emergent desire" The first two sections of the dance each have three positions, with slight variations, while the last adds a final, fourth position. The first position is in the shape of a human being, with the first five dancers in a line down the middle, and those representing the right and left sides in front and behind (from the perspective of the Susuhunan), respectively. In the second position, the dancers divide into two facing groups, the arms and desire to one side, and the chakras and legs on the other. In the third section of the dance, there is an added section of an encounter between the desire and head dancers in the second position, while the other dancers squat. The third position places the dancers either in a row (Surakarta) or with the arms to one side (Yogyakarta), with desire in the middle. The final position is in a 3x3 grid (rakit tiga- tiga), with the three upper chakra centers in the middle column.Becker, 131-136. Music and text The dance is accompanied with the singing of men and women together. The style is known as sindhenan lampah sekar. Formerly only women sang; however since at least the 1940s men have also sung these parts. In Surakarta, instead of a full gamelan, the only instruments used are the colotomic instruments (kethuk, kenong, and gong), the kemanak, and drums (kendhang ketipung and gendhing); there are no balungan instruments and only sometimes other melodic instruments (such as gambang and gendér). In the Yogyakarta kraton, where the dance is no longer performed as ritual, the complete gamelan was used as accompaniment, sometimes even featuring cornets.Kunst, 128, 279-281 The pieces used to accompany the dances are traditionally gendhing with long structures (originally designated at least kethuk 4 arang; see gendhing for an explanation); however, shorter gendhings were also used later (such as kethuk 4 kerep or kethuk 2). The most ancient and sacred song is the Bedhaya Ketawang. When the bedhaya dancers appear on stage, in Yogyakarta it was accompanied by an ayak-ayakan; in Surakarta, it is only accompanied by a pathetan known as pathetan bedhaya, which has lost much of the rhythmic freedom associated with pathetans to fit better the stride of the dancers.Kunst, 330. The literary renaissance of Java in the 18th and 19th centuries, which greatly changed Javanese music, had as one of its first effects the creation of genres of gendhing to accompany bedhaya and serimpi, known as gendhing kemanak and gendhing bedhaya-serimpi. The former were based on a newly composed choral melody, while the latter fitted a new choral part into a pre-existing gendhing melody played by the gamelan. Hundreds of stanzas of text were written for these parts, and a particular gendhing uses at least a dozen. The texts are mainly in the form of a wangsalan (poetic riddle), and deal with a wide variety of subjects.Sumarsam, 96. Much of the text is erotic love poetry, describing the attraction of Kengjang Ratu Kidul to Sultan Agung.Becker, 128. Taboos There are many taboos regarding the performance and rehearsal of the Bedhaya ketawang, both the song and the dance associated with it. It is only allowed to be rehearsed every 35 days (when Thursday of the seven-day week coincides with Kliwon, the fifth day of the five-day week of the Javanese calendar), and performed on the anniversaries of the Susuhunan's accession to the throne. All rehearsals, and especially the performance, must be accompanied by offerings (many of which correspond to those specified in the Gandavyuha Sutra). The dancers must fast and undergo ritual purification, they must be in bridal dress and cover the upper part of their bodies in turmeric (borèh). When the text is copied, a few intentional mistakes are inserted to avoid copying a sacred text literally. This is all because during any performance or rehearsal, the deputies of Ratu Kidul are said to be present.Kunst, 151-152, 280; Becker 115-116. Interpretation The dance can be interpreted in a number of ways, including as an abstract sequence of positions, and a reenactment of the love between the goddess and a royal ancestor. Another common interpretation is that they symbolize military formations, which may explain why the dancers are given names of flanks. Furthermore, the dancers were brought onto battlefields with the Yogyakartan ruler.Sumarsam, 7; Becker, 141. Some of the choreographic positions are vaguely similar to those that were believed to have been used in the Kurukshetra war, the war in the Mahabharata, and some of the texts tell of military victories. Judith Becker provides a tantric interpretation. The first position shows desire plus the body; the second shows opposition between desire and the chakras (there is some evidence that the legs were considered a fifth chakra), and in the final section, interaction between the head and desire. Afterwards, desire is absorbed into the body, and then the dancers are arranged in the same arrangement as offerings in the Majapahit palace. Three is a number rich in Hindu symbolism, like the three pramanas, the Trilokya or the Trimurti, so a threefold set of three symbolizes completion and perfection.Becker, 136-141. In the 19th century, dancers held and fired pistols in the performance of the bedhaya.R. Atmadikrama, Babad Krama Dalem Ingkang Sinuhun Kangjeng Susuhunan Paku Buwana Kaping Sanga ing Nagari Surakarta Adniningrat (The chronicle of the marriage of his highness Susuhunan Paku Buwana IX of Surakarta), ms SMP KS 104/4, inscribed Surakarta, mid to late 19th century, p.59; cited in Sumarsam, 77. Sumarsam considered the meaning of the use of pistols an aristocratic attempt to adopt a foreign element to show enhance royal power, or the secularization and infomalization of the court ritual when in the presence of European guests.Sumarsam, 78. During some period in the 19th century, the dancers in Yogyakarta were young men dressed as women. The combination of characteristics of both sexes was thought to have a special spiritual power. See also * Srimpi * Javanese culture Notes References * Becker, Judith. Gamelan Stories: Tantrism, Islam, and Aesthetics in Central Java. Arizona State University Program for Southeast Asian Studies, 1993. * Knutsson, Gunilla K. "The Wedding of Solo's King." The New York Times, September 11, 1983, accessed on June 30, 2006 * Kunst, Jaap. Music in Java. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1949 * Sumarsam. Gamelan: Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. Further reading * Clara Brakel-Papenhuijzen. The bedhaya court dances of Central Java. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1992. External links * The Badhaya Katawang: A Translation of the Song of Kangjeng Ratu Kidul by Nancy Florida * Court-dance Bedhaya Katawang Dances of Java Javanese culture Sultan Agung "
"Almora () is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Almora district. Almora is located on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the Himalaya range, at a distance of 363 km (via NH9) from the national capital New Delhi and 415 km via Saharanpur Rd, 351 km via NH109 and 388.6 km via Ambala- Dehradun- Haridwar Rd from the state capital Dehradun. According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census of India, Almora has a population of 35,513. Nestled within higher peaks of the Himalaya, Almora enjoys a year-round mild temperate climate. The town is visited by thousands of tourists annually from all over the world. Almora has beautifully been able to maintain its sanctity all over these years. There are total 11 Blocks (i.e. VikashKhand) in Almora district. Almora was founded in 1568 by King Kalyan Chand, however there are accounts of human settlements in the hills and surrounding region in the Hindu epic Mahabharata (8th and 9th century BCE). Almora was the seat of Chand kings that ruled over the Kumaon Kingdom. It is considered the cultural heart of the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. Etymology Almora got its name from Bhilmora, a kind of sorrel,(although some have tried to derive it from Berberis "kilmora") a short plant commonly found there which was used for washing the utensils of the sun temple at Katarmal. The people bringing the Bhilmora/kilmora were called Bhilmori/Kilmori and later "Almori" and the place came to be known as "Almora". When king Bhishm Chand laid the foundation of the town, he had initially named it Alamnagar. Prior to that, Almora was known as 'Rajapur' during the early phase of Chand rule. The name 'Rajpur' is also mentioned over a number of ancient copper plates. There is still a place called Rajpur in Almora. History Almora was founded in 1568 by Kalyan Chand during the rule of the Chand dynasty. Prior to that the region was under the control of Katyuri King Bhaichaldeo who donated a part of Almora to Sri Chand Tiwari. Almora in the 1860s According to local tradition, the earliest inhabitants in Almora were Tewaris who were required to supply Sorrel daily for cleansing the vessels of sun temple at Katarmal. Ancient lore mentioned in Vishnu Purana and Mahabharata present primordial accounts of human settlements in the City. The Sakas, the Nagas, the Kiratas, the Khasas and the Hunas are credited to be the most ancient tribes. The Kauravas and Pandavas of the Hastinapur royal family were the next important princes from the plains who are said to have affected the conquest of these parts. After the Mahabharata war the district seems to have remained for some time under the sway of the kings of Hastinapur whose authority was never more than nominal. The actual rulers were the local chiefs of whom the Kulindas (or Kunindas) were probably strong in the southern and western part of the city. The Khasas were another ancient people who belonged to an early Aryan stock and were widely scattered in those times. They gave this region the name Khasadesha or Khasamandala. Almora Bazaar, c1860 The next age's silent of them may probably be the ones signaling many petty states, rivaling each-other for supremacy and ultimately chartering the inauguration of the noted and enduring dynasty of Chands. Earlier to this, the Katyuris are recorded as the dominant clans in copper and stone engravings. The Chand dynasty from their inception in 953 A.D. to their ouster in the late 18th century present a saga of strife, with horrifying series of wars with rulers of Garhwal culminating in the destruction of this prosperous land and establishment of inglorious Gurkha rule. This dynasty was peculiar in that it made Almora the seat of strongest hill power in 1563 A.D. From that time onwards, the limits of kingdom of Kumaon extended over the entire tracts of districts of Almora and Nainital. Towards the end of the 17th century, Chand Rajas again attacked the Garhwal kingdom, and in 1688, king Udyot Chand erected several temples at Almora, including Tripur Sundari, Udyot Chandeshwer and Parbateshwer, to mark his victory over Garhwal and Doti. The Parbateshwar temple was renamed twice, to become the present Nanda Devi temple. Almora in the 1777 map of Delhi and Agra View of Almora, with soldiers of 3rd Gurkha Rifles, 1895. In 1791, the Gorkhas of Nepal while expanding their kingdom westwards across Kali River, invaded and overran Almora. In the meantime, the British were engaged in preventing the Gorkhas from over-running the whole of the northern frontier. The Gorkha rule lasted for twenty-four years. Due to their repeated intrusion into British territories in the Terai from 1800 onwards, Lord Moira, the Governor-General of India, decided to attack Almora in December 1814, marking the beginning of the Anglo-Gorkha war. The war that broke out in 1814, resulted in the defeat of the Gorkhas and subsequently led to the signing of the Treaty of Sugauli in 1816. According to the treaty, Nepal had to cede all those territories which the Gorkhas had annexed to the British East India Company. After the war, the old Lal Mandi fort, near Almora was renamed ‘Fort Moira’. Unlike the neighboring hill stations like Nainital and Shimla which were developed by the British, Almora was developed much before by the Chand kings. The place where the present cantonment is located was formerly known as Lalmandi. Presently where the collectorate exists, the 'Malla Mahal' (Upper Court) of Chand kings was located. The site of present District Hospital used to be 'Talla Mahal' (Lower Court) of Chand rulers. Almora had a Population of 8596 in 1901. Geography =Location= Kosi River valley near Almora, Uttarakhand, India Almora city in Uttarakhand India Himalayan view from Kasar Devi, Almora Almora is located at in Almora district in Uttarakhand. Almora is situated 365 km north-east the national capital New Delhi and 415 km south-east the state capital Dehradun. It lies in the revenue Division Kumaon and is located 63 km north of Nainital, the administrative headquarters of Kumaon. It has an average elevation of above mean Sea Level. Almora is situated on a ridge at the southern edge of the Kumaon Hills of the Central Himalaya range in the shape of a horse saddle shaped hillock. The eastern portion of the ridge is known as Talifat and the western one is known as Selifat. The Almora Market is situated at the top of the ridge, where these two, Talifat and Selifat jointly terminate. It is surrounded by thick forests of pine and fir trees. Flowing alongside the city are rivers of Koshi (Kaushiki) and Suyal (Salmale). The snow-capped Himalayas can be seen in the background. View of Almora city =Climate= view of Almora after rains The climate of Almora is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. The main seasons are summer from March to June, the monsoon season from July to November and winter from December to February. In summer, Almora is largely under the influence of moist, maritime airflow from the western side of the subtropical anticyclonic cells over low-latitude ocean waters. Temperatures are high and can lead to warm, oppressive nights. Summers are usually somewhat wetter than winters, with much of the rainfall coming from convectional thunderstorm activity; tropical cyclones also enhance warm-season rainfall in some regions. The coldest month is usually quite mild, although frosts are not uncommon, and winter precipitation is derived primarily from frontal cyclones along the polar front. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is Cwa (Humid Subtropical Climate). The average temperature for the year in Almora is . The warmest month, on average, is June with an average temperature of . The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of . The average amount of precipitation for the year in Almora is . The month with the most precipitation on average is August with of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is November with an average of . There are an average of 46.8 days of precipitation, with the most precipitation occurring in August with 11.9 days and the least precipitation occurring in November with 0.6 days. =Flora and fauna= Forests in Almora over hills The region is immensely rich with 4000 species of plants, having remarkable diversity in its natural vegetation by virtue of its being at a great range of elevation. In addition to its climatic variations, particularly in temperature and precipitation associated with the alignment and altitudes of ranges and nature of valleys, determine the altitudinal growth and variety of vegetation. The flora of this region may be classified into tropical, Himalayan sub-tropical and sub alpine and alpine vegetation. The alpine and sub alpine zones are considered as the most natural abode of the largest number of medicinal plants. The sub-alpine zones of Almora and outskirts are a natural sanctuary for leopard, Langur, Himalayan black bear, kakar, goral etc. Whereas the high altitude zones abound musk deer, popularly called "Kastura Mrig", snow leopard, blue sheep, thar etc. The entire zone is rich in a remarkable variety of birds possessing plumage of magnificent design and colours like peacock, which include grey quail, black francolin/kala titar, whistling thrush, chakor, monal, cheer pheasant, kokla, and pheasant. Demographics India census, Almora has a population of 35,513 of which 18,306 are males while 17,207 are females. out of the total population, The Almora Municipal Board has a population of 34,122 while The Almora Cantonment Board has a population of 1,391. Population of Children with age of 0-6 is 3081 which is 8.67% of the total population of Almora. Literacy rate of Almora city is 86.19% higher than state average of 78.82%. Male literacy is around 88.06% while the female literacy rate is 84.21%. Almora had a population of 32,358 according to the 2001 Census of India. The earliest known reference to the population of Almora occurs in the book Kingdom of Nepal by Francis Hamilton. In Fatehgarh Pt. Hariballav Pande had told Hamilton that in Almora, during the time of the Gorkha rule, there were around a thousand houses. Mr. G.W. Traill, the second commissioner of Kumaon division, writes that in 1821 A.D. there were 742 houses in Almora in which lived 1,369 men, 1,178 women and 968 children and thus the total population was 3,505. Hinduism is Practised by 90.84% of the total population and is the majority religion of Almora. Islam is practised by 7.54% people and is the largest minority religion. Other religions like Sikhism, Christianity and Buddhism are also practised by small number of people. Hindi and Sanskrit are the official languages of the state while Kumaoni is the mother tongue of the majority. Municipal board (Nagar Palika Parishad) of Almora was established in 1864. The Almora Nagar Palika Parishad has a population of 34,122 of which 17,358 are males while 16,764 are females as per the report released by Census India 2011. The population of children within the age range of 0-6 is 2950 which is 8.65% of total population of Almora (NPP). In Almora Nagar Palika Parishad, the female sex ratio is of 966 against the state average of 963. Moreover, the child sex ratio in Almora is around 857 compared to Uttarakhand's state average of 890. Literacy rate of Almora city is 94.51% higher than state average of 78.82%. In Almora, Male literacy is around 96.84% while female literacy rate is 92.13%. Schedule Caste (SC) constitutes 16.38% while Schedule Tribe (ST) were 1.00% of total population in Almora (NPP). Out of total population, 10,057 were engaged in work or business activity. Of this 7,901 were males while 2,156 were females. Of total 10057 working population, 93.25% were engaged in main work while 6.75% of total workers were engaged in marginal work. Almora Nagar Palika Parishad has total administration over 8,014 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. Almora is divided into 11 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. Culture =Temples= Kasar Devi Temple Almora has many notable temples, including Kasar Devi, Nanda Devi, Doli Daana, Shyayi Devi, Khakmara, Asht Bhairav, Jakhandevi, Katarmal (Sun Temple), Pataal Devi, Raghunath Mandir, Badreshwar, Banari Devi, Chitai, Jageshwar, Binsar Mahadev, Garhnath and Baijnath. Kasar Devi temple was visited by Swami Vivekananda and this area has a Chabad House.Kasar Devi Rudreshwar Mahadev Temple, near Sanara Ganiya, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is beside the river Ram Ganga. A sun temple (only the second in the world) is at Katarmal, a short distance from the town. The famous temple of Manila Devi, Devi Maa, the family goddess of the Katyuri clan, lies around 85 km from Ranikhet. Udaipur a famous temple of Golu devta is 5 km. from Binta near Dwarahat. Dunagiri has the highly revered temple of Shakti or Mother Goddess. Dunagiri is known as the birthplace of modern-day Kriya Yoga. There is a very famous and notable temple in Almora district which is in the village of Chaura near Bhaisor Gaun, Someshwar. This temple is dedicated to lord Golu who is considered as a lord of justice in Uttarakhand. This temple is about 40 km from Almora town. Another very famous temple of Almora district is Airdau which is in Someshwar. Someshwar is a small town in Almora district, which is very rich in agricultural way. Pandu Kholi is another famous and ancient temple in Almora district. According to Hindu mythology Pandvas spent some time here to escape from Duryodhana. The distance of this temple from Almora is about 80 km. Another very ancient and holy Shiva temple in Someshwar town is known as Khakeshwar Mahadev temple. It is in Bhaisor Gaun village, on the bank of a river. Transport *KMOU Bus Station Mall Road *KMOU Bus Station Dharanaula *Uttarakhand Roadways Bus Station Dharanaula *ISBT Almora Laxmeshwer Lower Mall Road Kathgodam is the nearest railway station to Almora Pantnagar Airport, located in Pantnagar is the primary Airport serving entire Kumaon Region. Indira Gandhi International Airport, located in Delhi is the nearest international Airport. Kathgodam railway station is the nearest railway station. Kathgodam is the last terminus of the broad gauge line of North East Railways that connects Kumaon with Delhi, Dehradun and Howrah. Almora is well connected by motorable roads with major destinations of Uttarakhand state and northern India. Uttarakhand Transport Corporation runs Buses from Almora bus station to Delhi and Dehradun. Taxis and Private Buses, mostly run by K.M.O.U, connect Almora to other major destinations of Kumaon region. Government of Uttarakhand is constructing an ISBT near lower mall road which will be very helpful for establishing a large tourist network in city and around nearby destinations of kumaon region. It will be the second ISBT of uttarakhand after Dehradun. A Sub Regional Transport Office is located in Almora where Vehicles are registered by the number UK-01. Education Almora has two universities, Kumaun University and Uttarakhand Residential University. Almora has a total of 23 Primary Schools, 7 Middle Schools, 2 Secondary Schools and 9 Senior Secondary Schools. =List of schools= * Army Public School * Holy Angel Public School * Koormanchal Academy * The Pleasant Valley School, Highland Korichina * NBU International School * Kendriya Vidyalaya Almora * K D Memorial public School * Vivekanand Girls Inter College * Vivekanand Intermediate College * Adam's Girls Inter College * New Modern Public School * New Inspiration School * Maharishi Vidya Mandir * Beersheba Sr. Secondary Public School * Sharda Public School * Almora Inter College * Ramsay's Inter College * Raja Anand Singh Govt. Girls Inter College * Govt. Inter College * Aarya Kanya Inter College * St. Paul public school * Grace Public School * Green Field Public School * Spring Dales public school * Saraswati Shishu Mandir Narsingh Badi, Shivaji Nagar, Jeewan Dham * Lorraine's Public School * Mangal Deep Vidya Mandir * Govt. Inter College Raingal * Blooming birds public school =Institutions= * Soban Singh Jeena University, Almora *Kumaun University Soban Singh Jeena Campus *Soban Singh Jeena Government Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (Under Development) *G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Ranikhet road *ICAR Vivekanand Institute of Hill Agriculture and Research, Mall road *Government Institute of Hotel Management & catering Technology Nainital road *Govt. Girls Polytechnic College Patal Devi *NRDMS Kumaun University *CEMS Almora *Govt. Law college SSJ Campus *Pandit Udit Uday Shankar Natya Academy *Uttarakhand Residential University Almora Media and communications All India Radio has a local station in Almora which transmits programs of mass interest. Almora station of A.I.R. was founded in June 1986 and is a primary channel station running on medium wave catering the whole of Kumaon division. The main service providers are Dish TV and Doordarshan. BSNL, Vodafone and Airtel have the three largest cellular networks in the city. There are Internet cafés in and around the city, but broadband connectivity is limited. Satellite dishes exist in most homes in the region and the channels available throughout India are also available here. Multiple local Hindi and English newspapers are published, whereas regional and national Hindi and English newspapers, printed elsewhere in India, are also circulated in Almora. a number of historical newspapers and magazines have been published from Almora like Prabuddha Bharata, Almora Akhbar, Shakti and Swadhin Praja etc. In 1871 A.D. Pt. Buddhiballav Pant opened a debating club. When Sir William Muir, the then provincial Governor, came here he was highly pleased with the working of this club. It is said that he also advised to open a press here and publish a newspaper. Mr. Pant, as advised, opened a press here and started publishing a weekly magazine Almora Akhbar. Almora Akhbar was the oldest Hindi weekly of this province. In 1913 A.D. Badri Datt Pandey took over the editing work of the magazine. Almora Akhbar made much progress; The number of its customers rose from 50-60 to 1500; however, it was closed in 1917. In 1918 one of the partners purchased the Debating Club Press and named it Vindhyavasini Press. From 1922 A.D. a weekly named Zila Samachar began to be published. Later on it came to be called Kumaun Kumud and was still being published until the late 1930s. In 1893-94, Babu Devidas opened Kumaun Printing Press which published a weekly named Kurmanchal Samachar. Another weekly named Kurmanchal Mitra was also published but it was stopped after sometime. The Prabuddha Bharata started publication in August 1898 from Almora, and was edited by Swami Swarupananda.The Life of the Swami Vivekananda, by His Eastern and Western Disciples, the Advaita Ashrama, Himalayas, by Advaita Ashrama, Published by the Swami Virajananda from the Prabuddha Bharata Office, Advaita Ashrama, 1947. In 1918 A.D. Badri Datt Pandey with the help of his friends opened a press named Deshbhakta and started publishing a magazine Shakti from it. Being displeased at the policy of Shakti, some of his partners filed suits and withdrew their shares and in 1919 A.D. opened Sombari Press from which for some time a magazine named 'Jyoti' was published. Later on this press also was sold and the publication was stopped. Shakti continued published till 1942, when owing to policies of the government, its publication was stopped. The publication resumed again in 1946 with the efforts of Pandit Gobind Ballabh Pant. In 1930 A.D. a paper named Swadhin Praja was published. Its director was patriot Victor Mohan Joshi. In 1934 A.D. a weekly named Samta was published. Directed by an artisan, Hari Prasad Tamta, it received a monthly help of Rs. 2001- from the government. Formerly it was printed in Indra Printing Press but later the publication shifted to Krishna Press in Haldwani. Since 1935 A.D. an illustrated monthly magazine named Natkhat is being published from Indra Printing Press. Notable people Swami Vivekananda visited Almora thrice during his Himalayan sojourns Govind Ballabh Pant was born in Almora Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni has Ancestral roots in Almora *Rabindranath Tagore spent time in Almora and purchased a house in nearby Ramgarh where he stayed during the First World War. *Swami Vivekananda visited Almora thrice during his Himalayan sojourns. He expressed great eagerness in making an Ashrama in the bosom of Himalayas for the practice of pure Advaita Vedanta. *Jawaharlal Nehru was in the Almora jail for a short time during the freedom struggle. *Govind Ballabh Pant (10 September 1887 – 7 March 1961), noted freedom fighter, first chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and later Home Minister of India, was born in Almora. *Uday Shankar's dance school was established at Almora in the late 1930s. Ravi Shankar, BabaAlauddin Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Annapurna Devi, Amala Shankar et al. were some of the celebrities among people who became famous later and learnt to dance and act here like Guru Dutt, Zohra Sehgal. *Sumitranandan Pant, (20 May 1900 – 28 December 1977) one of the most famous modern Hindi poets, was born at Kausani village of Bageshwar, in the hills of Kumaon. *Bhairab Dutt Pande, former cabinet secretary of India and governor of West Bengal, Punjab was a resident of Almora. *Sir Ronald Ross, winner in 1902 of Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his path-breaking discovery in malaria parasite, was born here in 1857. *Manohar Shyam Joshi the eminent Hindi writer and Indian TV's soap opera pioneer was from an Almora family of Galli village. *Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga and Rikhiapeeth was born in Almora on 25 December 1923 in Zamindari Family of Bhikiyasen and Gaja. *Anagarika Govinda a leading authority on Tibetan Buddhism lived in Almora for a long time, along with his partner Li Gotami. * Alfred Sorensen, John Blofeld, Beat Poets Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky and Gary Snyder - the original Dharma Bums, the LSD Gurus Timothy Leary and Ralph Metzner, the psychiatrist R. D. Laing, and Tibetologist Robert Thurman were among the many celebrities who lived or stayed in Almora. *Walter Evans-Wentz, Anthropologist and pioneer of Tibetan Buddhism studies lived in Almora. *American actress Uma Thurman spent a small part of her childhood at Crank's Ridge, near Almora, with her father Robert Thurman. *Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan (née Sheila Irene Pant) (1905 - 13 June 1990) was born in a Kumauni Hindu-turned-Christian family at Almora. She was the wife of Pakistan's first prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan. * ComradeP.C. Joshi, the first chairman of the Communist Party of India (CPI), was born in Almora. *Murli Manohar Joshi, the Union Human Resources Development minister of India (born 5 January 1934) in the NDA government. *B.C. Joshi, General Bhuwan Chandra Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (1935 - 19 November 1994) was the Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) of the Indian Army, belongs to Almora district (Talladaniya). *Devendra Kumar Joshi former chief of Naval Staff, Admiral D. K. Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, YSM (born: 4 July 1954) in Almora *Shivani, popular Hindi writer was from Almora *Munshi Hari Pradasd Tamta was the first industrialist of the Kumaon region. He was a social activist. He is remembered for his work of uplifting the downtrodden and the society. He was also an MLA from Gonda constituency and Chairman of Almora municipal corporation. His life-size statue is kept in the Lt Col Joshi at Chaudhan Pata Almora to give him respect and honour. *Prasoon Joshi, writer poet-lyrcist Adguru *Singer-musician Mohan Upreti, and many other artistic gems have roots in Almora. *Roop Durgapal, Television actress, popularly known for her roles in TV shows like Balika Vadhu, Swaragini, Gangaa & several others was born & brought up in Almora. *Ekta Bisht is an Indian women's cricket player. She is a left-handed batswoman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler. She is the first International woman cricketer from Uttarakhand. * Baba Hari Dass (Hari Datt Karnatak, also known as Haridas Baba, born in Almora, 26 March 1923), a silent master yogi, founder of several teaching projects in US, Canada, and India, builder of temples and the author of scriptural commentaries. * Nilamber Pant, former vice chairman of ISRO and a Padma Shri winner. *Lalit Pande, a social worker, environmentalist and the founder of Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Environmental Education Centre. The Government of India awarded him with Padma Shri, in 2007. Further reading References *https://www.amarujala.com/uttarakhand/almora/social- worker-munshi-hari-prasad-remembers-tampa-on-birth-anniversary * External links * Official Website of Almora district Tourism in Uttarakhand Hill stations in Uttarakhand Cantonments of India Cantonments of British India Cities and towns in Almora district 1568 establishments in India Populated places established in 1568 "