Champawat district is an administrative district in the Kumaon division of the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. Its headquarters is the town of Champawat, which historically served as the capital of the Chand dynasty that ruled the Kumaon region for several centuries. The district is largely mountainous, lying in the lower and middle Himalayas, and shares an international border with Nepal along the Mahakali (Sharda) river.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Uttarakhand |
| Division | Kumaon |
| Headquarters | Champawat |
| Region | Kumaon Himalayas |
| International border | Nepal (along the Mahakali river) |
The district lies in the south-eastern part of Uttarakhand. Its terrain ranges from river valleys at lower elevations to forested ridges of the Lesser Himalayas. The Mahakali river forms the eastern boundary with Nepal, while the Ladhiya, Lohawati and Gandak streams drain parts of the interior. Major settlements other than the town of Champawat include Lohaghat, Tanakpur, Banbasa and Pati. Tanakpur, situated in the Tarai foothills, is an important transit and trading point connecting the hills with the plains of Uttar Pradesh.
Champawat district is administered by a District Magistrate. For administrative purposes the district is divided into tehsils and development blocks, with Champawat, Lohaghat, Pati, Pati-Barakot and Tanakpur among the recognised subdivisions. The district sends representatives to the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly and falls within a Lok Sabha constituency in the Kumaon region.
Champawat town was the early seat of the Chand kings, who established their dynasty here before later shifting their capital to Almora. The region preserves several temples and architectural remains associated with this period, the most prominent being the Baleshwar temple complex, noted for its stone carving. Folk tradition also associates the area with Goll Devta and other regional deities widely venerated across Kumaon.
During the Gorkha expansion of the late 18th and early 19th centuries the area passed under Gorkha control, and after the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816) and the Treaty of Sugauli it came under British administration as part of the Kumaon Commissionership. After Indian independence in 1947 it formed part of Uttar Pradesh. Champawat district itself was carved out of Pithoragarh district on 15 September 1997. With the creation of the state of Uttarakhand (originally Uttaranchal) in November 2000, the district became part of the new state.
The population is predominantly Kumaoni-speaking, with Hindi as the official language and Nepali also spoken near the border. The economy rests on subsistence and horticultural agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry and small-scale trade. Apple, citrus, potato and traditional hill crops are cultivated. Tanakpur and Banbasa, in the Tarai belt, host trade with Nepal as well as a hydroelectric project on the Sharda (Mahakali) river operated by NHPC.
Champawat is historically important as the cradle of the Chand dynasty and as a centre of medieval Kumaoni temple architecture. Strategically, its border with Nepal and its position on routes linking the Tarai with the inner Himalayas give it continuing importance for trade, pilgrimage and border administration.