Dharchula is a remote town surrounded by mountains. An ancient trading town for the trans-Himalayan trade routes, it is covered by high mountains and is situated on the banks of the river Kali. Dharchula is about 90 km from Pithoragarh and it lies on the route to the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage tour. The town is called Dharchula perhaps for the reason that this small valley resembles a stove (Chula in Hindi) with various peaks (Dhar in Hindi) which complete the word Dharchula.
The town is very cold during winters as any hill station would ( but it does not snow in this valley ), however during summers it is as hot as in plains. The town also has a Nepalese counterpart to it, named Darchula . The split between the two towns is just virtual as the traditions, culture, lifestyle etc. of the people living across both the regions are quite similar.The area has a mixture of kumaouni and dotiyali language, traditions and culture.
