Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures. The land was once served as a haunt for Rishis and Sadhus.

It is believed that Sage Vyasa scripted the Mahabharata here. Pandavas are said to have traveled and camped in the region.

In 1791, the expanding Gurkha Empire of Nepal overran Almora, the seat of the Kumaon Kingdom. In 1803, the Garhwal kingdom also fell to the Gurkhas. With the conclusion of the Anglo-Nepalese War in 1816, a rump portion of the Garhwal kingdom was re-established from Tehri.

The Eastern British Garhwal and Kumaon ceded to the British as part of the Treaty of Sugauli.

In the post-independence period, the Garhwal kingdom was merged into Uttar Pradesh, from where the Uttarakhand was carved in 2000.