Twenty-six years after a new state was carved from the hills of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma extended warm greetings to the people of Uttarakhand on its Foundation Day, 9 November 2026 — invoking the blessings of its most sacred shrines and saluting the state's journey of progress.

Sharma's message, posted in Hindi, described Uttarakhand as 'Devbhoomi' — the Land of the Gods — 'adorned with its unique culture, rich heritage, and unparalleled natural beauty.' He prayed that, by the grace of Baba Kedar and Badri Vishal, the sacred land would 'continuously set new benchmarks on the path of progress, prosperity, and happiness.'

Devbhoomi at 26: A State Born from the Mountains

Uttarakhand was formed on 9 November 2000 when it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh under the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Act, becoming India's 27th state. The day marks a milestone for a region whose identity is inseparable from two of Hinduism's most revered pilgrimage destinations — Kedarnath, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples dedicated to Shiva nestled deep in the Garhwal Himalayas, and Badrinath, a Vaishnava shrine to Vishnu forming a cornerstone of the Char Dham circuit.

Sharma's specific invocation of these two shrines is deliberate. For Uttarakhand, they are not merely religious landmarks — they are economic engines, drawing millions of pilgrims each year and anchoring the state's tourism-led development model. To reference them in a Foundation Day greeting is to acknowledge the whole of what 'Devbhoomi' means to its residents.

A Federal Courtesy With Cultural Weight

Indian state chief ministers routinely exchange greetings on formation anniversaries, a practice that reinforces federal solidarity across party and geographic lines. That Sharma — a BJP leader heading a desert state — reaches northward to the Himalayan heartland underlines the shared cultural vocabulary that BJP leaders in particular often draw on when celebrating India's religious geography. The message carries no policy ask, no bilateral agenda — just the warmth of one chief minister to another state's citizens, framed through faith and pride.

As Uttarakhand marks a quarter-century-plus of statehood, its journey from a demand-driven political movement to a functioning mountain economy remains a story still being written. Sharma's prayer — that the state 'continuously set new benchmarks' — is less a political statement than a reflection of what every Devbhoomi resident already hopes for.