Champawat (Kumaoni: Champāvat) is a town and a Nagar Palika Parishad in Champawat district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Champawat district. The town was the former capital of the Kumaon Kingdom. Belief and religion Champawat is believed to be the place where the Kurmavtar (the turtle incarnation of Lord Vishnu) took place. These days there is a temple called Kranteshwar Mandir, which is dedicated to lord Shiva. It is also believed that the head of Ghatotkacha (son of Bhima and the Rakshasi Hidimbi ) fell here after he died in the battle of Mahabharata. The Gahtku Mandir is the temple dedicated to Ghatotkacha. There is a famous temple called the Shani Mandir (or Manokamna Purn Mandir Kaula) in the village of Maurari History The original name of Champawat is said to be Champavati, which was due to its location on the banks of the Champavati stream. To the west of this region was a fort called Donkot, where the local Rawat kings resided. There are seven ancient temples in the valley of the Champavati stream: Baleshwar, Kranteshwar, Tadkeshwar, Rishneshwar, Dikteshwar, Mallareshwar and Maneshwar, of which, the Baleshwar temple is considered to be the most important. According to a local epic titled Gurupaduka, Champavati, the sister of the Nagas, did penance near the Baleshwar temple of Champawat. In her memory, the temple of Champavati is still located inside the Baleshwar temple complex. According to the Vayu Purana, Champavati was the capital of nine kings of Puri Naga Dynasty. Champawat was formerly the capital of the Chand dynasty rulers of Kumaon. The Baleshwar Temple built by the Chand rulers in the 12th century is an excellent monument with marvelous stone carving works. The Champawat Tiger, a man-eating tigress who killed in excess of four hundred people, was named after this town, as she operated primarily in its surrounding area. She was shot in 1907 by the famed hunter Jim Corbett, the first designated man-eater he killed in a 30 year long career. Geography Champawat lies in the southeast of the North Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is in the eastern part of the Kumaon Himalayas at an average elevation of . It is located at and covers an area of . The city of Champawat lies in the Champawat district of Uttarakhand, which was carved out from the Pithoragarh district by the Government of Uttar