Didihat is a town and a Nagar Palika in Pithoragarh District in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is one of the eleven administrative subdivisions of Pithoragarh district and also serves as its administrative headquarter. With a population of 6522, Didihat is located at a distance of from the state capital Dehradun. Didihat is named after the Kumauni word 'Dand' meaning a small hillock. Didihat falls on the pilgrimage route to Kailash Mansarovar. Earlier it was known as “Digtad”. Present day name Didihat is derived from Hat Tharp village which is the heart of this town. History The area of present-day Didihat was ruled by Katyuri dynasty after the fall of katyuris. the region came under Malla kings of Sirakot. The ancient Shirakot Temple of Lord Malay Nath was built by the Raika Kings. Till the time of King Hari Malla, this region was under Doti principality of the katyuri dynasty. Later on in 1581 AD at the time of Chand dynasty ruler Rudra Chand, this region came under the control of Chand rulers defeating Raikas of Doti. still today some remnants of ancient fort and temples are present in Didihat. Didihat was a Tehsil in the Almora district of United Provinces in 1947 when India won its Independence from Britain. The Didihat Tehsil, along with other north-eastern parts of Almora district were transferred to the newly created Pithoragarh district in 1960. During 2001-2011 new tehsil Berinag was created by transferring 298 villages from Didihat tehsil. The creation of a new district, Didihat was declared on 15 August 2011, by then Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Ramesh Pokhriyal, however, the district is yet to be officially formed. Geography Didihat lies at in Northern India at above sea level, in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand, India. It is located at a distance of from District Headquarter Pithoragarh. It covers an area of . The Nearest city with a population of one lakh and more is Haldwani () while the Nearest city with a population of five lakh and more is Bareilly (). According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the town falls under seismic zone 5, in a scale of 2 to 5 (in order of increasing vulnerability to earthquakes). Didihat has been struck by Flash Flood two times; on 20 July 2003 and 13 August 2007. 4 People lost their life in both these disasters. Flash floods are very common hydro-meteorological hazards