The State of Uttarakhand is popularly known as the 'Land of Gods'. Uttarakhand was formed on the November 9, 2000 as the 27th State of India, when it was carved out of Northern Uttar Pradesh. It is known as Land of Gods (Devbhumi) because of its number of Hindu pilgrimage sites. Its peaks and valleys were known as Svarga Loka and are abode of gods and goddess. Badrinath, one of the four Mathas established by Shankaracharya, is located in Uttarakhand.