Haldwani is a city, which along with its twin township of Kathgodam forms the Haldwani-Kathgodam municipal Corporation in Nainital District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Haldwani is the third most populous city in Uttarakhand, and is known as the “Gateway of Kumaon”. In Kumaoni, the local dialect, the place is called “Halduvani”, literally “forest of Haldu”, after the tree named “Haldu”, often referred to as “Kadamb”, which was found in abundance prior to deforestation for agriculture and settlement. In 1816, after the British defeated Gorkhas, Gardner was appointed the Commissioner of Kumaon. Later George William Trail took over as Commissioner and renamed Halduvani as Haldwani in 1834. The first train arrived at Haldwani from Lucknow on 24 April 1884. Later, the railway line was extended to Kathgodam. Though before the formation of Nainital district in 1891, it was part of the Kumaon District, which was later called Almora district.