Ever wondered what can be more peaceful… a cool and cozy air-conditioned room of your home or a holiday in any of those famous hill stations of the Himalayas? If your concept of relaxation is a cozy air-conditioned room, then you don’t have to do much about it apart from turning on the air-conditioner and setting its temperature to the desired level. But if you choose to go on a holiday somewhere in the Himalayas, then where would you go? Some would say Shimla or Nainital or Mussorie or Dulhousie or Manali or any of the more famous hill stations of the states of Himachal Pradesh or Uttaranchal. Well, with the summer heat only just beginning to take its toll on the burning roads of Delhi and the electricity and water playing truant every now and then, isn’t it a time to rush to your nearest hill station? Ever wondered of venturing out to a small idyllic town of Ranikhet?
Ranikhet
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The small town of Ranikhet is located in the midst of serene beautiful Himalayan Mountains that will enchant you all the time. As a hill station, it has the capacity to draw holiday-makers from across the country. Against the backdrop of snow covered peaks, the images of Ranikhet and its surrounding places are breathtaking. Ranikhet offers a panoramic view of the Himalayas, far from the maddening crowd of Mussorie and Nainital. Set in the middle of the Kumaon hills, this is the best place to go if you are looking for some peace of mind.
Ranikhet is located about 60 kms from Nainital and about 350 kms from Delhi, in the state of Uttaranchal. It is situated in the Kumaon Hills at approximately 1800 meters above sea level.
Legend has it that Rani Padmini, the queen of Raja Sukherdev, a local ruler, saw this place and was mesmerized by its beauty. The beauty of this place captivated her to such an extent that she decided to stay on here and thus this place got the name Ranikhet, literally meaning The Queen’s Field. Later, the region around Ranikhet came under British rule that developed an army cantonment in 1869. Ranikhet is today a cantonment town and the base for the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army. The town itself is so small that you can hardly call it a town. To an extent it looks more like an urbanized village as not more than 20000 people live there.
So you’ve heard a lot about the place and now you decide to go there and see for yourself the beauty of the nature as it exists in this part of the world. How do you go? By bus: There are a number of private tour operators running buses to Ranikhet from Delhi, Chandigarh and other nearby towns. But my experience with them has been extremely bad, so I won’t recommend them to you. That’s because these tour operators run their buses on an arbitrary basis and charge sky-high fares, starting and stopping a number of times and making the 8 hour long journey tiring and taking more than 12 hours to reach there. So what other option do you have? Train: Reach Kathgodam by train and from there take a taxi or bus to Ranikhet, approximately 80 kms from there.
What to look around?
Upat
A golf course and a private orchard to boast off, this place offers a serene view of a snowcapped peak.
Kalika
About a kilometer from Upat is Kalika, famous for its temple of Goddess Kali. It boasts of a good forest nursery too. The photographer in me couldn’t resist taking a few snaps. It is a pity that I can’t upload them here on MS to show you the beauty that I am talking about.
Chaubatia Garden
As the name implies, there are four fruit gardens here. Situated about 10 kms from Ranikhet, it offers an insight into how plantations are down on hills. It has a Government Fruit Research Center and a fruit sales depot and cafeteria. You can buy export quality apples from here. It was raining when we reached Chaubatia, and the cold winds sent a chill down my spine!
Bhalu Dam
Like fishing? Well, this is the place for you. The Bhalu Dam is located about 3 kms from Chaubatia and is the main source of water supply for the town of Ranikhet.
Nainital
This hustling bustling town located 60 kms from Ranikhet is the place you should look for if you want your share of shopping and fun, because not too much can be done in Ranikhet except relaxation. I have been here 3 times already.
There are not too many hotels though the ones that are available will care for your budget. When I went there 5 years ago, I was staying in a hotel that was secluded from the rest of the town and I could only see one pakka house built around it. I could see a snow covered mountain one evening and I’m guessing that it must have been at least a hundred kms away. I rushed for my camera only to realize that I had exhausted the reel. When I asked a hotel employee where I can get a new reel for the camera, he directed me to a shop that was supposedly 5 kms away! There went my chances of capturing the snow mountain, since I had to return home the next morning. The photographer in me still regrets losing out on that opportunity to click what would have been the best snaps that I could have ever captured.
I love Ranikhet, I want to go back there every year. And with the summer only just beginning to show it’s true colors, I want to escape the Delhi heat and run into those coniferous trees of Ranikhet. Those thandi hawaein, kaali ghataein, and uunche parvat are such a delight that I want to stay there for a life time.
Cheers,
Anuj