LAKE DISTRICT OF INDIA. Review on Nainital

India is surrounded by many beautiful and romantic hill stations and Nainital is one of them.You will definitely going to like my review as it is very informative and interesting.Nainital is a glittering jewel in the Himalyan necklace, blessed with scenic natural splendour and varied natural resources. Dotted with lakes, Nainital has earned the epithet of 'Lake District'of India. The most prominent of the lakes is Naini Lake ringed by hills. Nainital has a varied topography. Some of the important places in the district are Nainital, Haldwani, Kaladhungi, Ramnagar, Bhowali, Ramgarh, Mukteshwar, Bhimtal, Sattal and Naukuchiatal. Nainital’s unending expense of scenic beauty is nothing short of a romance with awe-inspiring and pristine Mother Nature.

Mr. P. Barron, a European merchant and an enthusiastic hunter from Rosa, near Shahjahanpur, founded "NAINITAL" in the year 1841. Mr. P. Barron was the first European who took great fancy to this land. Moved by the beauty of the sparkling lake he wrote: "It is by far the best site I have witnessed in the course of a 1,500 miles trek in the Himalayas." It is very less is known about the history of Nainital. The name "NAINI" is derived from a temple to the goddess 'Naini Devi" built on the upper edge of the lake and was destroyed by the landslip of 1880. It was subsequently replaced by a modern structure. The word "Naini" means 'Eyes' and 'Tal' means 'Lake'.

Nainital is well connected with the rest part of country through different modes of transport.

Railways :Kathgodam 35 Kms. away is the last terminus of broad gauze line of North East Railways connecting Nainital with Delhi,Dehradun & Howarah. Computerized railway reservation counter is situated near Bus Stand at Nainital . This facility is also available at Kathgodam & Lalkua railway stations .

Places Of Interest

Naini Lake : This attribute lake is said to be one of the emerald green eyes of Shiva's wife, Sati (naina is Sanskrit for eye). When Sati's father failed to invite Shiva to a family sacrifice, she burnt herself to death in protest. Shiva gathered the charred remains in his arms and proceeded to engage in a cosmic dance, which threatened to destroy the world. To terminate the dance, Vishnu chopped up the body into pieces, and the remains were scattered across India. The modern Naina Devi Temple at the northern end of the lake is built over the precise spot where the eye is believed to have fallen.

Snow View : At the top, a close up view of Nanda Devi (7816m), which was, as the old brass plate here tells you, 'the highest mountain in the British empire'. Naina Devi was India's highest peak until Sikkim (and thus Kanchenjunga) was absorbed into the country. There's a small marble temple dedicated to Dev Mundi housing images of Goddess Durga, Lord Shiva, Goddess Sita, Lord Rama, Sri Lakshmana and Sri Hanuman. From Snow View you can walk west to another point and then continue on to the main road to Kilbury. From here you could continue up to China Peak or head down the road to Sukhatal, passing great views of the lake in route. A walk up to Snow View can take in the tiny Gadhan Kunkyop Ling Gompa of the Gelukpa order (of which the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader).

Naina Peak : Naina Peak known as the China peak this peak is the highest point in Nainital. From here Nainital appears as a bowl. You can walk or take ponies to the peak. From this peak you can capture the exciting views of Nainital. Naina peak also gives a good view of the Camelback peak. There are no hotel or restaurant on the top so carry food and water along with you.

Hanuman Garhi : This place is of religious importance. Situated at a height of 1951 meters this place was established by Baba Neem Kiroli. A very beautiful Hanuman mandir is at the top. From Hanuman Garhi watching the Sunset is very soothing. You can walk down from Nainital to Hanuman Garhi.

Bhowali : It is 1706 meters above the sea level and 11 KMs. away from Nainital.This is a road junction serving all the nearby hill stations from Nainital.Bhowali is famous for its scenic grandeur and as a hill fruit mart, Bhowali is also known for its T.B. sanatorium established in 1912.

Ghorakhal : Famous for the temple of Lord Golu worshipped by hill people and sainik school this place is at a distance of 3 Kms from Bhowali.

Sat Tal : At a distance of about 23 Kms. from Nainital at an altitude of 1370 mts. Sattal is a unique, unforgettable spot having cluster of lakes placed amidst the oak forest. It is comparable with Westmoreland of England. As one approach toward Sattal first lake is old Nal Damyanti Lake. On moving ahead there is the ashram of Stanley Johns an American Missionary. Next lake is Panna or Garude lake.As we move down there is a cluster of three lakes , these lakes are Ram,Laxman and Sita lake.

Bhimtal : It is about 22 Kms. from Nainital and 11 Kms. from Bhowali at an altitude of 1370 mts. The pride of Bhimtal is a beautiful lake, which offers magnificent vistas for tourists.

Naukuchia Tal :A pretty deep clean lake with its nine corner is a captivating site.Length of lake is 983 mts. ,breadth is 693 mts & depth 40.3 mts.It is within an enchanting valley offering an opportunity of angling and bird watching.There is ample scope for rowing ,paddling or yachting.

Kainchi Dham : On the Nainital - Almora Road, 9 Km from Bhowali and 17 Kms from Nainital is a modern pilgrim centre. This place has achieved recognition owing to the ashram of the famous Neem Karoli Maharaj. Kaichi is a term used for two sharp hairpin bends of the motor road in local dialect hence the name. It has no relation with scissors.

Mukteshwar :This beautiful place is 2286 mts in altitude and 51 Kms. from Nainital. Surrounded by fruit orchards and thick coniferous forest it was developed by the Britishers as research and education institute (IVRI) in 1893. It is the celebrated scenic spot overlooking long ranges of Himalaya. An old temple of Lord Shiva exist on the top of a rock.

Ranikhet :A hill station, idyllic in its charm, Ranikhet with its majestic pine trees, is 60 Kms. from Nainital. According to popular belief this spot had won the heart of Rani Padmini, queen of Raja Sudhardev . She chose this scenic place to her abode & since then, it has come to be known as Ranikhet, literally "Queen’s Field" .

Upat Kalika :6 Kms. from the town on Almora Road the place has one of the best mountain golf links (9 Holes) in the country surrounded by dense forests just one km. from Upat is Kalika with its famous temple.

Kausani : Nestling among thick dense pine forests, atop a narrow ridge and separated from the towering mountains of the Nanda Devi range by low, medium mountains; at Kausani the grandeor of the Himalayan scenery comes alive.

Baijnath :Situated at an elevation of 1125 mts. it is 19 Kms. from Kausani towards Bageshwar. Lying on the banks of Gomti River in a flat valley, the temple complex of Baijnath was constructed by the Katyuri kings.

Thus I can say that after going through this review you would definitely like to plan for this beautiful and romantic place where you will find many newly weds and can also remember your days of that time.