Ranikhet Sightseeing - Bell the Jhula Devi Temple

Nearly 700 years ago, Chaubatia in Ranikhet was a dense forest full of Wild Animals. There were numerous instances of Leopards and Tigers attacking people and taking away their livestock. People felt harassed and were also very helpless at the same time. They thus thought of praying to Ma Durga for protection. It is believed that Ma Durga appeared in a shepherd's dream and asked him to dig up a particular place where he will find an idol and she wanted a temple to be constructed at the same site.

On digging the place, the same Ma Durga idol was found and the villagers constructed the temple and also installed the same idol in the temple. Soon after the people were freed from the harassment and roamed freely in the area. But that's not over, Ma Durga appeared again in someone else's dream and asked for a "jhula" for herself. Soon the idol was then placed on a wooden Jhula and Ma Durga got her new name, "Jhula Devi".

Jhula Devi is a very sacred spot in Ranikhet and people come from far off places to worship Ma Durga. The beauty of Temple lies in thousands of bells which you would see hanging from everywhere. These countless bells are surely a a testimony to the divine and healing powers of Ma Jhula Devi.

The sight is simply awesome...Honestly I have not seen so many bells put together anywhere else. So if your wishes are fulfilled by Ma (Which I am sure will be), make sure you add one more bell to this beautiful temple.

Jai Ma Durga...Jai Ma Jhula Devi!!!

Golf Course Around Nainital - Ranikhet

Golf is like a love affair...If its not taken seriously, its no fun and and if you do, it can break your heart.

The winding clear roads of Ranikhet bring you to this beautiful Golf Course spread on both sides of the road with amazing views of the Himalayas. In the vicinity of Trishul Peak & Nanda Devi, its probably the most beautiful gift to us by the British. Tee off at 6,000 ft. in Ranikhet and find out yourself why Golf is called the most beautiful game. The weather, surroundings and the greens blend so harmoniously in Ranikhet, no doubt the British chose this place as a Golfing Destination.

The Golf Course is maintained by the Kumaon Regiment and civilians are not permitted to play. Well if you know someone from the regiment, then obviously you could be considered :) The problem with the Golf Course is the road which divides the Course in two parts. Tourist buses, local transport are allowed to cross the Golf Course but thankfully the vehicles cant stop.

If you want to visit the Golf Course, make sure you park the vehicle and then come over. But if the game is ON, then please stay away and watch from a distance as the disgusted army officers have a habit of breaking people's head than putting :)

Ranikhet - Cantonment Around Nainital

Ranikhet - meaning "Queen's Field" is a beautiful thickly forested cantonment town only 60 kms from Nainital in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is believed that Ranikhet is named after Kumaoni Queen Padmini who fell in love with the greenery and meadows of this hill paradise. Her husband, Raja Sukhdev built her a grand palace here and named it Rani - Khet or Queens Meadow. There is absolutely no trace of this grand palace in Ranikhet but once you visit this place, you can esily believe this story.

Ranikhet is located at an altitude of 1870 meters and after so many years, it is still the same. The drive from Kathgodam is as picturesque as it must have been when the road was laid by the British. Beautiful valleys, excellent views of the Snow-clad Himalayas and thick, forested slopes of Pine and Deodhar.

Thanks to the army laws and the discipline enforced by the them, the beauty of Ranikhet is largely protected and conserved very well. Its heritage value is still high as the bunglows, churches, etc. which were built by the Britishers still exist in their original shape and beauty. The army is also very much responsible for preserving the forest of Ranikhet which truly is the real heritage of nature.

The most interesing part about Ranikhet's beauty is the way Himalayan View points are preserved. Today, crazy constructions in the hills have made it difficult to have good views of the Himalayas. While you are in Ranikhet, there are no obstructions and you get clear view of the Western Himalayas from all the points. While most of the hills are becoming a concrete jungle today, Ranikhet is busy preserving its Heritage, Beauty and Nature.

Ranikhet's vision is to emerge as the best managed, pollution free, eco friendly & green cantonment. As per me, Ranikhet is already one!!!

Important Hotels in Nainital

There are lots of hotels in Nainital and I am sure it is difficult to find the right hotel here. I will try and list some of the important hotels in Nainital.

Hotel Tariff Above Rs. 5,000/- per Night

1. Hotel Vikram Nainital: This is arguably the only All Suite Hotel in Nainital. Situated in the VIP area of Mallital, Hotel Vikram boasts of LCD TVs in all rooms (See attached Pic).

2. The Manu Maharani: Manu Maharni hotel in Nainital is now run by DS group, the manufacturers of Rajnigandha and Baba Brand. Situated in Mallital, this is the most expensive hotel in Nainital.

3. Shervani Hilltop: The new Shervani Hotel is one of the most luxurious hotel in Nainital.

Hotel Tariff Below Rs. 5,000/- per Night

1. Earl's Court Hotel: A small heritage hotel now run by Leisure Hotels.

2. Hotel Pavilion Nainital: A family run small hotel. The hotel owners Ritu and Manu are lovely people and will take special care of you.

3. Balrampur Hotel: Balrampur House was the summer residence of the Maharaja of Balrampur. Now converted into a nice heritage hotel.

The hotels listed above are tried and tested by us and best in their categories.

Boating in Nainital

Life is a boat in Nainital! The dancing waters of this beautiful lake attract a lot of tourists to explore it further in a boat. Sometimes I fail to understand why I go for boating everytime I am Nainital...But then I also know that Naini lake commands this respect.

You can hire pedal boats but then I guess its too much of a task for those who are not fit. I have seen people go deep into the lake and then struggle to come back. The better idea is to hire a row boat which comes along with a fit pahari guy who is capable of rowing it all day long.

I have not seen too many people hiring a yacht...probably not many know that one can easily hire a yacht from The Boat Club (on the mall road) for only Rs. 250 - 300. The experience is simply awesome but only two people can sit in a yacht. Recommended specially for all those honeymooners :)