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!!!
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