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Nanital
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The
Nainital tourist district is the pride of the
Kumaon region in Uttaranchal. While there are
many other places equally beautiful, Nainital
is certainly the most popular tourist destination
in Kumaon. It's a pleasant hill station. For tourists
looking for hustle and bustle the best time to
go is the summer months when a lot of traffic
ascends from Delhi and the plains.
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| The
town gets equally crowded during the September/ October
season which coincides with the Diwali and Puja holidays.
However, like most hill resorts, it has its quite periods
too. During the winter, Nainital is quite another beautiful
experience when it reverts back to the local population
and the crowds are absent. Peaceful, open, and invigorating. |
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Indian mythology, Nainital is regarded as one of the 64
'Shakti Peeths'. Legend has it that a grief stricken Lord
Shiva was carrying Sati's body and one of her eyes fell
here. The Nainital Lake is shaped like an eye and the
town derived its name from the combination of Nain (eye)
and Tal (lake). The Naina Devi temple is located at one
end of the lake.
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place lay undisturbed till an English businessman chanced
upon the location while hunting. The businessman, Mr.
Barron, a sugar trader got enamoured of the place and
decided to start a settlement on the side of the pristine
lake. The British had occupied the area in 1815 and the
first recorded reference to the township can be found
in a journal entry in 1841 in 'Englishman Calcutta' which
mentions a lake being discovered in the area. The English
settlement soon had lovely cottages on the hillsides around
the lake. Sometime later, a number of wealthy Indian families
from the old town of Almora shifted to Nainital and the
town flourished. Nainital was, at one time, the summer
capital of Uttar Pradesh. |
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General
Information
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Location
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Nainital
is situated at 29 degree 24' north latitude
and 79 degree 28' east longitude |
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Altitude
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1938
Meters or 6,360 ft, above sea level. |
| Temperature |
Summer
: Max 27 C. Min 10 C. |
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Winter
: Max 15 C. Min 3 C. |
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Best
Season
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March
to June & September to November |
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| Tourist
Attractions: |
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Lakes:
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Nainital
has several lakes close by- Bhimtal,Sattal, Naukuchiatal,
Khurpatal, Malwatal, Harishtal and Lokhamtal.
Sat Tal (seven lakes) is 22 km from Nainital.
Bhimtal is close by, almost the same distance
from Nainital. Close to Bhimtal, 4 kms away is
Naukutchiatal.
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| Gufa Mahadev
and Sepoydhara |
| If
you are not afraid of ascending and descending a
hill you can enjoy Sepoydhara very well. Placed
at an. altitude of 6000 ft. one has to descend for
200 ft from the motor road. There is a natural spring
pouring out volley of water through five pipes of
four to, five inches in diameter. Adjacent to it
there are few temples where you can worship the
deity after a bath. It has 108 Haidakhan Baba (the
older one) who used to pay at least a visit to this
place every year during his life span. Previously
known as Tara Lockup is now the district Jail of
Nainital, which stand in the vicinity. It housed
Moti Lal Nehru also for some time in pre-independence
era. |
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| Sri
Krishnapur |
| On
your way back from Gufa Mahadev if you change your
course a bit to the west you will reach Sri Krishnapur
at a height of 6000 ft before you embark the main
Kathgodam road, Sri Krishnapur was the seat of a
great learned Sanskrit scholar Late Pandit Sri Krishna
Joshi, Advocate and Head of the Department of Religious
Studies Benaras Hindu University, etc. There are
about 150 manuscripts and printed books to his credit
on different topics in Sanskrit, Hindi and English.
This is now a place from where people get Kurmanchaliya
Saur Chandra Panchang (the almanac) and other religious
books besides the tourist literature including that,
which is in your hand. All the good things are bound
to reach you from this place. |
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Gethia
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| If
you move past the Baldiakhan you get a road bifurcation
a place called number one for Ranikhet and Almora.
If you move ahead you reach another place called
Gethia It houses T.B. Sanatorium and all Ashram
of Pilot Baba named as Akhil Viswa Shanti Sansthan
of Maharishi Kapil Advaita Ashram. You can visit
this place for your mental peace. Contact 4426 on
phone you feel going there. |
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| Hanumangarhi
& Sheetladevi |
| It
is about 3.5 kilometres from the bus stand and is
at an altitude of 1950 m. As you pop up on the road
from Sri Krishnapur move down the metalled road
to about two kilometres and you reach Hanumangarhi.
A taxi, bus, horse or a hand pulled rickshaw can
carry you there. It has a temple complex presiding
deity being Lord Hanuman besides Rama and Shiva.
At the instance of Neem Karoli Baba around nineteen
fifties these temples were erected and are now being
looked after by, a trust. Ramnavami; Hanuman Jayanti
and Shivratri are special festive days at these
temples. One can get tea, prasad, etc. at this place. |
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