Uttarakhand
– is a paradise for nature lovers, trekkers, honeymooners or even for those
families who are looking to have time together in a scenic peaceful environment.
Uttarakhand has no dearth of scenic Himalayan mountain peaks calling you to
spend time with them, be it the more famous one's like Mussoorie, Nainital ,
Ranikhet, Almora or the upcoming exclusive destination like Kanatal, Bhimtal,
Binsar, Munsiyari etc. One of the lesser known, but equally beautiful hill
station is Lansdowne – which calls you to lose yourself in the scenic non
pretentious rural environment.
Located
at a drive of 248 kms from Delhi, Lansdowne is conveniently connected
through train route. You can take the train till Kotdwara (Garhwal Express and
Mussoorie Express are the two train which connect it from Delhi), from where
the remaining 45 kms journey can be covered by shared or private cabs. At the altitude of
370mts, Kotdwara is the nearest railway station to Lansdowne and the gateway to
the beautiful Himalayan Region. The nearest airport to Lansdowne is Jolly Grant
Airport near Dehradun, located at a distance o 152 kms. With an altitude of
1850mts, Lansdowne is the nearest hill station to Delhi
Originally
known a Kaludanda, after Kalun
(Black) and Danda (Hill) in local language, Lansdowne was founded in 1887 by
then Viceroy of India, Lord Lansdowne (Viceroy of India during the period
of 1888 – 1894) and aptly named after him. It later was developed as Recruits
training centre of the Garhwal rifles. Primarily a cantonment area, more than
half of the hill station of Lansdowne is still made up of British era Army
quarters and offices occupying the streets and corners. Presently the famous Garhwal rifles of the
Indian Army have its command centre here.
Surrounded
by thick oak and blue pine forests, Lansdowne has scenic beauty which gets
enhanced by its salubrious weather and pristine environment. It is not only the
perfect place to meditate and rejuvenate your soul but also a perfect place to
rediscover yourself by indulging in adventure activities like, trekking, bird
watching, boating, paddling etc. The climate of the city is pleasant in summer,
very cold in winter, while snowfall is experienced in January & February.
Lansdowne can be visited any time of the year.
What to See??
Most
of the area of Lansdowne is controlled by Army, which has helped in maintaining
the natural environment of the area by checking unbridled construction and regulating
the regular touristic activities. The Town centre is the main market place where
all the commercial activities are restricted and you can find many good
eateries here, however the street in itself is quite unglamorous.
The Garhwal
Rifles participated in the two world wars and countless other battles
throughout it’s more than 100 years of history. Being a cantonment and
headquarter of Garhwal rifles, the two most important places to visit here is
related to the history of Indian Army. One of them is The War Memorial, unveiled on 11 Nov 1923(Armistice Day) by Lord Rawlinson of Trent, the then Commander
in Chief of India at the Parade Ground of the Garhwal Rifles Center, in memory
of contribution of Garhwali soldiers during 1914-18 First World War. This
life-size statue was sculpted by L. S. Merrifield from Chelsea, England.
The
other is The Garhwal Rifles regimental
museum, also called Darwan Singh Sanghralaya, which houses arte
facts from the beginning of the Regiment. It is named after its more famous
soldier Darwan Singh Negi, who along with Gabar Singh Negi was on of the
earliest recipient of Victoria Cross that is prominently on display here along
with many other medals won by its fierce soldiers. The museum, inaugurated in
1983, is open to visitors from 0900hrs till Noon and from 1500hrs till 1800hrs.
A nominal entry fee of Rs 35 per person is levied on the visitors. All artifacts, including photographs, arms
used by regimental commanders, captured weapons, campaign history and other
information is displayed in this museum. Just opposite to the museum a
beautiful flower garden is maintained.
The
oldest building in Lansdowne is the Garhwali
Mess which dates you back to the Victorian period. The mess was built in
Jan 1888 and subsequently became the present mess in 1892. Garhwali Mess is
very well maintained heritage site of Lansdowne.
For
families looking forward to spend some quality time with each other, the important
natural landmark of Lansdowne Bhulla
Taal, an artificial lake built by Army Jawans in year 2003 is the place to
be in. Bhulla literally means Younger Brother in The Garhwali Language, and
apparently refers to the young Garhwali soldiers here. You can go for a Boat
ride or let your children play in the manicured park where they can enjoy the
facility of various rides, while you satiate yourself with some delicious
snacks at the restaurant. The machaan next to the lake offers enchanting views
of the surrounding and should not be missed. Presence of Fountains, significant
population of Geese and swans, and sighting of rabbits apart from the
surrounding greenery, makes it an interesting place for family picnicking.
A 02
kms trek from here through path surrounded with blue pine trees and thick oak
forests, takes you to Tip n Top aka
Tiffin Top, from where you can have an astounding view of the surrounding
Shivaliks. Enroute is another historical landmark of Lansdowne, the St Mary’s church. Lieutenant Hume
of Royal Engineers is credited with the construction of this Protestant Church.
The construction began in 1895 and was completed in 1896. After Indian
Independence in 1947, with the retreat of British officers, the church fell
into disuse. In recent times, Garhwal Rifle regiment has taken unto itself to
restore it to its previous glory. It now has been converted into a library,
where every morning at 8.00 AM, an Audio-Visual Presentation on the history of
Lansdowne and Garhwal Rifles is shown. A nominal entry Fee of INR 10/- per
person is charged for the same.
Another
km of trek and climb of about 100 steps takes you to local Santoshi Mata Temple. Maintained by Garhwal Rifles, absence of
priests and shops selling Prasad comes as a welcome change. The temple building
in itself is a simple structure and nothing to talk about, but the Goddess is
revered amongst the locals. If Tip n Top is the best place to view the sunrise,
Santoshi Mata Temple is the best place to view the sunset. It gives you a
mesmerizing view of the sun setting in the Himalayas.
Four other small temples, Hanuman Temple, Vaishno devi Temple, Kaleshwar temple
and Bhairav temple are present within the city, giving you beautiful vantage
points to have scenic views of the Himalayas.
Lansdowne
is also blessed with some of the more important religious temples in its
surroundings, revered by the local people. If one plans to stay longer at
Lansdowne an excursion to these sights could be an interesting option to fill
your day.
The
most famous of all is the Durga Devi
temple, located inside a cave around 25kms from Lansdowne, on the bank of
River Koh; it is considered as one of the oldest Sidh Peeths of India. It is
believed that if you ask a wish and tie a cloth, your wish gets fulfilled. Siddhbali Temple, having Bajrang Bali
as its main deity, is another temple revered highly by people, a
Bhandara(feast) is organized by devotees every Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday.
The temple was broken almost one third due to landslide in late 80's,
and miraculously survived and now situated on top of the town as an icon of the
city. It is said that Lord Hanuman himself supported the structure on his
shoulders.
Tarakeshwar Temple, some 36kms from
Lansdowne, is another landmark temple which should not be missed. Abode of an
ancient Shiva Temple which is the presiding deity of not only the Garhwal
Rifles but also of 84 villages around it, it is believed that Goddess
Parvati prayed in Tarakeshwar to get Lord Shiva.
There
is another story about Tarkeshwar mahadev Temple. According to folklore, after
killing demon Tarakasur, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati came here to take
rest. To save Lord Shiva from the shining sun, Goddess Parvati transformed
herself into seven Deodar trees; all other deodar trees of the area have
originated from these seven trees. The deodar trees located at the height of
4500fts are surrounded by Chir Pine and Oak trees at a higher altitude, giving
it a unique microenvironment and unparalleled scenic beauty. The belief that the
deodar grove forms a shape of Hindi letter ‘Aum” and the serenity and
tranquility of the deodar grove make it an excellent place to unwind and
meditate. A perennial stream called Bees Ganga flows out of here, believed to
originate from around twenty micro and mini-micro watersheds in Tarakeshwar.
The temple complex has a meditation hall, natural pools to bathe (separate for
men and women) and a separate havan kund to conduct prayers.
The
Temple has a tradition of offering of bells, whenever a wish is fulfilled or
after pious occasion like marriage or child birth. These bells are stored in
temple premises, and when their number become sizable, they are hung outside on
the pathways. The soldiers of the Garhwal Rifles after returning from any war
operation to their cantonment in Lansdowne come in a convoy to Tarakeshwar and
perform ‘puja’ here. They also offer a big bell which is normally hung at the
gate of the Temple. Presently, the bell which they offered after returning from
the Kargill war is hung at the gate. It is said that the Shiva Lingam started
sinking when the temple was being constructed. Shiva Lingam is located at the
spot below the image of the deity where the water offered by the devotees goes.
It is now not accessible to people.
Jwalpa Devi Temple is another
Siddhpeeth about 40 kms from Lansdowne, 34kms from Pauri on main Pauri Kotdwar
road, Right Bank of the Nawalika River(gaadan),hardly a 350 mts walk from the
roadside.. According to a legend in Hindu Ancient religious scripture of Skandha
Puraan, Sachi, daughter of Pulom, the demon king, wanted to marry Devraj Indra (King
of Gods, the rain God) so she worshipped The Supreme mother Goddess 'Shakti'. The Goddess appeared in the form of
Deeptimaan Jwalehwari to get her wish fulfilled. The place where Sachi prayed
and the Goddess appeared, is the same place where today, Jwalpa Devi Temple is
located. As the time passed, the name gradually got evolved to Jwalpa Devi. Adi
Guru Shankaracharya once visited and prayed at this temple and it is said that
The Goddess appeared to him. Anthwals are the traditional priests and
care-takers of this temple. The present temple was constructed by Late Pt Shri
Dutta Ram Anthwal (Anthwals being the zameendaar of the area, originally from
village Aneth). Every year thousands of people visit this temple, specially
unmarried girls, as it is believed that the Goddess Sachi (Indrani) grant their
wish to find grooms which they dream of, just like Indraani(sachi) got Lord
Indra by the grace of The Goddess. Every year during auspicious days of Chitra
and Shardiya Navratri, a fair is organized.
Bhim Pakora is an art of nature, a big
rock piece precariously placed over another big rock, naturally balanced over
it. When pushed, it moves slightly but noticeably, but never falls down. The
way to it passes through the local market and from near a Lansdowne suburb.
Kanva Ashram, Abode of sage Kanva, located
around 40 km away from Lansdowne, according to Hindu mythology, this was
the place where sage Kanva used to have an Ashram. Once when famous sage
Vishwamitra was meditating here, Lord Indra got scared and sent the most
beautiful of Damsels, Menaka, to break his prayer and distract him. After efforts
spanning numerous days, Menaka was successful in luring the sage with her
beauty and married with him. The Damsel Menaka, returned to the court of Indra
in Heaven, once she gave birth to their child, a Girl named Shakuntala. The
girl was brought up by the sage, later married to King Dushyanta, who was the
king of Hastinapur, ancient India. After King Dushyanta deserted her, Shakuntala came back to the Ashram and gave birth
to their child, to a boy, who was named Bharat. He later became
the King of India, and after him, the country came to be known as Bharat. The
place is sacred but does not have much to show in terms of the buildings or
grandiose temples.
Lansdowne
and the surroundings, although not one of the most scenic of the mountain
destinations, certainly are one of the best kept nature’s secret.
