Facts & Figures :
| Population |
: |
6,541 |
| Languages |
: |
Hindi and English |
| Best time to visit |
: |
October to March |
| STD Code |
: |
07686 |
THE DISCOVERY OF NAINITAL .... The
names of two Englishmen must always be linked with the discovery of the Lake
at Nainital. One of them G. W. Traill, Commissioner of Kumaon and Garhwal,
was the first European to set eyes on it in 1823. Nevertheless, the lake had
been known for quite some time to herdsmen from villages nearby and held in
great reverence as an abode of gods and spirits. Traill had great respect
for the traditions and beliefs of the hill folk. To his way of thinking,
crowds would violate the sanctity of the place, so he kept the discovery
strictly to himself.
On the other hand, P. Barron, a trader in
sugar from Shahjahanpur and an intrepid traveler, had no sooner caught a
glimpse of the lake in its sylvan setting than he realized its potential as
a hill resort and went full steam a colonizing it. The year was 1839. Barron
first reached the lake through a trick, a fact mentioned in his book
Wanderings in the Himmala. He knew there was a large lake in the heart of
Kumaon. He also knew that local guides deliberately misled Europeans who
wished to go there, in order to keep the location a secret. Sure enough,
Barron’s guide declared he had never heard of the lake, at which Barron
placed on the guide’s head a large stone and told him to carry it till
they managed to find the lake. He said there were reputedly no stones near
the lake and he needed come to build a house. Desperate to be rid of the
load, the guide soon confessed he knew the lake well enough and there was no
scarcity of stones in the general area. Barron says that other Europeans
also resorted to the same trick till such time that Nainital found a place
on the map.
On his second visit, Barron got the better of a local
thokdar (village headman) Nar Singh who had laid claim to the lake and the
surrounding hills as his ancestral property. The matter was pending
settlement in court. Barron persuaded Nar Singh to accompany him for a ride
on the lake in his (Barron’s) own private boat, a rarity in those days.
In the middle of the lake, Barron threatened to upset the boat if Nar Singh
did not waive his claim, thereby admitting the right of the honorable
Company Bahadur to the disputed land. Nar Singh had no choice for, unlike
the others, he could not swim. He wrote the needful in pencil on the page of
a pocketbook provided by Barron. Mission accomplished, Barron promptly
applied for a plot to construct a house. Land was allotted for the purpose
just above the present Nainital Club at an annual lease of two annas! Here,
Barron constructed the house Pilgrim Lodge, his pen name being Pilgrim. The
house stands to this day.
The sapphire-like Nainital Lake,
surrounded by densely wooded hills and rich pastureland, the home of the
tiger, leopard, ghoral and pheasant, appeared to P. Barron as “by far
the most beautiful sight I have witnessed in the course of a fifteen hundred
mile walk in the Himmala. The water is as clear as crystal! A beautiful
little stream supplied from the springs of the overtopping mountain is
continually running into it and a smaller one flowing out of it.” The
Nainital Lake and its environs have changed much since Barron made the above
entry in his diary. However, the charm that initially bowled over all those
who set eyes on it is still here. You come up the Kathgodam–Nainital
highway, all excitement asking eagerly, Where’s the lake? How much
longer to the lake? And there, when you are least expecting it, the lake
springs a delightful surprise! Green to its very depths, silvered by moon
and sun and splashed with the cheerful colors of yachts and rowing boats,
the Nainital Lake is an open invitation to a holiday.
SITES
TO VISIT IN NAINITAL..... If you have a car at your disposal (for
your sake we hope you don’t, for that way you miss out on a lot that’s
very, very interesting), you can drive down the Mall from the entry point at
Tallital (lower end) to Mallital (upper end of the lake). If you’re
lucky enough to be footing it, you take the side wall along the brim of the
lake and pass under an extended canopy of the sun spangled leaves while
images of poplar, cypress and willow gently ripple on the surface of the
water to your left. To your right the hills take off again, rising from the
edge of the Mall in one giant sweep of habitation. Nainital is studded with
buildings—shops, restaurants, private homes, hotels and boarding
houses. During the last decade or so, it has witnessed the emergence of mega
hotels and the construction of houses by agencies as against private
individuals. However, despite the commercialization, it’s fun place,
with so much to do there’s never a dull moment.
You could of
course go for a boat ride. The single-seater rowing boats are all gone but
the larger double ones and pedal boats are aplenty and except in choppy
weather, the ride is satin smooth. But take care, don’t go boating when
there’s a mist on the lake and never change your seat midstream. For
yachting enthusiasts there is a yacht club and temporary membership is
available. Swimming used to be popular but the scope has been reduced by the
presence of algae in the water.
At the Mallital end of the lake,
you have the flats, a vast expanse of level ground, which in season is a
cheerful colorful sea of humanity. One portion does duty as a car park,
another houses an assortment of bazaars, notably the Tibetan market. At one
end stand the Gurdwara and the Naina Devi temple complex. The spread of the
flats offers a very welcome venue for sports events like football and hockey
tournaments, held regularly every year.
At
the mall end of the flats, you can pick up fresh seasonal fruit by the
roadside—pink strawberries and clusters of garnet-hued mulberry, in
tiny cane baskets, straight from Jeolikote on the Kathgodam–Nainital
highway. Nainital has a long and thriving bazaar where you can shop for the
whole range—designer clothes to shoes to books, curios and decorative
candles. Candle making as a cottage industry has come to Nainital in a big
way and retail outlets are dotted all over town. Latest in the line are the
elegantly perfumed, iridescent candles that make light of power cuts.
Nevertheless,
Nainital is an outdoor place, with a dozen or more picnic spots within easy
reach. If you are not overfond of walking, you could hire a pony and
clip-clop your way up. Seven hills surround the lake and provide excellent
trekking. Ayarpatta, Deopatta, Handi Bandi, Cheena, Alma, Laria Kanta, and
Sher-ka-Danda—goes the impressive roll of names. Cheena (Naina) Peak,
at 8,568 feet—the tallest of all—commands a superb view of the
Himalayas and an intriguing bird’s-eye view of Nainital. Kilbury, the
second highest, has a forest rest house that offers a quiet weekend. But
snow view on the Sher-ka-Danda hill is the most easily accessible, if not on
foot then via the cable car that skims its surface and whisks you away
merrily to the top. Once there you can only gaze in wonder at the glittering
panorama of Himalayan snows spanning the distant horizon. Tiffin Top
(Dorothy’s Seat) is every bit worth the climb. Land’s End affords
a charming view of the lake known as Khurpa Tal and the terraced hills
surrounding it, while Hanuman Garhi, with its famous temple, is reputed for
its glorious sunsets. Near the temple stands the Uttaranchal Government
observatory and the Satellite Tracking Center.
Ayarpatta Hill is a
haven of trees—oak, fir, deodar, pine and rhododendron. Some of the
roads are narrow and still paved with brick. On this hill stands Gurney
House, home of the great Jim Corbett, the fearless famous hunter,
conservationist and writer to remember. The house was named after Corbett’s
father. It is now a museum of Corbett memorabilia—shikar trophies,
fishing rods, books, writing desk and old moth-eaten maps of ‘Nynee Tal’.
For all those who love nature and admire Corbett’s sensitivity to it,
this is hallowed ground.
Nainital no longer enjoys the distinction
of being the summer capital of Uttar Pradesh, but people come from all walks
of life—short-stay tourists and those who spend the entire length of
the season, be it April–June or September–October. Autumn is
marked by a month long festival with a torchlight yacht procession, which,
for sheer beauty, is incomparable. There is a hamper of fun with something
for everyone: games and sports, a beauty contest, musical gatherings, plays
and campfires. During the rainy season, Nainital is wrapped in mist and
dotted with a million flowers. Lights twinkling through the mist give it the
appearance of the never never land of fantasy. Winter at Nainital is great
fun too, what with the sharp and bracing air, hotels begging for customers
and all the facilities available at half rate. January and February bring
overcast skies, intermittent rain and the eagerly awaited snow. They also
thin out the crowds to make of Nainital a holidaymaker’s paradise.
LAKES AROUND NAINITAL : Bhimtal You
might say poplars have overrun Bhimtal. As you enter the little town, clouds
of translucent sliver-green leaves wave you on and on, right to the southern
end of the expansive lake. Bhimtal has oak forests too and the habitation is
thick enough to permit wildlife to exist side by side—hill birds,
chiefly the pheasant, serao, kakar, sambhar (varieties of deer), the
occasional beer and leopard.
Bhimtal, 23 km from Nainital, is your
place for a quiet holiday. It has lovely dappled paths, ravines festooned
with dog rose and wild raspberry, farm houses set among terraced fields and
citrus trees hung with galgal like so many golden balls. The lake offers
scope for boating and many a home sports a brightly painted, private boat as
well. In the middle of the lake, there is an intriguing looking island with
a restaurant. The only thing that disturbs the peace is a gaggle of geese
that has made the island its home.
Bhimtal has a large roomy,
comfortable Tourist Bungalow with a grandstand view of the lake. The family
cottages attached are particularly cosy and welcoming. The bazaar is an old
time affairs, as quaint as could be, and for the more energetic tourist,
there’s a large up and coming industrial estate to explore.
Sat
Tal If you are a fish fan, be sure to reach the tin-roofed Government fish
depot at Sat Tal by 8 am for your pick of carp. Spanking fresh, netted right
there at the crack of dawn. However, Sat Tal has a lot more besides fish to
recommend it. Originally a cluster of seven lakes, now reduced to five
(since two have dried up), Sat Tal (21 km from Nainital) has all it takes to
veil the place in a kind of mystique—densely wooded hills, roads that
glide under a canopy of gossamer green oak trees, pines and dark brooding
firs, little creeks along the shores of the lakes, boat rides on the placid
waters, a log cabin that’s sheer temptation.
A large part of
Sat Tal is really the estate of the Methodist Church, South Asia branch. An
ashram founded by the late Rev. Stanley Jones, evangelist, holds camp for
young people every year. There is a small Tourist Bungalow, the
above-mentioned log cabin and a string of country shops that cater to the
needs of the day visitor. More important, there are birds around and
occasionally a leopard makes its appearance. When evening falls, you can sit
by the side of Ram-Lakshman Tal and ask the boatmen for ghost stories. They
will be only too happy to oblige.
Naukutchia Tal This tal has nine
corners. The local wag has it that anyone who manages to see all nine from a
single vantage point will either drop dead or come into big money. A visitor
may or may not have the nerve to test the truth of this prophecy but he will
doubtless find this tree-fringed lake clean and inviting. Brightly painted
towing and pedaling boats are available for hire at two points along the
shores.
Naukutchia Tal (27 km from Nainital and 4 km from Bhimtal)
earned a name as the home of Frederick Smetacek, the well-known naturalist
who spent a few years here before moving on to Bhimtal. Originally a hunting
lodge, the Smetacek home still stands by the Naukutchia Tal—a roomy,
gracious looking structure set in an orchard of generous proportions.
WHERE
TO STAY.... There are plenty of hotels and guesthouses to suit
every budget.
HOW TO REACH ..... The
nearest airport is at Pantnagar, 71 km away. It is connected by Vayudoot
services with Delhi. A coach takes the tourists to Nainital. Taxis are also
available.
The nearest railhead is at Kathgodam, 35 km away.
Nainital is connected by rail to Delhi, Agra, Bareilly and Lucknow. Taxis
and buses are available from Kathgodam to Nainital.
Nainital is
connected by good, all-weather roads to Delhi (322 km), Bareilly (141 km),
Almora (66 km) and Ranikhet (60 km). Public and private bus companies ply
regular bus services between Nainital and Delhi, Lucknow, Bareilly, Hardwar,
Dehradun, Almora, Ranikhet, Ramnagar and other important towns in the state.
