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Ranikhet – adventure tourism etc.
(with Bubu Dham & Binsar Mahadev)
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| A representative image of adventure tourism (sourced from internet) |
Adventure
Tourism
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| The hotel cum restaurant wherefrom the zip lining and cycle zip line can be enjoyed |
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| A photo of enthusiast enjoying the zip line (sourced from internet) |
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| The pamphlet of company offering activities (sourced from FB page of the company) |
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| Do's and dont's etc. of pamphlet from FB |
The most enjoyed mild adventure
tourism are Zip line or Flying Fox activity that can be enjoyed both by
children, youngsters and adults alike subject to their being physically
fit. There is an agency called ‘Mogli
Adventures’ that operates the Flying Fox or Zip lining from a hotel complex
called ‘Sahaj’ (whose link is given as follows - http://www.sahajhotel.com/ ), wherein one can dine as well as stay, so a day outing
with the adventure tourism activities of both Flying fox/Zip lining, which happens to be one of the longest in
India i.e. about One Km. or exactly 3116 (claimed to be as second longest in
India) is a must visit destination for adventure lovers. In addition to normal Zip line, the agency in
the aforesaid Hotel complex also runs a ‘Cycle
Zip Line’, wherein a person cycles on a Zip line to and fro suspended about
7 meters above the ground, although precautionary upper line with safety
harness attached, for a period of about 30 minutes. The activities cost about Rs.1300/- per
person for the Flying fox/Zip lining adventure that includes pick up from the
end point of the Zip line back to the Hotel and about Rs.800-1000/- for the
Cycle Zip Line for 30 minutes, depending upon the season. To check out the first-hand experience of the
Flying fox/Zip lining activity, may check out this You Tube link - https://youtu.be/MeFqCju6gAc ). Here is a link to the Facebook link of the
agency i.e. Mowgli Adventures - https://www.facebook.com/Mowgli-adventure-101905267854049/. The Sahaj Hotel is situated on the road
leading to Majhkhali from Ranikhet and as on crosses the Kalika region and the
Golf ground, just before reaching Majhkhali, the hotel is situated in Naini
village at a distance of 9.2 Kms. from Ranikhet and Majhkhali lies further
ahead at a distance of 12 kms.
Apart from the above
activities, Ranikhet now also offer Paragliding
option from the vicinity of Chaubatia Gardens area and here is the link to the
site - https://www.wildrift.com/paragliding-in-uttarakhand/
Here is a short representative video of the destination -
Bubudham temple
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| Panoramic view of Bubu Dham temple |
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| A close-up shot of the Bubu dham temple |
As
one traverses across the road from Ranikhet towards Majkhali, the Siddheshwar Mahadev also known as the
Bubudham is situated on a curve known as Kaligad dath (‘dath’ means a curve on the road in Kumaoni language) in Village
Dadhgaliya. The place is situated about
7.5 kms. from Ranikhet township and is very easily accessible all-round the
year as many busses as well as shared taxis normally ply on this route and even
private taxis can be hired locally. The
temple has had a long past, as during the British era only the cantonment area
was developed with proper roads and villages around it were poorly
connected. The villagers from adjoining
areas used to trek for job related activities as well to purchase goods etc. to
Ranikhet and back. It is said that a
person travelling late in the night through the dense forest area, if in
difficulty, invariably used to get attended to or helped discreetly by an aged
person, who would thereafter disappear.
As the fame of such a person spread, the local villagers started
lighting lamps etc. at the place where this elderly person usually appeared and
they referred to him as ‘Bubu’
(grandfather in Kumaoni language) and with passage of time this place came to
be known as the Bubudham. Now a days a big temple complex has been
built at the site, which is dedicated to Lord Shival and now known as
Siddheswar Mahadev and this temple complex is presently managed by one Mahant
Srhi Jairam Bharti ji. Since, this
quaint little temple is situated right on the highway, one can take some time
out of their schedule and visit this destination, as it is situated with a
magnificent background.
Binsar
Mahadev temple
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| A panoramic view of Binsar Mahadev temple |
It is located at a distance of 19 Kms. from from Ranikhet, on the way
to Ramnagar amidst dense Pine, Oak, Rhododendron and Deodar forests with a
rivulet flowing in front of it. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Binsar Mahadev is a
unique place for Yoga and spiritual meditation amidst the solitude. Located at
an altitude of about 2000 meters over mean sea level, Binsar Mahadev is an
important and most visited temple of the region. It is also important for its
architectural significance as well and mythological anecdote being that it was
constructed overnight by the Pandavas. Historically, the temple was built by
King Pithu in memory of his father Bindu is hence is also called Bindeshwar temple.
The temple comprises of idols of Ganesh, Har Gauri and Maheshmardini. The idol
of Maheshmardini is engraved with texts in 'Nagiri lipi' (an ancient form of
scripture), which indicates the link of temple back to ninth century. However,
the temple complex had fallen into disuse over the years and in the late 1950’s
the Panch dashanan Juni akhada saint Mahant Mohangiri was pivotal
in its reconstruction and giving it the modern day look. An important fair is held here every year on
the occasion of Baikunth chaturdashi in the month of June.
Here is a link to a
short video of the destination -
