Visiting Ranikhet – my trips during 2024

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Visiting Ranikhet – my trips during 2024

View of the village Timila from my home balcony

            The year 2024 is almost drawing to a close and we are in the last month of the year.  But due to several issues, I could not compose my blogs and decided that at least for the sake of records, I should conclude the year with some of my blogs in respect of places visited during the year.  After visiting Puducherry for some admission related work of my daughter, we decided for a short visit to Ranikhet during July, 2024.

Panoramic view of Binsar Mahadev temple

A view of 'Dolia Pahadi' restuarant in Ranikhet

             As my car was due to complete its 15 years life time tenure in September, 2024 we decided to make a last trip in my car to Ranikhet.  Usually, I refrain from visiting the hills during the rainy season, but this time around as the rains were scanty and there was no other time available for the visit, we decided to take a chance.  It was hot and humid as we proceeded for the journey from Delhi and remained so till we reached the hills.  We had two short breaks for B’fast, around Gajraula and for lunch at Bhimtal (having driven via Haldwani) and on the way to Bhimtal, tried some fire grilled Maize (Bhutta in Hindi), but due to lack of rains, the taste was not as good as we were used to having during our past visits.  Having started at 6.30 A.M sharp from Delhi, we reached my pad in village Timila in Ranikhet Tehsil in the evening at around 4.00 P.M. 

Hydrangea (Guldasta in Hindi) in bloom

             We settled in for a few days in the peace and tranquility of the hills, although it was not very hot, but lack of rains had made an impact all around and the hills were not as green as they are during monsoons in the hills.  During this stay, we visited the famed ‘Binsar Mahadev Temple’ that is about 2.5 Kms. from my village home.  We also visited Ranikhet main market also during the said visit and headed for lunch in a restaurant that boasts about its cuisine etc. named ‘Dolia Pahadi’.  It had started drizzling by the time we could locate the restaurant entrance, which is about 100 odd meters away from the road head and finding a parking space is also a challenge.  But apart from the ambience, the food was not at all to our satisfaction, especially the chapattis were smelling, as if made from stale atta (flour) and despite asking them the replace, the second serving was also the same.  So despite having high hopes of having a sumptuous lunch, we had to retrace our steps back, simply dissatisfied with the outing.  The only silver lining was that we could get half a plate of famed mutton chap from Prakash dhaba in Ranikhet market for my daughter on our way back.  As it had started raining, we simply retraced our way back to our pad in the village.

A Khalij pheasant (male) in jungle adjoining my house in village Timila

             After having settled for a few days in our pad, simply enjoying the tranquil enviorn, we started back for Delhi.  However, this time around we decided to travel from Ramnagar side, as it is shorter distance as compared to coming back via Haldwani.  But I rued my decision , as after crossing Kashipur the road heads across a short bridge built over a small rivulet and therefrom the entire road was splattered with huge potholes and a journey of about 40 odd kilometers took 3 hours to complete and the experience was atrocious.  We reached Delhi late in the evening and thus, completed my first visit to Ranikhet for the year.

Road along Shipra River - from Kainchi Dham towards Khairna

On the way towards 'Binsar Mahadev temple'

Himalayan ranges at sunset - as seen from my pad in village Timila

A panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges as seen from village Timila 

            The second visit to my pad in village Timila in Ranikhet Tehsil was undertaken by me with a family friend of mine in November, 2024.  Since my vehicle had been scrapped on completion of the tenure, we had no other option but to travel by train.  We boarded the Kathgodam Shatabdi from New Delhi Railway station at 6.20 A.M in the morning, after having had an altercation with the Taxi Driver, who dropped us on the road on Paharganj side, without completing the journey citing jam and we had to trudge about 500 odd meters to reach the station.  However, the train journey was smooth and we got down at Kathgodam at around 12.00 Noon and therefrom commenced on our journey towards Ranikhet via Jeolikote side by local Taxi driven by my long standing trusted driver Mr.Amit (Monu being his nickname).  On the way we had a sumptuous lunch of Mutton and rice at a road side eatery (dhabha), but were struck in a mild jams starting from entrance to Nainital till the time we crossed Kainchi dham.  Although my friend was inclined to visit Kainchi Dham, I insisted that he undertakes the visit during his return journey, which was scheduled earlier than my departure.  We reached my pad in village Timila in Ranikhet Tehsil at around 3.45 P.M and it was quite cold in the evening, as the winters had started setting in, I had asked my caretaker to prepare a fire wood stove (Angithi in Hindi) to ward for the extreme dampness and cold faced during first day due to the fact that the house remains closed for months together.  During my friend’s very short visit, we went to Binsar Mahadev temple one day and rested for the remaining days.  I continued for some more time and spent my time cooking and washing utensils etc. and enjoying the environs of the village to soothe my strained nerves, away from the hustle and bustle of the city life.  I returned back following the same route, but after collecting and purchasing some local vegetables, ginger and kidney beans from village home.  Thus, ended my second visit to Ranikhet region for the year. 

Here is a short video of the destination

© S. Roy Biswas

 

Ranikhet – when I missed my train

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Ranikhet – when I missed my train

(with Binsar Mahadev Mela, Golf Ground & Rani jheel )

Forest area around Binsar Mahadev temple - comprising of Deodars & Pines

            There are a plethora of blogs on my link describing the  various facets of Ranikhet, as I keep visiting the destination to oversee the maintenance of my pad in an adjacent village called Badankhet/Timila.  However, this time around, after quite a long time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I made a summer visit to the destination, as per my past practice of t visiting my village home, for atleast twice a year, for regular upkeep of my home there.  Since the children were busy with their College, Office etc., this time around I travelled alone and on my invitation one of my relatives also agreed to accompany me for this visit.  Being only two of us, I decided to travel by train, unlike the past when I usually visited using my vehicle, as the economics of cost of petrol versus cost of train ticket, weighed towards the later, being only two of us travelling this time around.  Due to the heavy rush in the hills this year, I decided to travel on a Monday and return on Friday, so that I could avoid the tourist rush that usually happens on weekends being holidays for school children, in the month of June, 2022.

Panoramic view of Binsar Mahadev temple

             The Kathgodam Shatabdi leaves from New Delhi station at 6.20 A.M and I decided to book taxi through OLA, but the driver failed to respond despite ringing him many times over, so I had to book another one and thus, got a bit delayed from my planned time of departure.  However, as I had already scheduled some buffer time, we reached the station well in time.  The train departed at the right time, but got delayed at the fag end of the journey, for reasons best known to the Railways, the train was kept waiting for a long unscheduled stop at Rudrapur.  Having reached Kathgodam, I spoke to some Taxi drivers at the station premises, for dropping us at our home near Ranikhet and after some negotiation, one of the drivers agreed to drop us for Rs.2500/-.  However, as soon as we reached near his cab, he informed that he will charge an additional Rs.500/-, as the usual rate for dropping from Ranikhet, as the price he had quoted was for dropping us at Ranikhet market.  I told him that the rate already stood negotiated and as we were also not required to go till Ranikhet, what was the reason for charging this additional sum.  As he appeared to be adamant, I walked off from the Railway taxi stand, to one outside the station.  I got a taxi for Rs.2,500/- and as we were about to board, the earlier negotiated taxi driver came over and started arguing.  I gave him a tongue lashing and informed him that he should have realized that I was not a tourist, but someone who comes here regularly, as I was not travelling to any known tourist destination and he could not take me for a ride, further if required, I would call the Police.  On hearing this he reluctantly withdrew and we commenced with our onward journey at around 12.45 P.M. from Kathgodam.

Selling cotton candy puffs in the fair/mela at Binsar Mahadev temple complex

            As the road via Bhimtal was under repair at the Ranibagh bridge, the driver informed us that there would be a huge traffic jam and hence this time around and hence we headed through Jeolikote-Bhowali route.  The driver was a person with a pleasing personality and just after crossing Kathgodam, an old gentlemen signaled the driver to stop, thinking it was ferrying local residents.  He offered him Rs.50/- for journey till Jeolikote, but the driver refused, finding him to be an old person, on my insistence he allowed him to board and dropped him at Jeolikote.  Just after passing by Jeolikote, we stopped to have some local charcoal baked Maize, although the ‘chutni’ made of local freshly ground Mint leaves, Coriander leaves, Spring onions, Garlic and some local spices tasted as heavenly as always, however, the maize itself was a bit dry, due to lack of rains in region during the summers.  We again made a short halt just after after passing by Kainchi dham and purchased some local Plums, Apricots and Peaches, although their season was almost over, however, we enjoyed the fresh and ripe fruits.  Thereafter, I took a break at the KMVN run Highway Inn at Khairna and some of the old employees recognized me being a regular visitor in the past and we partook a quick lunch comprising of Rice, mixed vegetable and Dal (Lentils) with some fresh Cucumber & Onion salad and the meal was as sumptuous as ever.  Finally, we reached my home at around 4.15 P.M and I dialled for my caretaker, who had already arranged for a person to clean up the house.  My relative being a good cook himself, we cooked a Bengali quick and wholesome meal called “Khichudi’, which is a mixture of Rice, Dal with vegetables cooked together with some spices and had it with Omelets.  Thereafter, we retired for the night and had a very peaceful sleep in the hills, albeit it was a bit hot this time around and so no heavy blankets were required.

Taking rest after a long trek from the villages around

Selling all types of fried snacks and sweetmeat at the local fair/mela at Binsar Mhadev temple complex

            After waking up the next morning, we had some morning tea and simple bread & butter with some tea/milk etc. and after that I with the help of the local water supply person filled the overhead water tanks, by running the newly installed water pump and it appears that from now onwards with the water supply being provided to individual homes, my struggle for calling for tanker to fill up the water tanks, would be a thing of the past. Thereafter, having taken bath and performed the puja, we headed for Binsar Mahadev temple.  During the month of June, usually during the very first week itself, there is a festival attended alongwith with a big ‘Mela’ (Fair) organized in the temple complex and it is visited by all and sundry from all adjoining villages from near and far.  There are a quite a few blogs of mine as well on the internet that has mentioned in details about this destination, thus, for the sake of brevity I would refrain from repeating about the religious & mythological importance of this destination.  However, as no mela had been held due to Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 & 2021, this year around it was conducted in a grander scale and also over an extended period of almost two weeks.  Since it was a Tuesday, as well the last day of the fair/mela, I took the opportunity to visit the temple and have darshan of Lord Hanuman inside the temple complex, as per my routine on Tuesdays.  It was also a chance to show my relative this important tourist destination of the Ranikhet region.  After having visited the temple and the mela, we headed towards Tarikhet to purchase some hardware goods required for maintenance of the home.  Thereafter, we had some local ‘Samosas’ (A kind of crisp fried wrap) with a plate of ‘Cholas’(Spicy cooked Bengal grams) and polished it off with some ‘jalebis’ (A kind of sweetmeat) and returned back home and got the maintenance work completed.  Had some tea and snacks in the evening and later had dinner at night and thus ended our second day of the sojourn.

Here is a link to a short video of the destination -

Baba Hairakhan temple -

An old photograph of the Baba Hairakhan temple with my friends on foreground

            Since my relative had not seen Ranikhet, especially all the tourist spots, I had arranged for a trip for the next day and we started for the journey at around 10.30 A.M and I had arranged for the Cab from my village itself, wherein one of the residents owns several of them.  Accordingly, we first visited Baba Hairakhan temple in Chilyanaula just near Ranikhet.  Since there is an older blog available – those interested to know about this destination may click on the link - https://ghummakar-biswas.blogspot.com/2013/01/chilyanaula-gallery-of-himalayan-vistas.html - where description of Baba Haira Khan temple is also provided.  Therefrom we headed towards the Ranikhet Market and then onwards to the Golf Grounds in Ranikhet.

Here is a link to a short video of the destination -

Golf Grounds Ranikhet –

Panoramic view of Golf course in Upat, Ranikhet

            This Golf course, popularly known as Golf Ground by the locals, is situated at a place called Upat on the Ranikhet-Almora State Highway, while driving towards Majhkhali from Ranikhet, at a distance of about 5 Kms. from Ranikhet, just a little further ahead from Ghingarikhal.  This Nine-hole Golf course is managed by the armed forces stationed in Ranikhet i.e. the Kumaon Regiment and the Naga Regiments and is one the highest elevation Golf Courses in the world, perched at over 1700 meters or around 6000 feet above MSL (Mean Sea Level).  During the Covid-19 Pandemic this Golf Course had been closed for Public access, but now it has been opened for public viewing for the whole day on Tuesdays and from 11.00 A.M to 1.00 P.M on all other days.  However, only the south side of the Golf course will be accessible to the tourists.  The Golf course is well manicured with lush green undulating meadows of green grass with the Himalayan ranges in its back drop that offers a spectacular view for both tourists as well as those enjoying a game of Golf there.

Here is a link to a short video of the destination –

 

Rani Jheel –

Panoramic view of Rani Jheel

            From Golf course, we retraced our route back to Ranikhet and after passing by Kalika, Somnath grounds etc., we took a small detour just across the Church in Ranikhet to head for Rani Jheel.  Although this lake was a rain water harvesting artificial water body and has been in Ranikhet since long, having been managed by the Cantonment Board of Ranikhet.  However, of late various tourism related activities have been introduced in this lake and it has become a tourist attraction of sorts.  Situated at a distance of about 2.5 Kms. from the Ranikhet market, it is small water body that can be approached through a vehicle or by trekking.  Although it is quite small, but for a small place like Ranikhet, it offers boating facilities at approximately Rs.75/- per person, it has also a zorbing facility and a small flying fox or zip line facility that are moderately priced and coupled with this there are quite a few colorful fishes that constantly swim in this water, hence the tourists and the locals come and enjoy at the location for short durations.  With the inflow of the tourists, now a days there are several juice counters as well as fast food stalls that have come up on the road,  just across the entry gate to the this small lake.  Although it is nothing spectacular like Naintal or Bhimtal, but definitely a fun place for kids and their parents to enjoy as a passing by destination.

Here is a link to a short video of the destination -

 

Jhula Devi temple & Chaubatia Garden –

A view of the famed Jhula Devi temple

            From Ranijheel we headed forward towards the Jhula Devi temple and therefrom to Chaubatia Gardens.  Whereas, the temple is one of the most famous temples in Ranikhet region and has a very huge following amongst the locals.  The Chaubatia Gardens is in Cantonment area and perched at almost 7,500 feet MSL and home to the famous Chaubatia variety of Apple and is now maintained by the Horticulture department.  I have been to these destinations on many occasions and hence these places find mention in many blogs of mine.  In case one wants to check about the details of the destination, you can click on the link provided in one of the paragraphs above.

View of the Chaubatia garden in Ranikhet

             Thereafter, we headed for the Kumaon Regimental Center Museum and since no photography is allowed inside and only war related artefacts and memorials are on display to see, although interesting, but without a visual reference it is difficult to weave a blog on the subject and hence am skipping it.  Having visited all the tourists destinations of Ranikhet, it was late afternoon and we were famished and hence had lunch in a local restaurant and after having some tea enroute at Tarikhet, where I got my tape-recorder repaired, reached home late in the evening and thus ended our day three of the visit to Ranikhet.

Kumaon Regimental Centre Museum in Ranikhet

             The next day had been earmarked for refilling of the water tanks, but as there was no supply due to poor voltage, the prime target for the day eluded us and we spent the day doing some odd jobs around and carrying out some house cleaning errands like using the vacuum cleaner etc., as we had to proceed back to Delhi the next morning.  Looking at the precarious situation of availability of Cabs during my journey from Kathgodam to Ranikhet/Timila, I had booked the same taxi driver at same rate to drop us at Kathgodam.  I had called him by 10.00 A.M and also confirmed over telephone about his having commenced journey to pick us up.  However, as is the norm of the cab drivers, instead of pre-decided time of pick up between 10.00 to 10.30 A.M, the fellow reached at around 11.00 A.M and after completing the usual chores of putting off the electricity, water etc. and closing all the doors and windows, we commenced our journey at around 11.20 A.M and the scheduled departure of the train was 3.10 P.M.  On the way we purchased some vegetables and tried to pick up some local fruits, but nothing was available.  However, just before reaching Kainchi Dham, due to haphazard parking of vehicles by the tourist, a huge jam had built up and it took 1.30 hours to get past the jam and by this time we had got considerably delayed.  Despite best efforts, the Cab driver, whose car brakes too had got overheated due to oncoming traffic, we missed the train by a whisker and the driver even tried to drive upto Haldwani railway station but the train had already left and thus I missed a train for the first time in my lifetime.  Thereafter, as the AC busses were scheduled to leave Haldwani for Delhi only late in the night, I took a cab (returning back to Delhi) that charged only for one way and reached back Delhi albeit late and thus, ended our short but enjoyable summer sojourn to the hills of Uttarakahnd.

© S Roy Biswas

 

Ranikhet – adventure tourism etc. (with Bubu Dham & Binsar Mahadev)

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Ranikhet – adventure tourism etc.

(with Bubu Dham & Binsar Mahadev)

A representative image of adventure tourism (sourced from internet)

            I have posted a series of blogs regarding the destinations associated with eco-tourism destinations in Ranikhet, in the first blog of the series I had provided for links to my older blogs covering the major tourist destinations of Ranikhet that had been visited by me in the past.  Another aspect of mountain tourism that is fast evolving and is becoming a favorite of the youngsters is termed as ‘Adventure tourism’ and incorporates activities such a hiking, trekking, mountain biking, Zip line or Flying fox etc.  Although extreme adventure tourism like trekking across high mountain passes or visiting remote locations requires one to visit such locations that are very far off from the modern amenities and is designed for fitness freaks and extreme adventure lovers.  However, anyone, especially youngsters, visiting the hills now seek lighter adventure tourism activities like Para-gliding and Zip lining etc.  In this context, Ranikhet has also developed some such adventure tourism destinations –

Adventure Tourism

The hotel cum restaurant wherefrom the zip lining and cycle zip line can be enjoyed

A photo of enthusiast enjoying the zip line (sourced from internet)

The pamphlet of company offering activities (sourced from FB page of the company)

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

Panoramic view of Bubu Dham temple

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.

 Here is the link to a short video of the destination -

Binsar Mahadev temple

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 -

© S Roy Biswas

Ranikhet – a few new Eco-destinations (Open Air Fernery)

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Ranikhet – a few new Eco-destinations

(Open Air Fernery)

Entry gate of the Fernery in Ranikhet

            I have posted two blogs as part of the series in respect of the initiatives undertaken by the Forest Department, Research Wing of Uttarakhand highlighting the concept and ecological importance of the destinations.  The last in this series is the ‘Open Air Fernery’ that was inaugurated on the 12^th of September, 2022 by renowned expert of ferns Nilambar Kunetha, who has also guided in curating the project.  The fernery has the largest collection of fern species, second to only Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram. However, it is the country’s first open-air fernery in natural surroundings, which is not under any poly-house/ shade house, but in open air conditions.  The Ranikhet fernery, situated in the Kalika range region, has around 120 different types of fern, spreads over four acres of land at an altitude of 1,800 meters.  The facility has been developed under Central Government’s ‘Compensatory Afforestation Management Funds Management and Planning Authority’ (CAMPA) scheme, by the Research Wing of Uttarakhand Forest Department over a period of three years.  The fernery is home to fern species that are both endemic to the state as well as those that are from other States, especially the Western Ghat region. Some of these ferns have medicinal value, while some are threatened species that require care and protection.  Therefore, this project has been conceived with the dual objectives of ‘Conservation of the ferns’ as well as to ‘create awareness about the ecological and day to day role these ferns play’ in our lives.

Various types of fern species identified and named

Another fern species identified and indented

Some more ferns

            Many of my readers, may by now be intrigued to know, as to what are Ferns exactly are.  Ferns are the oldest form of plants, which had evolved from the multicellular Bryophytes into plants that had proper vascular system with tree trunk like structures.  The earliest forms of plants were single cell organisms that multiplied through fission i.e. breaking into two cells. They were followed by Bryophytes that were multi celled, but these too propagated through fission.  The Ferns were more like present day plants with a proper vascular system i.e. root, stem & leaves/false leaves that had specific internal channels like Xylem & Phloem to transmit water & food throughout the plant and classified as Pteridophytes (more recently the taxonomical classification has been changed as Pteridophyte Phylogeny Group) .  The Ferns pre-date the present day flowering plants that are classified as Angiosperms and existed in abundance even during the pre-historic periods, during the times when the Dinosaurs roamed the Earth.  The basic difference between the Angiosperms and Pteridophytes is that while the former uses flowers & seeds as means of reproduction for dispersal/propagation, the later uses spores for reproduction and propagation.  I am putting in a few diagrams to make the concept of life cycle and reproduction of Ferns (as sourced from the internet), for explaining it in a pictorial manner -

Parts of a fern (Sourced from the internet)

Life cycle of a fern (Sourced from the internet)

          Ferns first appear in the fossil record about 360 million years ago in the late Devonian, but many of the current families and species did not appear until roughly 145 million years ago in the early Cretaceous, after flowering plants came to dominate many environments. The fern Osmunda claytoniana is a paramount example of the evolutionary trends and the paleontological evidence shows that it has remained unchanged, even at the level of fossilized nuclei and chromosomes, for at least 180 million years.  Ferns and fern are the second largest group of allied plants in the Indian flora. It consists of 1,267 species and 130 genera represented by a total of 33 families, of which about 70 species are endemic to India.  In addition, ferns are indicators of moisture and clean the ecosystem akin to Lichens.  These are good nitrogen-fixing agents like the widely used Leguminosae (Pea/various daals) in crop rotation. They are also used to filter heavy metals from polluted water and are a bio-indicator for the health of an ecosystem.  The Ferns therefore have a wide range of benefits for humans and the ecosystem.  Some of them possess medicinal properties, whereas other are edible and still others have other uses.  One of them is the Lycopodiosida  or commonly called the Club ferns and their spores are used to produce ‘Lycopodium powder’ and those playing Carrom Board would be well aware of its use during the game i.e. for smooth flow of the Striker & Coins, now a days instead of the Lycopodium powder, Boric powder is used, as the former is quite costly.

More named variety of ferns at the fernery

Another named variety of a fern in the Fernery

More fern in the Fernery

The spores of a fern plant on the hind side of the leaf at the Fernery

The fernery in Ranikhet has round 30 species which have large medicinal significance. The species embrace Hansraj (Adiantum venustum) which has been given significance in Ayurveda in addition to within the Tibetan system of drugs as a treatment for a lot of illnesses.  The fernery additionally shows some distinguished edible species of fern like Lingura (Diplazium esculentum), a preferred meals merchandise within the hills of Uttarakhand as well as North East India, which is extremely nutritious and collected in wild during the monsoon season.  It has a mixture of species from the western and Himalayan areas in addition to from Western Ghats. It homes many uncommon species, distinguished amongst that are Tree Fern (Cyathea spinulosa) which has been declared as “threatened” by the State Biodiversity Board of Uttarakhand.  Only some crops of this species are left within the wild and is taken into account one of the crucial historic species of fern.  It’s stated that herbivore dinosaur used to feed on its trunk which is wealthy in starch.  Moreover, the fernery additionally shows many epiphyte, aquatic ferns and fashionable and attention-grabbing ferns like Vishkanya, Mayurshikha, Boston Fern, Woman Fern, Rock Fern, Basket Fern, Ladder Fern, Golden Fern and Horsetail Fern.  Further boasting of varied fern species, it additionally shows attention-grabbing info about ferns like reference of invisible seeds of ferns in Shakesphere’s play Henry IV and the craze of ferns generally known as ‘Pteredomania’ during the Victorian period.

A panoramic view of the Ranikhet Fernery

Some ferns that grow on tree trunks

Another variety of fern that grows on decaying tree trunks

Lingura (Diplazium esculentum) a local delicacy and edible fern

 It is also a must visit destination for nature lovers and for me it was a great journey as it rekindled memories of my student days, as I have a Honors Degree in Botany and having studied the Ferns as one of subjects, I was teleported to a bygone era.  I have therefore crafted this blog in a detailed manner to convey the importance of Ferns even in today’s world.

Here is a link to a short video of the destination -

© S Roy Biswas