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Uttarakhand
medley – Almora & Pithoragarh
(All
the blog links provided also contain short duration videos for the destination
as well)
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| The panorama of Himalayan ranges as seen from Ranikhet |
In continuation
of my earlier blogs that was published for promoting tourism in Nainital
region, the present blog starts with the other part of Uttarakhand’s
linguistically identified region i.e. Kumaon.
Kumaon region can further been identified as four distinct regions i.e.
Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh and Champawat.
The blog of the series highlights Almora and Pithoragarh alongwith
places around it. Here is the video that
covers this region –
Almora
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| A view from Almora |
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| The famed Jageshwar temple complex |
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| A distant view of Katarmal Sun temple on hill side |
Almora is
the headquarters of the biggest district of the State and is a well-known
destination of Uttarakhand, it is situated about 63 Kms. from Nainital. Almora is situated on a ridge at the southern
end of the Kumaon hills at an average elevation of 1861 meters. The famous Almora bazar is saddled across
this ridge that is appears like a saddle with two ends at Eastern and Western
sides known as the Talifat and Salifat respectively. Historically speaking, the Almora town is one
of the oldest in the region that traces back its existence to 1568, as being
established by Raja Kalyan Singh of Chand Dynasty and has been in existence in
the present form since then, but its existence can be traced to pre-Mahabharata
period also. The town also symbolizes
the cultural heritage of the Kumaon and accordingly has hosted various
luminaries like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore etc. and was home to
many other illustrious persons like Sumitra Nandan Pant (Poet), Gobind Ballabh
Pant etc. The town has many places of
historical importance and other distinct identity of Almora is the Katarmal Sun
temple. There is also a very well-known
Shiva temple complex in vicinity of Almora and here are the links to my blogs
about them –
Apart from the above, there
are other destinations that can be visited from Almora and some of them are as
follows –
Binsar
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| View of Himalayan ranges from Binsar |
Binsar was the summer capital
of the Chand rulers and situated about 33 Kms from Almora at an elevation of
2412 meters. In order to conserve the
natural flora and fauna of this region, an area of about 45 sq. kms. was
converted into a Wildlife reserve in 1988.
Here is the blog link for the destination –
Sitlakhet
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| View from Sitlakhet |
Sitlakhet
is a lesser known nondescript little destination of Almora district that is
about 35 Kms. from Almora and 20 odd kms. from Ranikhet. It is perched at an altitude of about 1900
meters and is a delight for nature lovers and trekkers. Here is the link to my blog about this
destination –
Ranikhet
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| Early morning view of Himalayan ranges from Ranikhet |
Ranikhet or the Queens meadow
is a charming little destination that offers outstanding views of the Himalayan
ranges. It is a well known Cantonment
established by the British in 1869 as headquarters of the famed Kumaon regiment
and at present also acts as the headquarters for the equally famous Naga
regiment. It has a salubrious climate
all through the year and a nature lover’s delight. Perched at an altitude of 1869 meters, it is
an immensely popular summer destination.
Here are the links to my blogs about this destination –
Dunagiri & Dwarhat
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| The famed Dunagiri temple |
The Dwarhat region is a
conglomeration of 116 villages and is situated at a distance of about 73 kms.
from Almora and about 33 kms. from Ranikhet.
It houses an old 11th Century old temple complex and is more
well known for the famed ancient temple of Dunagiri situated about 14 Kms. from
Dwarhat and is perched at an altitude of about 2400 meters. Here is the link to my blog about the
destination –
Pithoragarh
Pithoragarh is the
easternmost district of the Kumaon region and borders Nepal and China
(Tibet). This region is replete with
various glaciers that are ideal trekking destinations for the adventure loving
tourists. Apart from this, there are
several hill stations that offer spectacular views of the Himalayan ranges,
being present within the district precincts.
There are several valleys and bugyals that offer moderate treks and
resplendent views of Himalayas as well as rich flora & fauna for the nature
lovers. The most well known destination
in this district is Munsiyari and on our way from Almora, the first destination
that is worth mentioning is Chaukori.
Chaukori –
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| View of the TRH, KMVN in Chaukori |
Chaukori is a small village,
but an amazing destination with the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam offering good
accommodation and views from its property situated here. It is about 115 kms. from Almora via
Bageshwar and one can throw in a night’s stay in Kausani (in Bageshwar
district) while travelling to this destination.
The destination offers a splendour of colours during the sunrise and
sunsets over the Himalayan ranges from this destination. It has also some old tea gardens situated
within its precincts. Perched at an
altitude of 2010 meters, this idyllic destinations offers a few nights of
relief to tourists from the plains below during the hot summer months, with a
few temple destinations around it. Here
is link to my blog about the destination –
Berinag –
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| The Naga temple in Berinag |
Situated at a distance of
about 15 kms. from Chaukori is the temple town of Berinag, perched at an
altitude of 1869 meters and is home to the famous and ancient Nag (Snake) temple, which is
reverend by the locals. Here is the link
to the blog about this destination –
Munsiyari –
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| View of Rajrambha peak as seen from Munsiyari |
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| Sunset view of Panchachuli from Munsiyari |
Munsiyari
in local dialect means ‘place with snow’ and as the name suggests it is one of
the most resplendent hill stations of Kumaon region. Perched at an altitude of 2298 meters, it
offers spectacular views of the Panchachuli ranges alongwith being an launching
pad for the Milam, Namik and Relam glacier treks in Nanda Devi Biosphere
reserve. It is a must visit destination
for the avid nature lovers. Here is the
link to my blog about the destination –
Pithoragarh
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| Pithoragarph township (photo sourced from Widipedia) |
It is the district headquarters of the district
that goes by the same name. Perched in a
valley at an altitude of 1541 meters with air connectivity, it is known as the
Soar valley or at times as the little Kashmir.
It has historical antecedents and is home to some old temples and a
quaint destination to be enjoyed throughout the year, although air connectivity
remains suspended during the winters.
Here is a short blog about the destination –
Note – Although all the
blogs are relatively old, but the geographic locations as well as the
information about the destinations remain unchanged and hence can be referred
to for that purpose.
© S Roy Biswas
