NAINITAL : A BOUQUET OF ATTRACTIONS

A TOURIST'S PARADISE

(By Subbaram Danda)

In Nainital: the mango-shaped Naini lake in the background

As my wife and I commenced our five-day holiday from April 20, 2016 in Nainital, a hill-station in the state of Uttarkhand, about 300 kms from Delhi, we realized that its tourist attractions are more captivating than expected.  There are many places to go, see, admire, photograph and cherish.    

The most enchanting attraction is a long mango-shaped placid lake called Naini in the heart of the town.   A neat promenade with a drive-way alongside has been picturesquely developed with plenty of photo op spots.  Trees, flower plants and benches at intervals provide a touch of elegance.   

The Naini lake and the promenade

It is said that the hill-station lives by the Naini lake.  True, as the day breaks and the waters of the lake shimmer in the mild morning sunshine, the town stirs itself to life.  In course of time, shops, eateries and stalls on the Mall Road that runs all along the lake throw their doors open.  The lake itself becomes a beehive of activity.  Boating, yachting and paddling go on throughout the day.  As twilight descends, lights of houses on the broad hill-side cast a magic spell on the waters of the lake and on the people thronging it.  

Boats on the Naini lake

Colourful premium boats

In the parking area near the lake

We stayed at Bhawanipur Greens, a Sterling Resort.   Located somewhat away from the town, it is itself a retreat to stay carefree, relax and enjoy.  Our room, a spacious one in the second floor, had a balcony overlooking the Kumaon range of mountains along the outer edge of the Himalayas.  

The Sterling Resort

A view of the resort

The resort in the night

A view of the Kumaon Hills near the resort

In the open-air restaurant of the resort

The Kumaon Hills as seen from the open-air restaurant

In the Reception Hall

Another view of the resort

In the Activities Room

In the balcony of our room

South Indian dishes at the resort restaurant

One evening we witnessed a strange phenomenon from our balcony.  A forest fire appeared suddenly in a corner of the hillside and it kept crawling up, up and then down non-stop leaving behind a long craggy trail of low flames.  Thick smoke curled up into the sky.  We photographed it for whatever it was worth.  After about four hours it subsided on its own.   Later reports said that several forest fires raged at different places in Uttarkhand giving anxious moments to the authorities. 

The trail of the forest fire on the hillside -- a view from our balcony.
Notice its uncanny resemblance to the map of peninsular India 

Tour operators have several plans to take visitors to different places of interest.   Under one such, the tourists drive further up on the hills early in the morning, when the beauty of the nature unfolds in all its pristine glory.  The ghat road is fine and the views of the valleys come alive magnificently.   On the way, at the Naini Lake View Point tourists can see the bluish lake in its awesome entirety surrounded by greenery.   This is a unique opportunity for taking photos and videos.  Still up the ghat road, there is the Himalayan View Point, where the world’s highest mountain range becomes visible, if the sky is clear.   Men with long telescopes offer to show the peaks for a fee.  

The Naini lake in its gorgeous entirety

Himalayan View Point (the range is not visible in the picture due to fog)

Shortly before arriving at these points, one can see on the hillside a large number of neatly packed houses glistening in the sun.  At the top there appears a building with a red roof and it is Sherwood College, where India’s ace film actor Amitabh Bachan and many other celebrities studied.  

Sherwood College (topmost building)

A high altitude zoo, an eco garden with caves and the Tibetan market are among other places where tourists are taken on this circuit.  

Eco Garden and Caves

Tibetan Market

Nainital has one of the 64 Shakti Peets in India, revered places of worship for Hindus.  According to legend, Sati, wife of Shiva, felt insulted when her father King Daksha refused to invite the two to a yagna he was conducting.   Furious, she set herself afire through intense meditation in an act of sacrifice.   As devastated Shiva carried her body, its parts fell at different places on earth.  Temples raised at these spots came to be known as Shakti Peets.   In Nainital, on the northern bank of the lake where Sati’s eyes fell, a temple was built.  Nayana or naina in Sanskrit and Hindi means eyes, and so it came to be known as Naina Devi temple. 

Naina Devi temple entrance

At the entrance of the temple

Artistic welcome arches, red towers, green plants and well-paved open spaces make the Naina Devi temple scenic.   Inside there are three deities -- Kali Devi, Naina Devi and Ganesha.  Naina Devi is represented by two eyes.   It is said that the present temple is a replacement for the original 15^th century one built during the reign of Kushans but got destroyed in a landslide in 1880.  There is also a small shrine for Shiva in the form a linga in the premises.  A view of the lake from the temple complex is awe-inspiring.  The temple draws thousands of devotees every year. 

In front of the Naina Devi shrine

Inside the temple

Shiva linga in the Naina Devi temple complex

In Nainital, apart from the main lake, there are many others located away from the town, each with a background of its own.  Tour operators vie with each other to organize visits to these places.  

Of them, we found Navkhuchiatal, about 30 kilometres from the town, picture-perfect.  The sparkling bluish water lake has nine corners, encircled by forested hills.  Water Zorbing is prominent there.  For a fee people can get into a huge transparent and secure sphere and roll on water.  Boating too is practiced.  Trekking and paragliding are other activities noticeable in the vicinity. 

At Navkhuchial lake.  Zorbing spheres in the background

Sattal, 45 kilometres from Nainital, is a system of seven inter-connected lakes surrounded by tall oak and pine trees.  Its environment is said to be a paradise for bird watchers and adventure enthusiasts.  These waters are greenish.  The seven lakes are Ramtal, Lakshmantal, Sitatal, Hanumantal, Bharattal,  Naldamyatital and Garudtal.   

One of the several lakes in Nainital

Institute of Graphic Arts

Bhimtal is another prominent lake at a distance of 22 kms from Nainital.  This lake is bigger than Nainital.  An aquarium located on an island at the centre of the lake is famous among tourists.  

The Bhimtal aquarium on an island

Nearby in Tallital locality, there is a Hanuman temple built in a picturesque setting.  A magnificent 45-foot-tall statue of Hanuman and a shrine for him are the highlights here.  Atop the colourful towering statue is an umbrella – a rare depiction.  In the premises there are a few other shrines as well.  This is also a lovely place for watching sunrise and sunset in their gorgeous grandier. 

Tallital Hanuman statue 

The temple complex of the Tallital Hanuman

Yet another huge Hanuman statue at a different shrine in Nainital

Our Nainital sojourn threw up quite a few surprises.  Our intention was to escape from the scorching sun in our home city of Chennai but it was somewhat dashed.  The hill-station was pretty warm during daytime, though the nights were somewhat chilly.  We had no use for the sweaters, mufflers and monkey-caps we had taken with us.   Early in the morning we could see a blanket of smog hovering over the mountain peaks.

When we landed at Pantnagar airport, about 70 kms from Nainital, we could feel the sun bearing down on us.   During our drive to the hill-station through a jungle only dry and wilted trees were visible on both sides of the road with no trace of greenery anywhere.

Surprises of a different kind were also experienced by us – this time pleasant ones.  Delectable South Indian food was easily available at select restaurants.  An eatery called Purohit Tali on the famous Mall Road served wafer-thin delicious rava dosas with a variety of chutneys and sambar.  At the resort’s restaurant we enjoyed crispy and tasty medhu vadas.   Downhill, at Udupiwala we ordered idlies and what the waiter served puzzled us -– large, inch-thick, white rectangles.   Looking at them we wondered whether we had committed a mistake by going there.    But our apprehensions were short-lived.   They were indeed idlies, so spongy and puffy that they melted in our mouth.  We ordered more!

We had our own misgivings about the ubiquitous language problem, as we had forgotten most of whatever we had learned in our Hindi class decades ago.  But it should be acknowledged that local people were very courteous to us, whether on the road or in shops, and were willing to help.   Another noticeable aspect of life there was that vehicles followed traffic regulations scrupulously, even though there was no constable around.  This was our greatest surprise.

Undoubtedly, Nainital is a tourist’s paradise.  It is certainly a place to go and enjoy. (Ends)

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(1,350 words)