Ranikhet: Visiting Queen’s Meadows
Are you one of those travellers who are passionate about sylvan and peaceful environment? Uttarakhand. can be your one-stop escape from the daily hustle of urban life. Uttarakhand boasts of a range of beautiful hill stations to enthrall its visitors. Ranikhet is one of these many hill stations. The splendid hill station is located in Almora district of Uttarakhand.
Ranikhet: Nature’s treasure
The beauty of Ranikhet takes a special place in the heart of travellers, urging them to visit this enthralling town time and again. Ranikhet is a cantonment town and it traces its history back to colonial British era. The town was developed by long gone colonial masters after its rediscovery in 1869 and presently it is managed and fostered by Indian army. The place is the adobe for Kumaon Regiment, Naga Regiment and the military hospital.
Geography of Ranikhet
Ranikhet lies in the foothills of mighty Himalayas and its beauty is the heavenly gift of splendid Himalayan Mountains. The place is perched 1,869 metres above sea level and is sandwiched between Kumaon Hills hiding in thick cover of wide spread Oak and deodar forest. The place is a biodiversity hub as it is home for many endangered flora and fauna.
Ancient history of Ranikhet
The literal meaning of Rankikhet is Queen’s meadows. So where does it come from? It comes from popular belief that Rani Padmini, queen of Raja Sukherdev, once visited Ranikhet and was so mesmerised by its beauty that she decided to stay here only. No archeological evidence has been found to support this.
Climate of Ranikhet and best time to visit
Given the terrain of Ranikhet, it witnesses alpine climate. The summers are pleasant as the temperature never soars above 22 degree celcius while the winters are full of happiness named snowfall. The monsoon hits by end of June and goes by September.
Ranikhet is an amazing place to be visited around the year. Summers are sober and thus give visitors awesome opportunity to explore the place. Monsoon makes it a paradise as it increases the green cover. Winters are a treat to snow lovers. So visit Ranikhet at any time you feel like.
How to reach Ranikhet?
By airways – The nearest airport is in Nainital and air is a good medium to travel in summers.
By railways – The nearest railway station to Ranikhet is in Kathgodam which is about 85 km away.
By roadways – Ranikhet is a popular tourist destination, thus the roads have been developed efficiently.
Places to visit in Ranikhet
Tourists are attracted to Ranikhet because of its ancient shrines, eye-pleasing greenery, and the Himalayan beauty.
1) Jhula Devi Temple
This temple was built in 8th century and is devoted to Goddess Durga. Maa Durga showers her love on her devotees and fulfils their every wish. The temple is located in Chaubatia which is a dense forest with wild animals like tiger and lions. It is due to the blessing of Maa Durga that her devotees and their cattle are unaffected by attacks ofwild animals.
2) Majkhali
Tourists come here to capture the memories of bountiful views and natural landscape in their hearts. The place gives magical views of Sonya Peak. The place is famous for its Goddess Kali temple and many enchanting picnic spots for tourists.
3) Chaubatia Orchards
This famous apple garden has a lot of beauty for tourists. The orchard gives the captivating view of mesmerising Nanda Devi, Nilkanth, Nandaghunti and Trishul peaks. Not only that, this 600 acre land is famous for its juicy peaches, apricot, apples, plums and 200 more variety of fruits and flowers.
4) Bhalu Dam
You can’t leave Ranikhet without exploring the beauty of this place. This artificial lake is surrounded by unbound beauty of mesmerising forests. Enjoy the trek before you reach the Dam. The artificial lake has very scarce or no water in it.
5) Dwarahat
This ancient town in Ranikhet is full of breathtakingly beautiful temples and scenic beauty. The town has about 55 temples in total and all of these were built in medieval age by Katyuri Kings. The town is situated at a height of 2,000 metre and thus offers the magical view of pious mountain peaks like Kailash Mansarovar, Dunagiriand other gorgeous peaks.
Isn’t the beauty of Ranikhet mesmerising and captivating with words itself. The mere thought of visiting such locations and experiencing its beauty fills our heart with elations and surges new energy in the body.
