India Travel
Baijnath and Bageshwar between Kausani in Uttaranchal
BAIJNATH is halfway between Kausani. 20km southeast, and Gwaldam to the west. The road (served by occasional buses) drops down to a broad valley and to eleventh-century stone temples, standing at a bend in a beautiful river. This was once an important town of the Katyurs, who ruled much of Garhwal and Kumaon; now it’s more like a park. Unusually, the main temple is devoted to Parvati, the consort of Shiva, rather than Shiva himself; its 1.5-metre image of the goddess is one of the few in the complex to have withstood the ravages of time. The only amenities are KMVN’s modern Tourist Rest Home and a couple of simple cafes.
BAGESHWAR, nestled in a steamy valley 90km north of Almora, is one of Kumaon s most important pilgrimage towns. The lush Gomti River valley around is lovely, so it’s .1 shame the town is a dump. Its market is a good place to stock, up on provisions and it’s used by trek groups as the base for the trek to Pindari - although they’d be better off in the nicer villages of Song or Loharkhet. Most foreigners stay at the- large, ugly, KMVN Tourist Bungalow, 2km south of the bus station across a bridge, though there are also basic dharamshalas and dhabas around the temple.
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Kausani and around northwest of Almora in Uttaranchal
Spreading from east to west along a narrow pine-covered ridge, 52km northwest of Almora, the village of KAUSANI boasts a spectacular Himalayan panorama and as a result has become a popular resort. It's a simple day-trip from Almora, though as the peaks - Nanda Choti, Trisul, Nanda Devi and Panchol - are at their best at dawn and dusk, its worth staying overnight.There are several ashrams, including one that once housed Mahatma Gandhi, who walked here in 1929, thirty years before the road came through. Gandhi-ism continues to be a major influence in these hills and his symbol of self-reliance,
Practicalities of Kausani in Uttaranchal
Kausani is well connected by bus to Almora and Ranikhet, and Bageshwar and Gwaldam further north. The tourist scene is growing and a number of new hotels and restaurants have sprung up in recent years to cater for the very seasonal demand. The fanciest place to eat is the Hill Queen, a mid-priced but very good-value multi-cuisine restaurant below the Anashakti Ashram. The owner also serves as the unofficial tourist officer and is a mine of information about the area. The new Ashok and Sunrise restaurants nearby serve inexpensive multi-cuisine dishes.
Shaivite temple of Kumaon in Uttaranchal
The Shaivite temples of Kumaon, such as Jageshwar. Bhageshwar and Baijnath, do not attract the same fervour as their equivalents in Garhwal. Instead they remain frozen in time, undisturbed by the throngs from the plains. In fact, the Kumaon's comparative unholincss is probably an advantage as there is much less tourist traffic, so villages are largely unspoilt and trekking routes unfiltered. Hill towns like Almora, Ranikhet and Kausani have a charm of their own, with views towards the snows, while in Corbett National Park, southeast of the resort of Nainital, vast jungles continue to protect tiger and huge herds
Jogindernagar and Baijnath in Northwest Himachal Pradesh
JOGINDERNAGAR, 63km northwest of Mandi, is an uninviting little town holding little more than two streets flanked by wooden-fronted houses and a crowded bus stand. The main reasons to stop here are to pick up the Kangra Valley trains (8am, 12.20pm) to Pathankot, and to visit the Tibetan settlement at BlR, 15km to the west, where there are a couple of monasteries and a fledging paragliding centre. Rickshaws near the bus stand cover the three-kilometre journey west to the railway station. The smart HPTDC Hotel is at the eastern end of town. BAIJNATH, 30km west of Jogindernagar, is only noteworthy for
Jogindernagar and Baijnath in Northwest Himachal Pradesh
JOGINDERNAGAR, 63km northwest of Mandi, is an uninviting little town holding little more than two streets flanked by wooden-fronted houses and a crowded bus stand. The main reasons to stop here are to pick up the Kangra Valley trains (8am, 12.20pm) to Pathankot, and to visit the Tibetan settlement at BlR, 15km to the west, where there are a couple of monasteries and a fledging paragliding centre. Rickshaws near the bus stand cover the three-kilometre journey west to the railway station. The smart HPTDC Hotel is at the eastern end of town. BAIJNATH, 30km west of Jogindernagar, is only noteworthy for
Travel details for Uttaranchal
Trains Haridwar to: Calcutta (1 daily; 33hr); Dehra Dun (8 daily; 2hr); Delhi (4 daily: 4hr 30min-8hr); Mumbai (1 daily; 40hr); Katfigodam (3 daily: 4lir 30min-8hr); Rishikesh (2 daily; 30min). Kathgodam (railhead 3hr from Naimtal) to: Calcutta (1 daily; 4Dhr); Delhi (2 daily: 8hrl. Buses Almora to: Nainital (4 daily; 3hr); Delhi (2 daily;11hr). Dehra Dun to: Delhi (6 daily; 8hr); Kullu/Manali (1daily; 14hr): Mussoorie (every 30min; 1hr): Nainital(1 daily; 11hr); Rishikesh (every 30min; Ihr 30mm) Haridwar to: Dehra Dun (hourly: 1hr 15min); Delhi (4-6 daily; 5-6hr); Rishikesh (20 daily; 30min). Mussoorie to: Dehra Dun (every 30min; 1hr); Delhi (2 daily; 9hr); Haridwar (every 30min;
Accommodation of Kausani in Uttaranchal
The prices indicated are for the low season, but go up by fifty percent in high season (April 15-June 15 & Oct 1-Nov 15). Rooms with views are much more expensive than those without. Anashakti Ashram, above the Mall on Snow View Road. Guests prepared to observe ashram rules, such as not smoking, are welcome to stay at Gandhi's pleasant but spartan former ashram. A great place to watch the mountains blush and fade at sunset. No generator. KMVN Tourist Bungalow, 05962/45006. The usual tourist lodge atmosphere but it is at least secluded, and surrounded by pine forests. Himalaya Mount View,
Mandi to Dharamsala in Northwest Himachal Pradesh
The road northwest from Mandi skirts the edges of the hills, passing through thick pine forests and lush tea gardens. While most visitors make die six-hour journey to Dharamsala in one go on one of the nine daily buses, those with more time can pause at the small towns of Baijnath and Palampur, or pick up die narrow-gauge train as it trundles slowly through the fertile valleys between Jogindernagar and Kangra.
Trekking from Palampur district in Himachal Pradesh
With its lush tea gardens, alpine meadows and the harsh and rocky crags of the Dhaula Dhar range, Palampur is a good base for some lesser-known treks; the passes north of town offer unrivalled views of the Kangra Valley. An easy four-day hike leads from PALAMPUR over Waru Pass (3850m), the "gateway of wind", via Satchali, Thanetar and Dhog to Holi; continuing for two more testing days to the sacred Manimahesh Lake near Brahmour. From Dhog it's possible to continue east to Barabhangal and as far as Manali. A pleasant but difficult seven- or eight-day trek from PALAMPUR starts by crossing
Uttaranchal Northest of Delhi
Northeast of Delhi, bordering Nepal and Tibet, the mountains of Garwhal and Kumaon rise from the fertile sub-Himalayan plains. Together they form the new state of UTTARANCHAL, also M known as Uttarkhand, which was recently shorn free from lowland Uttar Pradesh after years of agitation. The region has its own distinct languages and cultures, and successive deep river valleys shelter fascinating micro-civilizations, where Hinduism meets animism and the Buddhist influence is never too far away. The area is progressively opening up to visitors, with the slow demilitarization of the Tibetan border regions to the north. Although not as
Some history of Uttaranchal
The first known inhabitants of the UP Hills were the Kuninda in the second century BC, who seem to have had a close affinity with contemporary Indo-Greek civilization. Essentially a central Himalayan tribal people, practising an early form of Shaivism, they traded in salt with Tibet. A second-century Ashokan edict at Kalsi in western Garhwal shows that Buddhism made some inroads in the region, but Garhwal and Kumaon remained Brahmanical. The Kuninda eventually succumbed to the Guptas around the fourth century AD, who despite controlling much of the north Indian plains failed to make a lasting impact in the hills.
Dehra Dun north of Delhi in Uttaranchal
The newly crowned capital of Uttaranchal. DEHRA DUN, 255km north of Delhi, tends to be seen simply as a staging post on the way to the hill station of Mussoorie, 34km north, and the Garhwal interior. Pleasantly located at just below 700m, as the Himalayan foothills begin their dramatic rise, Dehra Dun never gets too hot in summer, and snows only rarely in winter. With its vast open spaces and colonies such as the Cantonment, this popular retirement spot is renowned for its elite public schools and prestigious institutions. Although occupied in turn by Sikhs, Moghuls, and Gurkhas, it is
The trek to Yamunotri northeast of Rishikesh in Uttaranchal
Cradled in a deep cleft in the lap of Bandarpunch, and thus denied mountain vistas, the temple of Yamunotri (3291m), 223km northeast of Rishikesh, marks the source of the Yamuna, India's second holiest river after the Ganges. The least dramatic but most beautiful of the four dhams (temples) of Garhwal, it's also the most unspoiled and the least commercial, and the undemanding fourteen-kilometre (5hr) trek up to it from Hanuman Chatti is one of the region's most popular short hikes. The trail leads through attractive countryside, following the turbulent ice-blue river as it runs below terraced fields, with snowy peaks
The Manali –Leh Travel details in Himachal Pradesh
Trains Pathankot to Joginder Nagar (2 daily; 7hr 30min-9hr10min). Shimla to: Kalka (4 daily; 4hr 45min-5hr 45min). Buses Dalhousie to: Amritsar (2 daily; 5hr 30min);Jullundhar (1 daily; 6hr); Kliajjiar (2 daily; 1hr);Pathankot (hourly; 3hr30min). Dharamsaia to: Baijnath (hourly; 3hr 30min);Chamba (1 daily; 9hr); Chandigarh (6 daily; 7-8hr);Dalhousie (1 daily; 6hr-7hr); Delhi (6 daily; 12hr);Dehra Dun (1 daily; 9hr); Haridwar (1 daily; 14hr);Jawalamukhi (8 daily; 2hr 30min); Kangra (every15min: 45min-1hr); Kullu (4 daily; 8hr); Manali (4daily; 10hr); Mandi (7 daily; 6hr); McLeod Ganj(every 20min; 40min); Nahan (1 daily; 12hr);Pathankot (10 daily; 3hr). Chamba to: Amritsar (1 daily; 8hr); Brahmour (7daily; 3hr); Dalhousie (10 daily; 2hr 30min); Delhi(1
Pithoragarh of the easternmost of Kumaon in Uttaranchal
PITHORAGARH, the headquarters of the easternmost district of Kumaon, in the beautiful sprawling Sore valley, IH8km northeast of Nainital, is a busy administrative and market town which acts as a gateway to the mountains. While the town itself is not particularly attractive and only worth stopping at to stock up on provisions for expeditions, the fringes remain charming with terraced cultivation at an altitude of around 1650m offering glimpses of Panchuli and the remote mountains of western Nepal. Above Pithoragarh, in the pine-wooded slopes of the Leprosy Mission at Chandag 7km north, a large cross overlooks the valley, commanding views of
Chila from Haridwar at Uttaranchal
To get to CHILA from Haridwar, catch a Kandi- or Kandra-bound bus from the stand opposite the railway station, or a shared Jfeep from Chandi Ghat opposite Har-ki-Pain. You could even walk; Chila is visible from Haridwar, and taking a short cut from Har-ki-Pairi via the riverbeds and a bridge makes it a journey of just 4km east. The town itself is neither attractive nor interesting, located right beside the Ganges barrage and its massive electricity pylons. However, it makes a good base for explorations of the park, and Chila Beach - occasionally used by large river turtles - lies
Uttarkashi largest town of Garhwal in Uttaranchal
The largest town in the interior of Garhwal. UTTARKASHI was little-known to the outside world until its unhappy association with the massive nearby earthquake in 1992.The town occupies the flat and fertile valley floor of the Bhagirathi; most pilgrims and tourists stop here to break the long journey between Rishikesh, 148km south, and Gangotri, 100km northeast. Uttarkashi's busy and well-stocked market is ideal for picking up supplies before high-altitude treks, and the town is also a good place to contact experienced mountain guides - mostly graduates of its Nehru Institute
Practicalities of Kedarnath in Uttaranchal
Kedarnath's GMVN Tourist Bungalow (0137286/6210), standing like a disused railway station before the bridge that leads into town, has a cheap dorm and standard double rooms. Alternatives include the clean and comfortable Bharat Seva Ashram, a large red building beyond the temple on the left; the pleasantly located bungalow of Modi Bhavan, behind and above the temple near the monument, which has large rooms and kitchenettes; and Punjab Sitidh, next to the post office. Food in the cafes along Kedarnath's main street is simple but expensive, as all supplies have to be brought up from the valley on horseback. The canteen
Janki Chatti at Uttaranchal
The main trail from Phul Chatti continues along the river and over a bridge. A short and narrow section then traverses a landslide high above the river, before widening to reach JANKI CHATTI. Its GMVN Tourist Bungalow is friendly, and has its own cafe. GMVN also runs a simpler hostel with dormitories (Rs100), down by the river. Also along the main trail, the Ganga jatmtna and the cheaper Arvitid Ashram are alternatives, and there are a number of decent restaurants offering thalis, cold drinks and snacks. While you're in Janki Chatti, it's worth making the one-kilometre detour across the river
Joshimath and Auli northeast of Uttaranchal
The scattered administrative town of JOSHIMATH clings to the side of a deep valley 250km northeast of Rishikesh, with tantalizing glimpses of the snow peaks high above, and the prospect far below of the road disappearing into a sunless canyon at Vishnu Prayag, the confluence with the Dhauli Ganga. Few of the thousands of pilgrims who pass through en route to Badrinath linger here, but Joshimath has close links with Shankara, the ninth-century reformer, who attained enlightenment here beneath a mulberry tree, before going on to establish Jyotiramath, tine of the tour centres ot Hinduism (dhams) at the four cardinal