GoneindiaUttarakhand

Uttarakhand is less frequented than it's better known neighbor of Himachal Pradesh. Yet for the traveler is is packed with interesting places to visit. This mountainous state is roughly divided into to mountain reagions, Garwhal and Kumaon,

We'll start our look at Uttarakhand in the west, or what is known as the Garwhal.

A natural entry point would be Hardiwar (Dwar of Hari or Gateway to God as the Ganga exits the realm of the Gods, the Himalayas), which has train connections to many other places in Northern India.

A pilgrimage town, Hardiwar comes a alive every four years when the Kumbh Mela is held there.

But at anytime of the year the main Ghat at Hari-Ki-Pairi (steps towards God ) is an enchanting experience for any visitor as the faithful do Aarthi, at one of the seven most auspicious spots in India, For this is one of the four places where the nectar fell, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher, in which it was being carried away by the celestial bird Garuda.

These four spots – Ujjain, Haridwar, Nasik, and Allahabad – have today become places, where the Kumbha Mela is celebrated, it is rotated netween the four places.

Pilgrims who visit Haridwar often opt to visit the 'Panch Tirth' (Five Pilgrimages) within oir close to Haridwar Haridwar.

These are Gangadwara (Har-ki-pauri), Kushwart (Ghat), Kankhal, Bilwa Teerth (Mansa Devi) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi).

If your'e a head for hights there is also a ropeway or cable car to the Mansa Devi Temple, which offers good views of the surrounds.

Being a holy town the place is riddled with shrines and temples.

Moving Higher into the mountains, visit the old British hill station of Mussoorie, like so many big hill station Mussoorie is bursting at the seams a little, as development gathers pace. Hotels are springing up everywhere.

Still it has a certain charm and, bakeries, amusement arcades remind us that this is a holday town at heart, where stalls selling, touristy litch and magical trick abound.

There are various walks and sights, such as nature walk known as Camel's Back Road. This road, named after a curious mountain outcrop in the shape of a camel's hump., makes for a pleasant walk, back, a beautiful cemetery is located about mid-way on the loop.

Gun Hill, is where cannons were once kept for the defense of Mussoorie. Gun Hill is accessible by the cable car on the Mall road. Where you can also get views to the Snowcaps if the weather is clear

The oldest Christian church in the Himalayas, St Mary's, is situated above Mall Road

Near to Mussoorie you have a few things of interest. Like Lake Mist (5 km) Bhatta Falls (7km) Jharipani Fall (8.5km)

A grea t escape from the burning plains of April, May and June!!

Back on the course of the Ganga Rishikesh shouldn' be missed. It' also a holy town andd frequented by pilgrims and people seeking an ashram enviroment to cleanse their mind or just relax.

It's also a great place to follow a yoga, meditation or massage course. As such it always has a large population of western seekers.

Plenty of hotels and restaurants here and if you are looking for books on Hinduism or spirituality this is as good a place as any.

Close by, walks along the river, or to the mountain top Neelkanth Temple are beuatiful. and a great way to spend you day.

River rafting and a visit to the nearby National Park at Rajaji are some other activities to consider.

We now head north into the mountainous Garwhal district of Uttarakhand. First stop is Yamunotri, the first of the Chota Char Dham, this place is the source of the holy river Yamuna and seat of the Goddess Yamuna. The Temple itself is a thirteen kilometer walk from Hanuman Chatti.

There are two trekking routes from Hanuman Chatti to Yamunotri, the one along the right bank proceeds via the Markendeya Tirtha, where the sage Markandeya wrote the Markandeya Purana , the other route which lies on the left bank of the river goes via Kharsali, from where Yamunotri is a five or six hours climb away.

After passing through Uttarkashi, we again ascend to the most holy of the Char Dham sites at Gangotri.

Source of Mother Ganges and a very auspicious spot for Hindus. The actual source of the Ganga is thought to be at Gaumukh 19 kilometers away on the Gangotri Glacier. This route became so popular, that it was starting to impact on the local enviroment. As such visitors are now rationed to 150 per day.

Strangely the river here is know as Bhagirathi and only becomes the Holy Ganga at the downstream town of Devprayag.

Heading in a southerly direction spend a few hours in Uttarkashi where you'l find the Kandar Devta Mandir and the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, which can organise treks in the surrounding area.

Through New Tehri, so called as the old Tehri disappeared under the lake behind the Tehri Dam project. We come to Devprayag, an interesting little town where the Bhagirathi and Alaknanda rives join to become the Ganga, the sediment laden Alaknanda is quite different in colour to the Bhagirathi river, which makes for a interesting contrast, There are good views point for photos,

On a terrace in the upper part of the village is the temple of Raghunathji, built of huge stones, pyramidal in form and topped by a white cupola.

Turning east drop in on Pauri, a small hill station which offers good views of the snowcaps.

Passing through Rudraprayag, where again gushing rivers meet, you can drive upto Kedernath the third holy town in the Garwhal.

The most remote of the four Char Dham sites, Kedarnath is located in the Himalayas, about 3584m above sea level near the head of river Mandakini, and is flanked by shimering snow-capped peaks.

The temple here is built of local stone, Kedarnath is named after King Kedar who ruled in the Satya Yuga or age of truth.

Returning to lower climes pass through Karnaprayag, on the way to Josimath and the trail to Badrinth, the last of the Gharwali temple towns.

It is widely considered to be one of the holiest Hindu temples, and is dedicated to god Vishnu. The temple and town are one of the four Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is also one of the 108 Divya Desams, holy shrines for Vaishnavites.

Although Badrinath is located in the far north of India, the head priest, or Rawal, is traditionally a Nambudiri Brahmin from the far south of India in Kerala.

An interesting detour north out of Josimath, takes you to Govind Ghat, a 10 hour drive, from here you can trek to the famous Valley Of Flowers

Here' list of major peaaks in the Garhwal

Banderpunch - 6316 m.

Bhagirathi - 6856 m.

Chaukhamba 1 -7138 m.

Dunagiri - 7066 m.

Jogin Ii - 6340 m.

Kamet - 7756 m.

Kedarnath -6940 m.

Nanda Devi - 7817 m.

Nanda Ghunti - 6309 m.

Nandakot - 6861 m.

Panchachuli - 6904 m.

Panwali Dwar - 6663 m.Rangrik Rang - 6553 m.

Rhonti - 6010 m.

Shivling - 6543 m.

Swargarohini - 6252 m.

Thalay Sagar -6904 m.

Trisul - 7120 m.

Tsjangabang - 6756 m.

Heading south look in on Baijinath and Bageshwar as we enter the Kumaon Area of Utterakhand. The riverside temples at Bageshwar are certainly worth a look, From here head north through remot valleys and dancing blue river to Munsiyari, this remote village offer stunning views of the enourmous snowcaps and is the starting point for treks to the Milam Glacier.

The road over the pass is quite spectacular and not for the faint hearted. There are hot springs at Madkot in the valley below. And the Bugyalsor Himalayan meadows are a prominant feature of the surrounding countryside.

As we turn back towards the plains try to See Ranikhet and Kauasani, both are small intimate places with ample accomodation, great walking and chilly clean mountain air. The views from Kausani in particular are as as good as any you'll find in the Himalaya. With a hug panoram of snowcaps on display.

From here its a short hop to Almora and Binsar,

Almora a provincial town spread along a mountain ridge is a pleasant enough place, but lacks anything of real interest, that would cause the tourist to linger. However just outside the town higher up on the road to Binsar, The hamlets of Kasar Devi and Papersalli offer a unique chance to look into Kumaoni rural life, there's a population of backpackers and hippies here but they are spread out enough so as to not impact upon the experience. The views from both places in November/December/January are positively awe inspiring.

Walking around here is a lot of fun as you hear the sounds of local life echoeing around the valleys, in April May it's wedding season and the bands can be heard all around.

Binsar is another small hamlet with great views and the local Rhododendrons trees really add a splash of colour to the green and white canvas.

Another town of note close to Almora is Jageshwar, this thoroughly enchanting place is other worldly and should be included in anyone's itinerary to the area.

As our journey comes to an end, we make our last stand in the charming hillstation of Nainital with it's large lake, pony riding and shops. Purists will hate this busy tourist metropolis but it' has a charm all of it' own and can easily fill a couple of days on a trip to Uttarkhand.

Here are some of the highest peaks in the Kumaon

Tharkot (6100m)

Maiktoli (6800m)

Nanda Khat (6600m)

Sunder Dhunga (6650m)

Chhanguj (6300m)

Pawali Dwar (6650m)

Baljori (5900m)

Kuchila (6300m)

Nanda Kot (6900m)

Nandakhani (6000m)

Nanda Manas (6200m)

Nandapal (5800m)

Panchculi Range (I-6350m, II-6900m, III-6300m, IV-6300m and V-6400m)

Rajrambha (6500m)

Chotta Kailash (6200m)

Mrigthuni (6850m)

Herdeval (7150m)

Trishuli (7050m)

Finally we descend out of the mountains, into Ramnagar, gateway to one of India premium National Parks The Corbett National Park, named after Jim Corbett, hunter turned photographer.

The park is a huge forested area and is well set up to cater for tourist wanting to do some tiget hunting.

The park is home to a impressive list of birds and mamals. But needs time and patience to track them down in this huge tract of land.

Here are just some of the aniamla to be found within the park.

Crested Serpent Eagles, Blossom Headed Parakeet and the Red Jungle Fowl — ancestor of all domestic fowl, Wild Boar, Tigers, Sloth and Himalayan Black bears, Elephants, Indian Grey Mongoose, Otters, yellow-Throated Martens, Ghoral (goat-antelopes), Indian Pangolins, Langur and Rhesus monkeys. Owls and Nightjars

So don't pass this beautiful state by, these are just a sample of the treasure trove that is Uttarakhand. Much more awaits the visitor.

Places of Interest

Wildlife Parks

Rajaji National Park

Corbett National Park

Special Interest

Kedarnath

Gangotri

These guides are a quick look at what states have to offer, they are not in depth and are simply a tool to let you explore the regions of India from your own PC,.

Google maps will help you orientate yourself around the various sights and destinations, plus there are wiki links to places of interest, train information, both in State and Intersate, photo links and Youtube videos to help you get aquanted with your chosen destinations.

Click on the place marks to see the photos and also links to the destinatios information

Enjoy them, we enjoyed putting them together. Of course there a short written introduction too!! You'll find links to important rail routes on the side bar! The links provide info in both directions

The India

Travel Site

Char Dham

Char Dham is referrel to the four Hindu religious sites in Uttarakhand state of India. These are Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. Nestled in the lap of majestic Himalayas, these four sites are the epicentre of religious activity in north India

Corbett National Park

The town of Ramnagar, Nainital district in Uttarakhand, forms the headquarters of the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The 2003 census indicates that there are close to 150 tigers at the reserve

Nanda Devi

Nanda Devi is the second highest mountain in India and the highest entirely within the country. It is part of the Garhwal Himalaya, and is located in the state of Uttarakhand

The Valley of Flowers

The Valley of Flowers is full of wild flowers in bloom. From rhododendrons to primulas to orchids, the place is a riot of colours during the monsoon. Several of the flower species found here are internationally endangered and the valley also has many endangered medicinal plants

Forest Research Institute

Forest Research Institute is located in the city of Dehradun in Uttarakhand. FRI is spread over 2,000 acres. It has seven museums and has every species of plant and animals from Tibet to Singapore....

Music and Videos

Some videos and music from India.

Haridwar - Delhi

Haridwar - Dehradun

Haridwar - Agra

Haridwar - Jaipur

Haridwar - Amritsar

Hardiwar - Pathankot

Haridwar - Kolkata

Haridwar - Chennai

Haridwar - Lucknow

Haridwar - Gorakhpur

Haridwar - Jammu

Haridwar - Mumbai

Haridwar - Kathkodam

Kathkodam - Delhi

Kathkodam - Dehradun

Kathkodam - Jammu

Kathkodam - Lucknow

Kathkodam - Gorakhpur

Kathkodam - Kolkata

Ramnagar - Delhi

Ramnagar - Lucknow

Ramanagar - Varanasi

Ramnagar - Gorahkpur

Important Trains!!

click on the links for train info in both directions of travel

Tourist Attractions

Rishikesh

Nainital