LAKE DISTRICT
INTRODUCTION
Why not today again visit India and have a visit of Lake Town named Nainital. This town has dual kind of importance. First one is its scenic beauty and the second one is its varied natural resources. If we would say that the Himalaya is a necklace and Nainital is the glittering jewel in that necklace then it would be absolutely right. This town is located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and is the headquarter of the Nainital district in the Kumaon foothills. The town is located around the Naini Lake and it was named after the name of the Goddess Naini Devi. The beauty of the town is that it is surrounded by the high mountains with waterfalls and lakes at the foothills. There are three famous lakes in the area with the names Naina, Deopatha and Ayarpatha. Among all these three Naina is the highest which is pear-shaped. If you visit the area from the top of high mountains you get the awesome views of the vast plain, tangled ridges and a snowy rang
History
It was the time of Gurkha War (1814-1816) when the Kumaon Hills came under British rule. This war was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and British East India Company. in 1841 an English sugar trader P. Barron constructed the first European house with which the town of Nainital was founded. He was of the view that this is the best which he had witnessed in the 2400 km long trek of Himalayas. The town took very short time to become the famous health resort for the British soldiers and their families. The reason was the unique location of the town and dense forests which escape the area from sun rays. The time came when the town became the summer residence of the Governor of United Provinces. The town faced many drastic environmental conditions as well. In 1880 a landslide buried 151. before this there were landslides in 1866 and 1879 but this was the disastrous. The cause of the landslide was heavy rain amounting from 510 mm to 890 mm. this landslide caused great damage to the buildings like Victoria hotel, Bell’s shop and the Temple of Naini Devi.
ATTRACTIONS
As earlier said this district have many attractions. This town has numerous attractions for the tourists. There are lakes, waterfalls, peaks etc. Here are some of the important places where tourists must go and have a visit.
a) NAINA LAKE
If we say that the nucleus of the beauty of the town is the Nainital Lake then it would not be wrong at all. When the day is clear its water looks like a mirror and seven hills, cottages and villas are shadowed in the water of the lake. It is really a wonderful sight. It is not the end. The beauty of the lake increases thousand times when night comes and myriads of bulbs from the hill and on the edge of the lake stab their light in the water. The tourists can enjoy yachting, boating and paddling boats. One end of the lake is called Mallital and the other is called Tallital.
b) MALL ROAD
On one side of the lake there is Mall road which is the major tourist attraction. This rod joins the both ends of the lake. In the summer months it becomes the busiest road and vehicles are not allowed to move on the road in order to facilitate the visitors. The other side of the lake is called Thandi road which is less busy as compared to Mall road.
c) FLATTS
This place is for the gathering of the people and is situated at the northern side of the lake. People from all walks of life are gathered here. The famous Naini Devi Temple is also situated in the flats. This is the place where the landslip of 1880 was occurred. Afterwards this area was flattened and reserved for recreational activities. Main attractions of the flats are temple of Naini Devi and beautiful fountain. After the mall road this place is heavily crowded.
d) ROPEWAY
This is one of the major tourist attractions in Nainital. This ropeway starts from Mallital to the snow view point. At the snow view point you get the wider view of the Himalayas and town below.
This is really a must see place for tourists. There are plenty of things to make the journey and visit memorable