It was a nice day for all of us since morning. We were tired after a long road journey but were equally interested to explore the places
in whatever time we have in our hand. We were also aware of the fact
that we have just two days in our hand. However, the time in between was
just a perfect match wherein the mind & body decided to wander
around.
And why we shouldn’t? For people like us, who born and brought up in
the plain, never want to miss the opportunity to explore the absolute
green, verdant forests so close to Himalayas. It’s not always that we
get such opportunity.
We got up early and the view from the window was just wonderful. We
planned to have our breakfast inside the Hotel and leave for Jageshwar
by 8 in the morning. However, our plan to leave early was delayed by
more than an hour since the breakfast was served only after 8:30.
Meanwhile, I checked the route from a driver who was waiting for his
guests staying at the hotel.
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We left the hotel by 9. The lake looks stunning in the morning and
the place looks so peaceful. We stopped for a few minutes and moved on
towards Tallital side. When you are coming from Mallital side, you need
to take a left turn towards Almora from the roundabout and right to
Kathgodam. I was excited to see a new place, as well as to drive in the
hills. This would be my first long driving experience in the hills where
I would be covering ~ 200 km in a day and I had no idea about the road.
Few of my friends belong to Almora. They used to share their life in
the hills and we wanted to visit their villages. We planned many a
times but it never materialized for me. All of their names flashed in my
mind all of a sudden, as I saw the signboard indicating Almora 65 KM.
Uttarakhand, or the ‘Devbhoomi’, the land of Gods, due to the many
holy Hindu temples and pilgrimage centers found throughout the state, is
mainly known for its natural beauty of the Himalayas. The state has
divided into two divisions i.e. Garhwal & Kumaon. Kumaon belt is
greener than Garhwal, perhaps more soothing to the eye. But, I love the
entire Uttarakhand.
Romancing with the Kumaon Hills
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Fall in love with Kumaon Hills
The Kumaon hills have a timeless beauty and an eloquent grandeur. The
serenity and panoramic beauty of Kumaon hills will spellbind you and,
of course, we were not from the mars. We were completely mesmerized. The
hills of Kumaon are more seductive, with their undulating landscape
well covered with trees reaching towards heaven.
The road is excellent and the view is terrific. This hill belt is a
photographer’s delight. We forgot about our destination completely. At
every turn and at every corner, there is something waiting for you to
discover. I would like to know whether this happened to us only or it
happens to everyone who is frequently traveling to hills.
We passed through small hamlets on our way, though didn’t remember
their names right now and stopped at several places to capture the view
in our camera. We also saw many shops selling ‘Bal Mithai’. Bal Mithai
is a brown chocolate-like fudge, made with roasted khoya, coated with
white sugar balls. It is a popular sweet, especially around Almora
belt. We decided to buy the sweet while returning.
It is a straight road from Nainital till a few KM from Almora. There
are probably two roads to reach Jageshwar from Nainital, one through the
Almora city or bus stand and the second one just a few KM before
reaching Almora, you need to take a right. Jageshwar is ~ 35 Km from
there. For the first time after so many years, I was not feeling
comfortable in driver’s seat. I wanted to enjoy the surroundings and
didn’t want to concentrate on the wheel; otherwise, I would have
provided correct information about the route. It was 12:30 p.m. and we
decided to have a darshan at the temple and then have lunch over there.
We were on the same route which pilgrims used to pass en route to
Kailash and Mansarovar once upon a time. As we were approaching towards
Jageshwar, we wanted to travel in our dream to many many years back when
Lord Shiva came to meditate here. When all the women of the village
came to know of this, they immediately left their household chores to
have his darshan. However, men of the village were infuriated and came
to see who this sadhu who has captivated their women is. Seeing the
commotion, Shiva took the form of a child, which is why he is still
worshiped in his child form here.
Finally, around 1:15 p.m., we left the highway (towards Pithoragarh,
88 km from there) and took a left turn towards the temple complex, which
is 3 Km from there. We were welcomed by the tall deodar and pine
forests. We felt refreshed almost immediately with lovely smell and
coupled with the crisp mountain air. It left a long lasting impression
in our mind. We really want to believe that some of the trees must have
also been there when the Lord of the Lords came here to meditate and
makes the place divinely scenic.
We parked our car, in the parking complex and went to the temple.
There are around 125 temples of various shapes and sizes ranging between
7th century A.D. t0 18th Century A.D. These temples are dedicated to
Lord Shiv and Goddess Named Yogeshwar (Jageshwar), Mritunjaya, Navdurga,
Surya, Navgraha, Kedareshwar, Baleshwar and others as well.
As you enter the complex, first you will see Mritunjaya Temple on
your right and the main Jageshwar Temple on your left, which is
considered as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiv. After performing
Puja at Mritunjaya & Jageshwar Temple, we had a darshan of
Kedareshwar and few other temples.
Jyotirlinga Jageshwar Temple
We came out from the temple after 2 hours and went to lunch. The food
is very simple but tasty. People are very friendly and like all hills,
very very polite. In the morning while driving, I received a mail from
the editor of this wonderful forum, however, couldn’t read it properly.
Though, I was delighted to read the message, I was equally surprised and
nervous. My reply to Archana with a ‘thank you’ note while having our
lunch, showed my nervousness and an assurance and encouragement from
Nandan was a great relief finally. Thank you all.
We were happy about our last night’s decision to come here. It was
not in our plan but most probably, we were destined to be there on
Saturday, the 30th March, 2013, even if for few hours only. There is a
museum and some other temples, which we missed. I heard about Binsar,
which you can trek from there and some other beautiful valley. Had we
not booked our hotel for tonight at Nainital, we would have loved to
spend one night over there and walk in the Deodar and Pine forests or
soft treks in the mountains and through local Kumaoni villages and
ancient temples in the morning. This place will surely be in my dream
for many many years from now and I may come back few more times.
Returning to Nainital was also the same story. However, by the time
we reached Almora, it was almost dark and finally we reached Nainital
around 8:30. The distance from Nainital is exactly 100 Km and it
shouldn’t take 3 Hours, since the road is good. However, if you want to
enjoy the scenic beauty which the Kumaon Hills offer, it may take few
extra hours as well. If you are traveling to Jageshwar, plan to spend
one night over there and I am sure you would love it.
The Photographer – most of the pictures in this post were taken by him
I would love to explore these places in the winter as well when icy
cold winds chill the bones and when you will be captivated forever by
the spectacular views of snow capped Himalayas
