Ranikhet

A closer look at Ranikhet

Ranikhet is what Kumaon looks like when nobody is trying to sell you anything. It is an army town — headquarters of the Kumaon Regiment since 1869 — which means the land is cantonment-controlled, the construction is limited, and the result is a hill station of pine and oak forest, long empty roads and clean air at 1,870 metres, with the Himalaya visible over the trees on clear days. The name means "queen's meadow", after a local legend about a Katyuri queen who chose this spot; the queen, on the available evidence, had excellent judgement.

The centrepiece for most visitors is Jhula Devi Temple, about seven kilometres out on the Chaubatia road, where the goddess is said to have protected villagers from wild animals. Devotees whose wishes are granted return to tie a bell, and after a couple of centuries of this the entire temple compound is layered in thousands of brass bells of every size, which move and ring together whenever the wind comes through the pines. It is a genuinely striking thing to stand in.

Close by, the Chaubatia Gardens spread over 600 acres of apple, peach, plum and apricot orchards run as a government fruit research station, with a viewpoint looking out at Nanda Devi and Trishul and a shop selling jams and juices pressed on site. Upat has a nine-hole golf course at 1,800 metres that is regularly described as one of the most scenic in Asia, and the drive to Majkhali, about twelve kilometres towards Almora, gives the widest mountain views in the district. Bhalu Dam, a small artificial lake in the forest, is where to go for an hour of complete quiet.

Ranikhet is eight to nine hours from Haridwar and pairs naturally with Nainital and Kausani on a Kumaon loop, though it also works well as a two-night stop for anyone who wants forest walks rather than sightseeing. The season is broad — March to June for warmth, September to November for clarity, and December to February for cold, occasionally snowy days with the fewest people. There is very little nightlife and almost nothing to shop for, and that is entirely the point.