Almora is a wonderful place to conveniently enjoy the
spectacular snowscape of the central Himalayas. Most
of the days in Almora are flawless. Almost
everyday the tourist can see almost every peak. Almora
allows you to enjoy the mighty Himalayas together with
ridge after ridge of hills.The terraced fields, the
stone slatted barrack-like village houses have so far
put up a valiant fight against the encroachments of
urban expansion and unplanned development.
Almora
also has some beautiful health resorts.
The most famous among them is Ranikhet (1,820 meters
from sea level). Ranikhet depicts queen' s field. It is
said that a Rani while spending some time here once gave
this name to the city. During the days of the British
Raj, Ranikhet was a British cantonment.
Ranikhet is surrounded by a number of tourist spots. Chaubatia is
famous for its orchards; Tarikhet, around eight
kilometers away, was once the nerve center of the Freed om Movement against the British. Mahatma Gandhi
also lived here for sometime.The snowy peaks of Majkhali
presents a fascinating view. Upat, about six kilometers
from Ranikhet, has an exquisite golf course. Kausani, 32
miles from Almora, is situated at a height of 1,890
meters. Binsar, about 32 kilometers from Almora is
situated at height of 2,412 meters above sea level. The
Chand Rajas used to spend their summer here. It offers a
wonderful view of the Himalayas.
Bageshwar
and Sitalakhet are other places of tourist interest.
Bageshwar is one of the main camping sites for the
journey to Pindari Glacier, which is situated at a
height of 3,820 meters.Sitlakhet is the new tourist
resort on the Syahi Devi hill.Kafni Glacier is also
close by(around 3,870 meters above sea level).
ALMORA - A Famous GETAWAY
was founded in 1568. There are lots of attractions at
Almora.Swami Vivekananda gave famous lectures here and
included it in his itinerary at the turn of this
century. From Almora To Colombo record that he was
stirred as much by the stark beauty of the mountains
here as by the ocean at Kanyakumari. The headquarters of
the Ramakrishna Mission, was located at Mayawati Ashram
then in Almora. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore spent a
summer to get over the personal grief after the loss of
a beloved child.A little later followed the great dancer
Udaya Shankar. Ravi Shankar, Zohra Sehgal, Simki and the
youngster Guru Dutt have all been here. Others have
followed in their footsteps.Pundit Nehru had served a
term of imprisonment in the Jail at Almora and has left
behind an evocative account of the pleasures of solitude
and the changing moods of nature in his various letters
written from this place which acted as inspirational
guide for the Indians.
AROUND ALMORA
Almora, is surrounded by many sightseeing places. Binsar
hill, locally known as Jhandi Dhar, rises to a height of
2,412 meters and offers a panoramic view of Almora
town,Binsar, is an hour' s motor drive from Almora,the
Kumaon hills and the Greater Himalayas. The region
around in alpine flora, ferns, hanging moss and
innumerable species of wild flowers. The brow is reached
by an unpaved ridge lined by prosperous private estate.
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