The large placid Naini Lake is cocooned within a 360 degree swoop of steep
hills around it. The Palace Belvedere, once the summer retreat of the Rajas of
Awagarh looks down on this spectacular view. Built in 1987 by Raja Balwant Singh
OBE, CIE of Awagarh in 1897, a century of family history still echoes in the
walls of the palace, and in the many relics and mementoes of that era in this
heritage hotel that is run with all the graciousness of past royalty.
The pristine beauty of Nainital, the largest hill settlement in the Kumaon
region of the Himalayas, enthralled the early visitors, leading to its swift
adoption as a favoured hill station by the British. Its popularity never waned
and it continues to captivate large numbers of tourists to date.
HistoryAs per legend, Shiva's consort Sati consigned herself to the sacrificial fire
when her father Daksha slighted her lord. A grief-stricken Shiva danced the
tandav with her lifeless body till Vishnu cut her body into pieces and scattered
them far and wide. The places where they landed became the revered shaktipeethas.
Sati's eyes, or 'naina', they say, landed at Nainital thus giving the place its
name and the local reigning deity, Naina Devi. In ancient times the lake was
also know as the Tri-rishi Sarovar or the lake of the three saints, namely Atri,
Pulastya and Pulaha.It would appear that Nainital first came to the notice of
the British in the latter part of the 19th century under the auspices of
sugar merchant P. Barron.
Enchanted by the pristine lake and the surrounding forests on the overhanging
hills, he built a house named Pilgrim's Cottage and brought a sailboat with him.
Other colonial villas and promenades sprang up rapidly, and the United Provinces
set up their summer capital administrative offices here. The older parts of
Nainital still retain colonial vestiges, including sprawling bungalows, public
schools, church and the British cemetery.
At 1,938 metres, Nainital enjoys extremely pleasant temperatures in summer
though winters are very cold. It initial popularity continued to grow and
tourists throng to this hill town though it obviously no longer has the quality
of untouched, unspoilt beauty and seclusion that attracted the first settlers.
Nainital, the largest hill settlement in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas,
is 40 km from the railhead of Kathgodam in the plans and its spectacular
location and activity hubs draw a large number of visitors. There are many other
attractive spots of beauty and interest in the vicinity, which makes Nainital a
good base or a good beginning point depending on how far and wide you wish to
travel in the Kumaon.
Indian, Chinese and Continental cuisine are served
