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Mussoorie

Mussoorie, the queen of the hills, is one of the most popular and fascinating hill resort of northern . Its green hills and varied fauna and flora make it a colourful and picturesque , commanding a wonderful view of extensive Himalayan snow ranges to the North-East, and Panoramic view of the to the south.

The place came to be known as Mussoorie due to unlimited growth of a bush locally known as Mussoorie. The town presents fairyland atmosphere to the tourists. Its history dates back to 1811 when the place was purchased by an European Major Hear sey from the local land lord. Later he sold it to the in the year 1812. In 1812, the next-door township of was made a sanatorium and convalescent depot for troops. In 1827 Captain Young, an adventurous British Army officer, explored the present site and laid the foundation of this holiday resort with the opening of shooting box on Landour hills. In 1832 Col. Averest then Surveyer General of India opened his office in Mussoorie. In 1880, it became the residence of Afghan detenue Yakub Khan, the Ex-Amir of Afghanistan for summer with winter residence in . However, later it remained the summer residence of their Royal Highness, the Duke and Duches of Conn aught. Development of Mussoorie started after rail link was established between and Dehradun in 1890.

Nainital

Nainital - The beautiful lake resort nestles amidst seven hills in a lush valley at an altitude of 1938 meters. In 1841, the British first discovered Nainital as a holiday resort. Today, the town has emerged as one of the most important hill resorts of India

Nainital is a modem hill resort of northern India (336 kms from ) connected by best-aligned and maintained roads from the railhead of Kathgodam. Railway line was laid up to Kathgodam in 1882. The road passes through forests where occasionally wild animals can also be seen. "Naini" is derived from the temple of goddess Naini which was built on the bank of the lake but later got destroyed due to land slides in the year 1880, The place is mentioned in Skand Puran as 'Trishul Sarover'. Tri Rishi (three sages Atri, Pulastiya and Pulha) had come there for pilgrimage while they were at Gagar range (now called China Peak), they felt thirsty and could not find any water. Thereafter, they thought of Man Sarover and dug a hole which at once got filled with water.

The lake then formed was called Tri-Rishi Tal (The lake of three sages). Today it has an impressive lake surrounded by the hills from three sides with highest peak Cheena (2610 m) and the valley in between running from east to west. The lake is a little more than 3 kms in circumference. Nainital remains packed from April to November with tourist for sight seeing as well as for seeking escape from the heat of the plains. Naini lake has facilities for boating and yatching. Facilities for horse riding, skating, golf and rock climbing are also available for the visitors. Fishing is also permitted with the permission of local authorities. Talli Tal and Malli Tal are the two main trading centre at Nainital

How to Reach

Air: Nearest airport is at Pantnagar (71 kms), connected by air service with .

Rail: The nearest railway station is Kathgodam (35 kms).

Road: Nainital is well connected with all major cities in northern India.

Musamman Burj - A large, octagonal tower with a balcony facing the Taj Mahal.

Haridwar

Haridwar (also known as Haridwar) is a holy city in the state of in northern India. Known as the Gateway to the Gods, Haridwar is considered one of the seven holiest places according to Hindus, as the devas are said to have left their footprints there. Here pilgrims float diyas on the Ganges, to commemorate their deceased ancestors. The city also stands as a gateway to three other important pilgrimage destinations: , , and . In Haridwar you will see a great statue of Shiva at the fork of the river. If you are there for a short visit, it is definitely worth to visit the temple on top of the mountain, with a wonderful view.

Haridwar has very rich ancient religious and cultural heritage. In the ancient scriptures of India, this place is well known by the name of Mayapur. This city is also well known for many other things apart from the holy river Ganges. Haridwar has privilege of having IIT at . The tomb Piran Kaliar of Shabir Shahib in Roorkee is a living example of religious harmony in India which is visited by the people of all religious sects from all over the world. There is another University in the city called Gurukul Kangri Vishva Vidyalaya apart from the head quarter of Uttarakhand State Public Service Commission also being established at Haridwar. Besides this, Kumbh fair is organized at the interval of every 12 years in this city in which about 1 crore pilgrims from all over the world participate

Rishikesh

Rishikesh is yet another centre of pilgrimage and tourist attraction for Indians as well as foreigners. Rishikesh is popularly known as the Yoga Capital of the World. Rishikesh is 28 kms from Haridwar on way to Badrinath and is situated at the foothills on either side of holy river Ganga and is surrounded by Shivalik ranges from three sides. Rishikesh complex consists of three distinct areas, known as Rishikesh, Muni-ki-Reti and Swargashram. The town is well known for modem and ancient Ashrams. In addition, it has temples and other places which are in one way or other connected with Puranic legends. It is said that when Raibhya Rishi did rigorous penances, the God appeared and the place was named 'Hrishikesh' and subsequently the place came to be known as Rishikesh. Bharat, brother of Lord Rama, also subjected himself to severe penances here and in his memory Bharat Temple was constructed. Temples are also dedicated to Lord Ram, Lakshman and Shatrughan. The other temples are Pushkar temple, Bharat temple, Rishikund and Raghunath temple. There are many spiritual Yoga and meditation centre located here which are regularly visited by large number of tourists from all over the world.

Jim Corbett

Located in the foothills of the in to closest proximity of Ramnagar (Nainital) is the majestic Jim Corbett National Park. Home to a variety of flora and fauna, the park is famous for its wild population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants. Corbett national park was established in 1936, as the Hailey National Park (named in the honor of Sir Malcolm Hailey, then governor of the United Provinces). After independence, the name was changed to Ramganga National Park in 1952 but was finally changed to Jim Corbett National Park in 1957, named after the legendary hunter, naturalist-turned-author and photographer who had helped in setting up the park and demarcating its boundaries. India's first national park and the first sanctuary to come under Project Tiger, Corbett supports a variety of vegetation making it the ideal habitat for the Tiger and its prey. With the help of the World Wildlife Fund, Project Tiger was launched in Corbett National Park in 1973 and this park was one of the first such tiger reserves in the country.

Corbett is a haven for Tigers as well as its prey, which include four kinds of Deer, Wild Boar and some lesser-known animals. Leopards are mostly found in the hilly areas of the park. Some nocturnal cats found here are the Leopard Cat, Jungle Cat and Fishing Cat. Sloth Bear is found in the lower regions of the park while the Himalayan Black Bear is seen in the higher hills only. The Dole or Wild Dog, though they can be seen in the southern areas of the park along with the Jackal.

Ranikhet is a picturesque location surrounded by hills in northern India. It is a town situated in the district of the Indian state Uttarakhand. History has it that the name means queen’s meadow in English, originated from a local legend who fell in love with an ancient local queen named Queen Padmini. Although there is no palace, the fact that the queen chose to live here resounds in the history of the place. Before you visit, you will be better of to know about Ranikhet.

It was the place of interest for British who frequented this place to escape from the sweltering heat of the Indian subcontinent during their rule. More is known regarding Ranikhet, it is 1869 meter above the sea level and the entire cantonment town is divided into two ridges, namely Ranikhet ridge and Chaubattia ridge. The ridge is 5983 ft above the sea level and the Chaubattia ridge is about 6942 ft above the sea level. There are many local myths that make up the history of the hill town.