Almora - General Information

Almora

INTRODUCTION ( ALMORA)

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.

[b]Away from the bright lights of cities, in a peaceful atmosphere lies Almora which brings alive all that is beautiful in nature. Almora is situated at the top a peak that is half circular.

Almora is a town in the shape of a horse shoe. It is on a 5 km long mountain range. It has its own historical, cultural and political importance.

Each and every inch of Almora is filled with scenic beauty and the town has maintained its ancient tradition which is different from other hill stations. This is clearly evident in the construction of the houses and in the roads made out of slate stone.

Almora is also called a town of temples. Situated in the centre of the town is the temple of Goddess Nanda Devi. Unlike Shimla, Ranikhet and Nainital which were developed by the English, Almora is a hill station totally developed by the Indians.

Almora has many fruit orchards like apples, peaches, apricots, plums, etc.

TOWNSHIP OF ALMORA

The ancient town of Almora, before it's establishment was under the possession of Katyuri king Baichaldeo. He donated major part of this land to a Gujrati Brahmin Sri Chand Tiwari. Later on when Chand kingdom was founded in Baramandal, the town of Almora was founded at this centrally located place in 1560 by Kalyan Chand. The mountain on which the Almora is located is described in the famous Hindu epic Manaskhand as follows :-

Kaushiki Shalmali Madhyey Punyah Kashaya Parwatah'
'Tasy Paschim Bhagam Kshetra Vishnyo Pratishthtam'

In the days of the Chand Kings it was called Rajapur. The name 'Rajpur' is also mentioned over a number of ancient copper plates. The town of Almora is situated over a horse saddle shaped ridge of a mountain. The eastern portion of the ridge is known as Talifat and the western one is known as Selifat. The market is at the top of the ridge where these two, Talifat and Selifat jointly terminate.

The main Mohalla (wards) of Almora are as follow :-
Selifat :- Joshikhola, Shelakhola, Dyodhipokhar, Thapalia, Kholta, Champanaula, Gururanikhola, Chaunsar, Galli, Karadiyakhola, Kapina, Paniudiyar, Ranidhara, Chaudharikhola, Pokharkhal, Jhijad and Kasoon.

Talifat :- Chinakhan, Makedi, Dharanaula, Chandani Chowk, Vishtakuda, Tyunara, danya, Bansbida, Upretikhola, Khasiya-khola, Badekhola, Dubkiya, Nayalkhola, Tiruvakhola, Dugalkhola and Tamtyuda etc.

Mostly the wards have been named after the communities that inhabited them.

Market :- Lala Bazar, Karkhana Bazar, Khajanchi Mohalla, Jauhari Mohalla, Malli Bazar and Thana Bazar.

The market is 1.25 miles long and is covered with stone slabs. The place of the present cantonment was formerly known as Lalmandi. Presently where the collectorate exists, the 'Malla Mahal' (Upper Court) of Chanda kings was located. The site of present District Hospital used to be 'Talla Mahal' (Lower Court) of Chand rulers.

Almora 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. A walk through the woods comprising mostly oak and rhododendron forest, leads to a vantage point at the summit, which offers an uncluttered view of the Himalayan ranges and the surrounding valley. Hindi poet Ajneya treated it as a famous summer spot.

In 1929, Mahatma Gandhi spent three fruitful weeks at this charming spot called Kausani (51 kilometers from Almora) and described it as India' s Switzerland. Quaint villages, orchards laden with fruit and hill slopes covered with pine trees are responsible for the outstanding beauty of Kausani. The snow mantled peaks glitter in the sun and the breeze carries with it much of the cool freshness of the snows.

The mountains around Kausani seem to change in shape and color all through the day. The Anakshakti Ashram on the top of a hill where the Mahatma stayed commands one of the most magnificent views of the mountain ranges around Kausani. The vast sweep of the mountain view , which encompasses a remarkable 350 kilometers at Kausani, is the central point of attraction in this little hill station.

There are shady paths carpeted with pine needles and in the air is the wonderful, inimitable fragrance of pine. Terraced fields add a distinctive touch to the pastoral picture around kausani.

Around Almora: Jageshwar : 34 kms from Almora is the ancient Shiva temple complex at Jageshwar. The main Shiva temple here houses one of the 12 jyotirlingas in the country. The temple complex is located in the middle of a dense deodar forest. There are 12 temples in the complex dating back to the 7th century.

Katarmal: There are very few temples dedicated to the Sun God. The most famous sun Temple in the country is of course Konark, in Orissa, The lesser known Sun temple at Katarmal is almost 800 years old but badly neglected. Katarmal is 17 kms from Almora.

Binsar : Binsar is located in the midst of dense forests 30 kms from Almora. It derives its name from Binsar Deo or Shiva. The Shiva temple here was built by the Chandravanshi King Kalyan.