About Uttaranchal Tourism

The state of Uttarakhand lies in north India with the international borders of Tibet and Nepal to its north. It has Himachal Pradesh to its west and Uttar Pradesh to its south. The state was carved out of the hilly parts of Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000. It was called Uttaranchal till 2006 and the new name of Uttarakhand was adopted in 2007. Historically this area had two hill kingdoms of Garhwal and Kumaon, and even today people see themselves as Garhwali and Kumaoni. The northern areas of Uttarakhand are part of the Great Himalayas range, with average heights up to 3000-5000 metres. The famous peaks are Nanda Devi (7816m), Trishul (7120m) and Panchchuli (6910m). Southern Uttarakhand has plains that are part of the Terai foothills, where temperatures are higher and towns more accessible. The state is not industrially developed and tourism is the mainstay of the economy. For the last 7 years, Dehradun, the largest town, has

More about tourism in Uttaranchal »

Khirsu -

Back to Rudraprayag and Srinagar and then we took a diversion to Khirsu. By then, sun was over the hills, the lights faded on the distant mountains, the last rays of the day faded on the mountain tops, then died on the highway as the darkness fell. We reached Khirsu around six in the evening.

choukhamba

Khirsu was a quiet one-horsetown with a few chai shops, a school, a tourist lodge run by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) - where we parked. There were also a few odd rest houses. We woke up in Khirsu to the chirping of birds. The line of peaks from Bhagirathi series to the Nanda Devi spanned the horizon. This was middle of December, the view was clear, and there was a nip in the air. The valley was verdant, and it was a pleasure to walk through the forest adjoining the tourist lodge. The lodge had a little garden to the front with rose and marigold trees. We gazed at the peaks, hit the trails for birds and had a quiet day out. The first day we went to visit the outskirts of Pauri, the headquarter town of Pauri district in Uttaranchal. We took the hill road from Khirsu to Buwakhal, and visited two forest temples - the Kandoliya devta and the Kyunkaleswar Mahadev temples. The way to the Kandoliya Devta was a short walk through a park in a forest. The park had numerous small trails laid out to explore the area. It was a haven for birds and we had great views of the distant peaks and the Pauri town below. We drove through the road ahead and went to a spot about two kilometers up. From here we had a great view of the large Choukhamba massif rising to the horizon. We had a vista of the ranges from Bhagirathi series (Bhagirathi I, II, and III) on the west to the Nanda Devi peak to the far east. The rolling hills were in the foreground, the Pauri town beneath and from the ground beneath our feet started the rolling meadow of the Dwaridhar hills and forests. On our way back, we took a diversion and went upwards to visit the Shiva temple of Kankyuleswar Mahadev - the temple was perched atop a hill. We took a driveway and then went up a short walking path to go to the main temple. It was an old temple, with wall carvings and a small icon of Shivalingam inside. From the compound of the temple, we could see the peaks beyond, the Pauri valley and the city, the river, and the meadow. The dying rays of the Sun from the hills behind us colored the plains with a yellow hue, the peaks on the horizon were crimson red on their top - it was a riot of colors.

choukhamba view again

Khirsu offered a splendid view of the distant peaks, but at places the view was obstructed by smaller hills on the foreground. We learned if we could climb up one of the ridges there known as Ra-khal (khal meaning ridge), we could have an unhindered view of the entire range with the Choukhamba massif in the center, and the peaks spread all around. More, we could walk through an apple orchard. This was not a season for apples; in season, people could actually go with fruit baskets to collect them. To go to the ridge would be through a short trek on the hills. The trek route was rough and steep, with a climb of around 2000 feet on a hill that was mostly covered with shrubs and loose rocks. It was a tough trek, the ground beneath our feet was slippery grassland with not much support to climb on. At the top, the view of the peaks took our breath away. The orchards, the plains, the meadow were beneath us, and at the distance we could see the sleepy Khirsu neighborhood basking in the midday sun.

garden in Rakhal

We had enough. It was time to return to the buzz of life. Took the taxi down to Haridwar, and the train back to Kolkata. The hills receded in the distance, but remained with us. We'll be back again, somewhere, someplace else.

More thumbnails ...

khirsu from Rakhal

Khirsu, through the trees

Rakhal top

The Land of Pauri Garhwal is blessed with splendid view of snow-bound peaks of Himalayas, scenic valleys & surround ings, meandering rivers, dense forests and hospitable people with a rich culture. Diverse in topography, the district of Pauri Garhwal varies from the foothills of the ‘Bhabar’ areas of Kotdwara to the soul-lifting meadows of Dhudatoli, sprawling at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Which remains snow-bound during the winter months. Filled with places of tourist interest, most locations in Pauri Garhwal offer a breathtaking view of the snow laden Himalayan Splendour..

District Pauri Garhwal which is surrounded by the districts of Chamoli, Nanital, Bijnor, Haridwar, Dehradun, Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal,offers a panoramic view of the great Himalayas form it's towns and villages. The majestic Himalaya and it's mountain range can be seen from anywhere in the district.
The Pauri City which is situated at an altitude of 1814 Mts. above the sea-level on the northern slopes of Kandoliya hills is the headquarters of the District Pauri Garhwal and the Garhwal Division. Headquarters of all Govt. departments are located in the city Pauri .
Pauri also provides a panoramic view of the snow covered Himalayan peaks of Nandadevi & Trisul,Gangotri Group,Thalaiya- sagar,Neelkanth, Bandar Poonch, Swarga-Rohini, Kedarnath, kharcha Kund, Satopanth, Chaukhamba, Ghoriparvat, Hathiparvat and Sumeru etc.

Pauri Garhwal

Diverse in topography, the district of Pauri garhwal varies from the foothills of the Tarai areas of Kotdwar to the soul-lifting meadows of Doodhatoli, sprawling at an altitude of 3.000 mts., wihich remain snowbound during the winter months. Pauri Garhwal is ringed by the districts of Chamoli, Almora, Nainital, Bijnor, Haridwar, Dehradun Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal. Filled with places of tourist interest, most locations in Pauri offer a breathtaking view of the snow-laden Himalayan splendour.

Situataed at an elevation of 1814 mts. above sea-level on the northern slopes of Kandoliya hills, Pauri is the headquarter of the district Pauri Garhwal and the Garhwal Division.

Pauri provides a panoramic view of the snow clad Himalayan peaks of Bandar Poonch, Swarga-Rohini, Jonli, Gangotri Group, Jogin Group, Thalaiya-Sagar, Kedarnath, Kharcha Kund, Sumeru, Satopanth, Chaukhamba, Neelkanth, Ghoriparvat, Hathiparvat, Nandadevi & Trisul.

Tourism

The Land of Pauri Garhwal is blessed with splendid view of snow-bound peaks of Himalayas, scenic valleys & surround ings, meandering rivers, dense forests and hospitable people with a rich culture. Diverse in topography, the district of Pauri Garhwal varies from the foothills of the ‘Bhabar’ areas of Kotdwara to the soul-lifting meadows of Dhudatoli, sprawling at an altitude of 3,000 meters. Which remains snow-bound during the winter months. Filled with places of tourist interest, most locations in Pauri Garhwal offer a breathtaking view of the snow laden Himalayan Splendour..

District Pauri Garhwal which is surrounded by the districts of Chamoli, Nanital, Bijnor, Haridwar, Dehradun, Rudraprayag and Tehri Garhwal,offers a panoramic view of the great Himalayas form it's towns and villages. The majestic Himalaya and it's mountain range can be seen from anywhere in the district.
The Pauri City which is situated at an altitude of 1814 Mts. above the sea-level on the northern slopes of Kandoliya hills is the headquarters of the District Pauri Garhwal and the Garhwal Division. Headquarters of all Govt. departments are located in the city Pauri .
Pauri also provides a panoramic view of the snow covered Himalayan peaks of Nandadevi & Trisul,Gangotri Group,Thalaiya- sagar,Neelkanth, Bandar Poonch, Swarga-Rohini, Kedarnath, kharcha Kund, Satopanth, Chaukhamba, Ghoriparvat, Hathiparvat and Sumeru etc.