Almora
The hill station of Almora is situated on a horseshoe-shaped ridge of a mountain, the eastern portion of which is called Talifat and the western one is known as Selifat. The landscape of Almora attracts thousands of tourists each year and it is a business hub for the Kumaon region. Developed by the kings of Chand dynasty, it was later maintained and further developed by the British regime.
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.
The ancient town of Almora, before its establishment, was under the possession of Katyuri king Baichaldeo. He donated the 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 1568 by Kalyan Chand. In the days of the Chand Kings it was called Rajapur. The name 'Rajpur' is also mentioned on a number of ancient copper plates. In the 1960s Bageshwar district, Pithoragarh district and Champawat district had not yet been formed and were part of Almora district.
The market is 1.25 miles (2.01 km) 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.
Places to visit
Kasar Devi Temple
Kasar Devi is a village near Almora, Uttarakhand. It is known for the Kasar Devi temple, a Devi temple, dedicated to Kasar Devi, after whom the place is also named. The temple structure dates to the 2nd century CE. Swami Vivekananda visited Kasar Devi in 1890s, and numerous western seeker, Sunyata Baba Alfred Sorensen and Lama Anagarika Govinda. Also known as Hippie Hill or Crank's Ridge, Kasar Devi Temple complex has always been a melting pot of art, spiritualism and poetry. Singer Bob Dylan and actor Uma Thurman, have made this popular and today Kasar Devi continues to attract folks looking for answers to life's challenging questions. Kasar Devi first became known when in the 1890s, Swami Vivekananda visited and meditated here and has mentioned his experience in his diaries. Walter Evans-Wentz, a pioneer in the study of Tibetan Buddhism, who later translated The Tibetan Book of the Dead, stayed here for some time.
Chitai Temple
10 km from the main city of Almora, the Chitai temple is dedicated
to Golu Devata - The God of Justice - very popular in Kumaon region.
An incarnation of Lord Shiva, he's reputed for the fulfillment of
one's wish if prayed with clear conscience.
Nanda Devi Temple
A historic temple is placed in the center of the town of Goddess
Nanda Devi. An interesting feature of Nanda Devi Temple is image
carving on the temple walls. Nanda Devi festival is held in the
month of September every year.
Budden Memorial Church
Built in 1897, the church was constructed in memory of John Henry
Budden, a British missionary associated with the London Missionary
Society, who served in the Kumaon region from 1862 until his death
in 1890. The foundation stone of the church was laid on 2 March
1897. The church is built in the Romanesque architectural style,
featuring a notable large 18th-century clock.
Malla Mahal
The Malla Mahal in Almora is made of stone and wood. It talks about centuries-old history. Established by King Rudra Chand, the fortress was subsequently the seat of power of the Gurkhas and the British. Malla is witness to the princely state of the past where various sultanates have decorated their court with many memories. This palace, made of local materials in the Nagar style, is currently operated by the Collectorate.
G B Pant Government Museum
Th museum is a salutation to Pandit Govind Ballabh Pants contribution as a freedom fighter and towards the development of Uttarakhand after getting freedom. This museum has a good set of very old antique objects connected to Katyuri and Chand emperors which ruled Uttarakhand for fairly a long time. There is a good collected works of Kumauni very old style painting called Aspen in the museum. These painting are very good foundation of information for research on the culture and history of Uttarakhand as anybody can have very close look at them.
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary
Binsar was the summer capital of the Chand Kings, who ruled over Kumaon from the 11th to the 18th centuries AD. The British also used it as a summer capital, and built several estates inside the forest. In 1988, Binsar was established as a sanctuary for the conservation and protection of the shrinking broad leaf oak (Quercus) forests of the Central Himalayan region. It has over 200 species of birds. Binsar has a wide variety of wildlife - leopards, mountain goats, barking deer, wild boars, porcupines, yellow-throated martens, himalayan palm civets, hares, serows, and the ubiquitous langurs and macaques. It offers stunning views of the chain of Himalayan peaks from Yamunotri in Garhwal to Mt. Nampa in Nepal. Dominating this higher Himalayan range are the sacred peaks of Nanda Devi, Trishul and Nanda Kot.
