{"id":6451,"date":"2015-05-19T08:19:33","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T08:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.4.240.141:81\/sterlingblog_new\/?p=6451"},"modified":"2025-04-08T06:59:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T06:59:01","slug":"sparkling-lakes-nainital-part-iv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/sparkling-lakes-nainital-part-iv\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part IV"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this part, traveler\u00a0Shireen Bharucha unearths the mysteries and beauty of sites around Nainital that are a must-visit to experience its splendor in totality.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The second day is spent in exploring several sites on the outskirts of Nainital<\/strong> with guide Rakesh, who shows our Delhi based chauffeur the way to different locatons.<\/p>\n

The first one is the Golu Devta Temple at tranquil Ghorakhal, 14 kms from Nainital.\u00a0 \u2018Ghorakhal\u2019 literally means a water pond for horses.\u00a0 The local people consider Golu, Devta the presiding deity of the temple, to be \u2018the god of justice\u2019 and an incarnation of Lord Shiva.\u00a0 For me a visit to this temple is astounding, for though these temples are not uncommon in the region, I have never seen a temple of thousands of bells of all sizes, hanging from every inch of space and even from the branches of trees!<\/p>\n

\"Golu<\/p>\n

The Uttarkhand Tea Development Board runs the Ghorakhal Tea Factory at Shyamkhet.\u00a0 We go to the tea garden, famous for its organic tea of export quality, which is produced from the choicest varieties of tea plants obtained from Darjeeling.\u00a0 The garden is a peaceful place to spend some time in, the only sound shattering the calm, being that of the many-hued Great Barbet\u2019s repetitive call from its perch on a tree nearby.\u00a0 A small sales outlet on the premises sells graded and packed teas.\u00a0 We buy a 250g box of Himalayan Long Leaf Tea for Rs.300\/-.<\/p>\n

Our drive takes us through forests of pine and silver oak (the cutting of which is a criminal offence, as the oak protects water and soil resources and reduces the runoff and pollutants) scattered with silk cotton trees, their blushing blooms enhancing the beautiful landscape, as we proceed to Nakuchiatal, the \u2018nine-cornered lake\u2019, 24 kms from Nainital.\u00a0 As we approach the lake, forests give way to green fields and classy bungalows.\u00a0 The lake with its sparkling water is in the midst of densely forested hills and terraced fields of potatoes, tomatoes and peas.\u00a0 An underwater spring is the perennial source of water for the lake.\u00a0 It is Nainital\u2019s deepest lake.\u00a0 Far from the madding crowd, there are no other tourists besides us.\u00a0 A tree lined path runs along the lake, making for a pleasant walk.\u00a0 A pair of Great Cormorants and a lone Bhramani Duck swims blissfully, while another Cormorant watches from its roost on a tree trunk submerged in water.\u00a0 The crystalline water mirrors the trees with foliage in hues of pink, golden, orange and many shades of green, adding magical myriad hues to it.\u00a0 Little villages nestling on the higher slopes of the hills and the luxurious bungalows that dot the banks of the lake give the surroundings a mystical aura.\u00a0 The locals believe that whoever sees all the nine corners of the lake at one glance attains Nirvana, a state of complete happiness.\u00a0 Row boats and paddling boats are on hire.\u00a0 We hire a row boat for Rs.250\/- for half an hour and soak in the undiluted grandeur of our milieu.\u00a0 A sail to all the nine corners of the lake costs Rs.700\/-.\u00a0 Rakesh informs us that this location is popular for paragliding.<\/p>\n

\"Naukuchiatal<\/p>\n

On the way back, as we proceed towards Bhimtal, 4 km from Naukuchiatal, we stop at the Hanuman Temple and marvel at the towering 52 feet high colourful statue of Lord Hanuman.\u00a0 NeemKarauli Baba, a Hindu guru and a devotee of Lord Hanuman is said to<\/p>\n

have laid the foundation stone for this temple, while the temple was constructed by Moni Ma, his disciple.<\/p>\n

\"52'<\/p>\n

In the next part, Shireen Bharucha travels further to discover a perennial and the biggest lake around Nainital, a few heritage sites and Jim Corbett\u2019s residence. To read it, click here<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Quick Links<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part I<\/p>\n

Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part II<\/a><\/p>\n

Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part III<\/a><\/p>\n

Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part IV<\/a><\/p>\n

Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part V<\/a><\/p>\n

The views expressed by the author are in her personal capacity.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this part, traveler\u00a0Shireen Bharucha unearths the mysteries and beauty of sites around Nainital that are a must-visit to experience its splendor in totality. The second day is spent in exploring several sites on the outskirts of Nainital with guide Rakesh, who shows our Delhi based chauffeur the way to different locatons. The first one…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":6526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[5796,5797,5798,5799,5800,5801,5802,107],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6451"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6451"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17841,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6451\/revisions\/17841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}