{"id":6604,"date":"2015-05-19T08:19:01","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T08:19:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.4.240.141:81\/sterlingblog_new\/?p=6604"},"modified":"2025-04-08T06:58:31","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T06:58:31","slug":"sparkling-lakes-nainital-part-iii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/sparkling-lakes-nainital-part-iii\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part III"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last post in this series was all about Nainital\u2019s interesting history. In this part, traveler\u00a0Shireen Bharucha goes exploring the picturesque Naini Lake and its accompanying Mall Road, and other beautiful points of interest in Nainital.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The nucleus of Nainital<\/strong> is the Mall Road as also its natural fresh water lake, surrounded by seven mountains, the Naini Lake.\u00a0 According to mythology, three sages, Atri, Pulastya and Pulaha came to Nainital on pilgrimage and found their destination devoid of water. They dug a huge hole in the ground and meditated on Tibet\u2019s sacred Manasarovar Lake, which had plentiful water.\u00a0 So great was their power of meditation that the hole filled with gushing water.\u00a0 Known to some as \u2018the lesser Manasarovar\u2019 a dip in this lake is as good as a dip in the actual Manasarovar Lake.\u00a0 It is further believed that Goddess Sati\u2019s eyes (naina) fell in this region as Lord Shiva carried her charred body, parts of which dropped at 64 different places, which are known as Shakti Peeths.\u00a0 Hence the name Nainital (naini \u2013 eye and tal \u2013 lake).<\/p>\n

\"Mall<\/p>\n

The Mall Road constructed by the British is the main road running parallel to the lake, and the principal commercial centre, bustling with shoppers for locally made items, which include textiles, handicrafts, artificial jewellery and especially the famed decorative candles sold at almost every shop.\u00a0 We buy an exquisitely carved wax figurine for Rs.250\/- and a few herbal soaps, in enticing pastel shades, for Rs.65\/- apiece.\u00a0 Several restaurants and eateries line the road.\u00a0 A lunch consisting of a large bowl of chicken soup and a plate of momos at Machan, which serves tasty Indian and Chinese cuisine, costs us Rs.246\/-.<\/p>\n

Boating is open from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. daily.\u00a0 We hire a row boat for Rs.210\/- (the other option being a swan shaped pedalling boat) and do a full round of the serene, sparkling emerald green, pear shaped lake, while our boatman, Mohan, points out to us important landmarks on the banks of the lake, especially the places of worship, as the Naina Devi Temple, St. John in the Wilderness \u2013 an Anglican church, the Jama Masjid and the Singh Sabha Guradwara reside in harmony side by side.\u00a0 He also has some knowledge of the history of Nainital, which he imparts, making the sail interesting and enjoyable.\u00a0 He tells us the Yacht Club, established in 1910, is one of the highest sailing clubs in the world.\u00a0 The fleet of mini yachts, a century old, have eye catching candy-striped sails.\u00a0 The Nainital yacht regatta is held here.\u00a0 Boating and swimming are also taught in the lake.\u00a0 The northern end of the lake is called Mallital, while the southern end is called Tallital.<\/p>\n

\"Naini<\/p>\n

Next we visit the Naina Devi Temple located at Mallital.\u00a0 The presiding deity of the temple, Maa Naina Devi, is represented by two \u2018netras\u2019 or eyes.\u00a0 The deities of Mata Kali and Lord Ganesha flank the main deity.\u00a0 The circular, white marble structure of the temple with its two tiered red roof is simple but pleasing.\u00a0 The temple attracts a throng of devotees, many of whom line up for personal pujas in the compound.\u00a0 A tree like structure draped in red and gold fabric, is where devotees tie their written pleas.\u00a0 A nice view of the hill station overlooking the lake can be had from here.\u00a0 Carp can be seen swimming in the lake.<\/p>\n


\n<\/a>The cable car to Snow View, 3 km from the town, starts at Mallital. The ropeway operates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.\u00a0 Two trolleys carry passengers up and down alternately.\u00a0 We take the ride which costs Rs.150\/- per head.\u00a0\u00a0 Other options of getting to Snow View are by local taxis or trekking.\u00a0 From the cable car we get a superb view of Naini Lake.<\/p>\n

An old brass plaque at Snow View states that Naina Devi was India\u2019s highest peak in the British Empire.\u00a0 In 1865, Darjeeling<\/strong>, till then a part of Sikkim, was annexed by the British and the honour went to the mighty Kanchenjunga.\u00a0 Snow View offers a bewitching spectacle of languid clouds hovering over the shimmering snow clad Himalayan Range, which includes the soaring peaks of Naina Devi, Trishul and Nanda Kot, looking down benignly, over the town and the lake.\u00a0 For better viewing, one can look through the giant binoculars available, charged at Rs.10\/- per minute.\u00a0 We walk through a rhododendron forest.\u00a0 Unfortunately the trees are not in full bloom, but we come across a few clusters of these delightful deep red blossoms.\u00a0 There is a small marble temple dedicated to Dev Mundi enshrining images of various Hindu gods and goddesses on the premises, as also an entertainment park called Mountain Magic which has bumper cars and facilities for go karting.\u00a0 A point called Lake View offers an impressive vista of the lake.\u00a0 Tea and snacks are also available.<\/p>\n

We now head for the Pt. G.B. Pant High Altitude Zoo.\u00a0 Private vehicles are prohibited from plying on the roads of Nainital.\u00a0 They have to be parked at designated places and local transport has to be used.\u00a0 The zoo has jeeps available on the Mall Road that ply up and down, the charge being Rs.30\/- per person.\u00a0 We hop on to one and are offloaded far off from the ticket window.\u00a0 To the discomfort of many, the path to the window is extremely steep and challenges the stamina of the old and young alike!\u00a0 Entry fee is Rs.50\/- per head.\u00a0 Timing is from 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. It is closed on Mondays and all public holidays.<\/p>\n

Animal sighting is good.\u00a0 The Royal Bengal Tiger paces his cage in agitation, the Leopards loll around lazily and the two Himalayan Bears are half asleep.\u00a0 The Himalayan Goral, also known as the Grey Goral, a goat like creature is alert and stares at us intently.\u00a0 This rare creature is listed as a nearly threatened species.\u00a0 The pair of cute russet furred Red Pandas greedily munch on bamboo.\u00a0 The name panda is said to be derived from the Nepali word \u2018ponya\u2019 which means bamboo or plant eating animal.\u00a0 The Barking Deer and Sambar graze peacefully.\u00a0 The very attractive, brightly plumaged, Chinese pheasants \u2013 the Lady Amherst\u2019s Pheasants and Golden Pheasants \u2013 strut around arrogantly!<\/p>\n

\"Goral<\/p>\n

Our last stop is the Eco-Cave Park, located in Mallital, 1 km away from the Mall Road, which is open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.\u00a0 Entry fee is R.40\/- per head.\u00a0 This natural park features six small caves, which are named according to the animals they resemble \u2013 tiger, panther, bat, squirrel, ape and flying fox.\u00a0 Frankly we do not see the resemblance!\u00a0 People enter the cave at one end and come out at the other, but the uneven tunnels become narrower as one progresses and at places there\u2019s no option but to crawl through!\u00a0 The main attraction is the musical fountain which plays in the evenings in May and June only, so we miss out on this.\u00a0 The cafeteria is closed.\u00a0 The panoramic view of the town shrouded in mist, from this elevated park, is marvelous and there are some pretty flowers that we admire.<\/p>\n

Since traffic is prohibited on the Mall Road between 6-9 p.m. we hasten back to the resort, but on the way we stop to admire the splendid architecture of the stately Uttarakhand High Court building which was constructed in 1900 AD and is located at Mallital.\u00a0 A beautiful garden in the foreground and the Naina Peak towering in the background makes for a captivating picture.\u00a0 Unfortunately, no photography is allowed within the complex, though we are free to roam around and survey the place.<\/p>\n

After points of interest within the town, Shireen Bharucha sets out to explore the various \u2018tals\u2019 and sites on the outskirts of Naintal. To read part 4, 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.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last post in this series was all about Nainital\u2019s interesting history. In this part, traveler\u00a0Shireen Bharucha goes exploring the picturesque Naini Lake and its accompanying Mall Road, and other beautiful points of interest in Nainital. The nucleus of Nainital is the Mall Road as also its natural fresh water lake, surrounded by seven mountains,…<\/p>\n

Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":7761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[5566,5567,5568,5569,5570,5571,5572,5573,5574,5575,5576,5577,5578,5579,5580,5581,5582,5583,107,5584],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6604"}],"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=6604"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6604\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19026,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6604\/revisions\/19026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}