{"id":7681,"date":"2015-05-19T08:18:25","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T08:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.21.162.194:81\/sterlingblog_new\/?p=7681"},"modified":"2025-04-08T06:57:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T06:57:58","slug":"sparkling-lakes-nainital-part-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/sparkling-lakes-nainital-part-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Sparkling Lakes \u2013 Nainital, Part II"},"content":{"rendered":"

In part 2 of her series, traveler Shireen Bharucha explores the lesser known history of Nainital.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

On our first day we explore enchanting Nainital<\/strong>, located at an altitude of 6,358 feet, set amidst the peaks of the Kumaon Himalayas.\u00a0 Nainital is also known as the Lake District of Uttarakhand, because the district boasts of several lakes.<\/p>\n

The 12 minute drive to Nainital through a forested area is picturesque with a great variety of trees, attired in their pre-summer best, their foliage in various shades of red, yellow, pink and rust, presenting a stunning sight.\u00a0 The pines proudly show off their sprouting cones that grow erect on branches.\u00a0 The cones, full of seeds, fall off in autumn and winter, after the seeds have been dispersed.<\/p>\n

The first European to discover Nainital Lake in 1823 was W. Traill, Commissioner of Kumaon and Gharwal.\u00a0 He was sensitive to the sentiments of the locals who revered the lake as the abode of gods and spirits.\u00a0 He kept the location to himself so that the sanctity of the lake would not be violated.<\/p>\n

\"Naini<\/p>\n

Wiley Mr. P. Barron was different.\u00a0 A sugar merchant from Shahjahanpur, he was an avid hunter.\u00a0 In his book \u201cWanderings in the Himmala\u201d he writes he knew there was a large lake in the heart of the Kumaon.\u00a0 He also knew that the local guides would not reveal its location.\u00a0 During one of his expeditions in 1839 he told his guide to lead him to the lake but the guide feigned ignorance as to its whereabouts.\u00a0 Barron then placed a huge boulder on the guide\u2019s head and told him to carry it until the lake was found as he needed the stone to build his house.\u00a0 Desperate to get rid of the load the guide led him to the lake.\u00a0 Moved by the beauty of the placid lake, Barron writes that in the course of his long trek of 1,500 miles in the Himalayas, this was by far the best site he came across.<\/p>\n

Nar Singh, the village headman, laid claim to the lake and the surrounding hills as his ancestral property, which was disputed by Barron.\u00a0 The matter was taken to court.\u00a0 On his second visit to the place in 1841, Barron cajoled Nar Singh to join him for a sail on the lake.\u00a0 In the middle of the lake Barron threatened to tip the boat over, unless Nar Singh gave up his claim, by giving written consent in a notebook provided by Barron.\u00a0 As Nar Singh could not swim, he had no alternative but to agree.\u00a0 Barron constructed his house, Pilgrim Lodge, on a plot just above the present day Nainital Club.<\/p>\n

Realizing Nainital\u2019s potential for a hill resort, Barron colonized it in no time.\u00a0 The town soon became a popular health resort for British soldiers and bureaucrats, away from the heat and dust of the plains.\u00a0 Later the summer residence of the Governor of the United Provinces, was established here.\u00a0 Schools were founded in the late 1800s, four of which continue to function today, namely Sherwood College, All Saints\u2019 College, St. Mary\u2019s Convent High School and St. Joseph\u2019s College.<\/p>\n

In the next part, Shireen Bharucha goes exploring the points of interest in Nainital. To read part 3, 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":"

In part 2 of her series, traveler Shireen Bharucha explores the lesser known history of Nainital. On our first day we explore enchanting Nainital, located at an altitude of 6,358 feet, set amidst the peaks of the Kumaon Himalayas.\u00a0 Nainital is also known as the Lake District of Uttarakhand, because the district boasts of several…<\/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":[5595,5596,5597,5598,5599,5600,5601,5602,107,5603],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7681"}],"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=7681"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7681\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17838,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7681\/revisions\/17838"}],"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=7681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sterlingholidays.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}