Glimpses of Uttarakhand: Sample Travel Plans: Pictorial Travelogue, #11

By Ansusekhar Guin and Madhuri Guin

This book is on travel in Uttarakhand, also known as Devbhoomi, or the land of Gods, which is a Himalayan state in northern India. There are 13 hilly districts, Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Rudra Prayag, Chamoli, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Almora, Nainital and Champawat constituted this State of Uttarakhand. Though the state is small, it is world-famous for tourism. People call it the heaven of Earth. It is known for its untouched natural beauty and spirituality. It encompasses the most picturesque landscape involving mountains, forests, meadows, valleys, waterfalls, rivers, river confluences and flowers, all nestled in the lap of the majestic Himalayas.The state is in two parts, Garhwal and Kumaon. Dehradun, the state's largest city and its only railhead, is the winter capital, and Bhararisain, a town in the Chamoli district, is the summer capital of Uttarakhand. Legend says that Gods lived in Garhwal Himalayas and Tehri with its flowers and fruits, green meadows was its Eden. Haridwar and Hrishikesh are the abode of the sages and the most attractive holy places for tourists. Haridwar is the gateway to Uttaranchal. The most sacred Teerthas of Hindus is the Chardham, consisting of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, making Uttaranchal attractive to the pilgrims. Similarly, the famous Sikh pilgrimage, Hemkund Sahib, is also there in Uttarakhand. Tourists arrive at Uttarakhand to enjoy the snow view of the Himalayas. There are more than a dozen hill stations, like Nainital, Almora, Binsar, Kaushani, Ranikhet, Lansdown, Pouri and Moosouri and six National Parks in Uttarakhand, including the first Indian National Park of Jim Corbett.

The rail network in the state is minimal. The rail is connected only to Dehradun, Haridwar, Hrishikesh, Kathgodam, Pantnagar, Lalkuan, Haldwani, Roorkee, Kotdwar and Ramnagar. But the extensive road network connects all the state's cities and villages. Uttarakhand has about 2,700 km of roads, of which about 1,300 km are national highways and 1,600 km are state highways. The State Road Transport in Uttarakhand is known as the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC). It is a significant constituent of the transport system in the state. UTC runs about 1000 buses on 35 nationalised routes along with many other non-nationalised routes. In addition, private transport operators also operate about 3000 buses on non-nationalised routes and other highways in Uttarakhand. For local travelling, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available. In addition, vast network of crowded share jeeps connect remote towns and villages in the hills to important road junctions and bus routes.

The cheapest way to travel in Uttarakhand is by bus. But this may be time-consuming and require more time to cover the State. Hence, the best way is to hire a rental car. This book presents most of Uttarakhand's well-known and off-beat places.

 

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ansusekhar Guin
• Release date: Mar 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224163076

Ansusekhar Guin

Ansusekhar Guin, retired from Govt. service in the year 2006, and Madhuri Guin are addicted to travelling and regularly travel within and outside India. They also operate a YouTube travel channel " The Bong Explorers", where they share videos of their trips. So far, they have uploaded 90 travel videos. Madhuri Guin operates an e-commerce business, named www.dollsofindia.com, where she is marketing Indian art and culture through paintings, sculptures, posters, Textiles, jewellery, fashion items, unique crafts and puja items.They just started writing picture travelogues and itineraries on their experience of travel in different countries. These books are available as kindle edition, e-books, paperbacks in black & white and Hardcover in colour in Amazon. The list of their travelogues is: Glimpses of Italy and Sample Itinerary, Around the World through some sample itineraries, Madhya Pradesh: Heartland of India, Glimpses of Himachal Pradesh with Sample Itinerary, Budget Travel in Dubai, the Shining Gem of Arabian Desert, Glimpses of Karnataka (Sample Travel Plans), Glimpses of Gujarat Visit: Sample Itinerary, Glimpses of Uttarakhand with Sample Itinerary, Glimpses of Sikkim Visit: Sample Itinerary, France: The Country of Love and Art.

Book preview

Chapter 1: Glimpses of Uttarakhand with Sample Itinerary

Uttarakhand, also known as Devbhoomi, or the land of Gods, is a Himalayan state in northern India. Uttarakhand became the 27th state of India on 9th November 2000; all the hilly regions curved out from Uttar Pradesh. The only district Udham Singh Nagar of the plains and 13 hilly districts, Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal, Rudra Prayag, Chamoli, Haridwar, Pauri Garhwal, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Almora, Nainital and Champawat constituted this State of Uttarakhand. Though the state is small, it is world-famous for tourism. People call it the heaven of Earth. It is known for its untouched natural beauty and spirituality. It encompasses the most picturesque landscape involving mountains, forests, meadows, valleys, waterfalls, rivers, river confluences and flowers, all nestled in the lap of the majestic Himalayas. On its North is the Tibet Autonomous region of China, Nepal on the East, the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh towards the South and Himachal Pradesh is on the West and North-West. The state is in two parts, Garhwal and Kumaon. Dehradun, the state's largest city and its only railhead, is the winter capital, and Bhararisain, a town in the Chamoli district, is the summer capital of Uttarakhand. The High Court of Uttarakhand is located in Nainital.

Legend says that Gods lived in Garhwal Himalayas and Tehri with its flowers and fruits, green meadows was its Eden. Haridwar and Hrishikesh are the abode of the sages and the most attractive holy places for tourists. Haridwar is the gateway to Uttaranchal. The most sacred Teerthas of Hindus is the Chardham, consisting of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri, making Uttaranchal attractive to the pilgrims. Similarly, the famous Sikh pilgrimage, Hemkund Sahib, is also there in Uttarakhand. Tourists arrive at Uttarakhand to enjoy the snow view of the Himalayas. There are more than a dozen hill stations, like Nainital, Almora, Binsar, Kaushani, Ranikhet, Lansdown, Pouri and Moosouri and six National Parks in Uttarakhand, including the first Indian National Park of Jim Corbett.

Archaeological evidence shows that humans have existed here since the prehistoric ages. Uttarakhand was a part of the Uttarakuru Kingdom during the Vedic period of ancient India. The first significant dynasty of Kumaon was Kuninda in the 2nd century BCE. Kunindas practiced Shaivism. The presence of Buddhism was found at Kalsi near Dehradun. Katyuri dynasty ruled Kumaon during the medieval period, and the region was known as Kurmanchal Kingdom. Then it came under British rule.

Wood carving is a prominent local craft, and they are found in all the temples of Uttarakhand. Floral patterns, deities, and motifs are intricately carved to decorate the doors, windows, ceilings, and walls of temples and village houses. Pahari painting flourished in the region between the 17th and 19th centuries. They were mainly influenced by the Kangra school of paintings. Other crafts of Uttarakhand are handcrafted gold jewellery, basketry, woollen shawls, scarves, and rugs.

The rail network in the state is minimal. The rail is connected only to Dehradun, Haridwar, Hrishikesh, Kathgodam, Pantnagar, Lalkuan, Haldwani, Roorkee, Kotdwar and Ramnagar. But the extensive road network connects all the state's cities and villages. Uttarakhand has about 2,700 km of roads, of which about 1,300 km are national highways and 1,600 km are state highways. The State Road Transport in Uttarakhand is known as the Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC). It is a significant constituent of the transport system in the state. UTC runs about 1000 buses on 35 nationalised routes along with many other non-nationalised routes. In addition, private transport operators also operate about 3000 buses on non-nationalised routes and other highways in Uttarakhand. For local travelling, auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available. In addition, vast network of crowded share jeeps connect remote towns and villages in the hills to important road junctions and bus routes.

The air connection in the state is very limited. The only airports of the state are Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun and Pantnagar in the Kumaon region. Now the State government plans to develop some airports, like Naini Saini Airport in Pithoragarh, Bharkot Airport in Chinyalisaur and Gauchar Airport in Gauchar, Chamoli district. In addition, there are plans to launch helipad service in Pantnagar, Jolly Grant Airports and other important tourist destinations like Ghangaria and Hemkund Sahib.

Online bus booking is also available from Uttarakhand UTC Online. They have Volvo, AC, Semi Deluxe and Ordinary Bus services. Their main routes are HALDWANI- RUDRAPUR- DELHI ANAND VIHAR, DEHRADUN ISBT- ROORKEE- DELHI KASHMERIGATE, DEHRADUN ISBT- HARIDWAR- RAMNAGAR- HALDWANI, DEHRADUN ISBT- ROORKEE- DELHI KASHMERIGATE- GURUGRAM and RISHIKESH- HARIDWAR- ROORKEE- DELHI KASHMERIGATE. In addition, govt. Registered private buses and taxis are available in plenty to go to any corner of the State, and road conditions in most places are good.

The cheapest way to travel in Uttarakhand is by bus. But this may be time-consuming and require more time to cover the State. Hence, the best way is to hire a rental car. This book presents most of Uttarakhand’s well-known and off-beat places. The State-run Uttarakhand Road transport corporation runs the public transport system in Uttarakhand, where one can book bus tickets online, whose link is given below:

https://utconline.uk.gov.in/

For car rental, one can contact the following links. A four-seater sedan car for 30 days may cost around Rs. 75000.

https://www.maharanacab.com/char-dham-yatra/

https://www.uttarakhandcabs.com/

https://www.harivanshtours.com/car-rental-uttarakhand.aspx

https://www.haridwarcarservice.com/category/uttarakhand-car-rental/

And many more

One can opt for hotels, homestays, B&B, or apartments to stay in the cities and towns of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand tourism also provides stay facilities in most of these places. Links to two main sites are given below:

https://gmvnonline.com/accommodations

https://kmvn.in/

For private accommodations, please get in touch with the following:

www.makemytrip.com

www.booking.com

Since Uttarakhand is a hilly terrain, it may be difficult for some to cover the whole of Uttarakhand in one go. Therefore, I have made the travel itinerary in three circuits. However, one can combine all three circuits. The three circuits are:

Uttarakhand Circuit 1

Haridwar, Hrishikesh,  Narendra Nagar, New Tehri, Chiniyalisour, Uttarkashi, Gangnani, Harshil, Dharali, Bhaironghati, Gangotri, Gaumukh, Kanatal, Chakrata, Dehradun.

Uttarakhand My Map Circuit 1: Courtesy Google map

Uttarakhand Circuit 2

Rishikesh, Devaprayag, Srinagar, Rudraprayag, Agastamuni, Guptakashi, Sonprayag, Gaurikund, Kedarnath, Bhairavnath, Triyuginarayan,   Chopta, Tunganath, Gopeshwar, Karnaprayag, Nandaprayag, Joshimath, Auli, Vishnuprayag, Badrinath Temple, Mana Bhim pul, Basudhara Falls, Satopanth, Govindghat, Ghangaria, Valley of flowers, Hemkunt Sahib, Haridwar.

Uttarakhand My Map Circuit 2: Courtesy Google map

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Uttarakhand My Map Circuit 3: Courtesy Google map

Chapter 2: Haridwar

Our journey to the origin of river Ganga and beyond begins in Haridwar, which literally means the gateway to God. Situated on the banks of the River Ganga, it is one of the Seven Holiest cities of India and an abode to numerous temples. The auspicious Ganga Arti, held here daily evening by the river Ghat, offers a mesmerising sight. In addition, Haridwar hosts the Purna Kumbh Mela every 12 years and the Ardha Kumbh Mela every 6 years.

Haridwar serves as a gateway to several prominent places of worship. In addition, Haridwar is the place of Indian culture and development. In Mahabharata, it has been specified as Kapilsthan, Gangadwar and Mayapuri. From here people can visit the Chota Char Dham (Uttarakhand's four principal pilgrim destinations). Shaivites, the devotees of Shiva and Vaishavites, devotees of Vishnu call the city as Hardwar and Haridwar, respectively, meaning Shiva and Vishnu.

Haridwar is the city of Dharamshala. There are more than 500 Dharamshalas in Haridwar. But most of them work as hotels, without any facility of a proper hotel. The rate depends on the tourist flow. The rates are exorbitant during the season from April to July and October. Mid-season is from August to December, and rates are reasonable. The off-season is from January to March.

Haridwar is entirely vegetarian, and you cannot get nonvegetarian cuisine here. Even no liquor is available here.

Haridwar is situated underneath the Shivalik range at a height of 298 meters. Both Hari, Lord Vishnu and Hara,