@ Journey from Delhi to Mukteshwar (conti)...

Enclosed by fruit orchards and thick coniferous forest it was developed by the British as research and education institute (IVRI) in 1893. It owes much of its current day standing to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, which possesses a large part of the land and most of the deep forests that surround Mukteshwar.

Getting there: Mukteshwar is 350 km from Delhi, a drive of about 8-9 hours via Nainital, 53 km or Haldwani, 49 km. The nearest railhead is at Kathgodam, 72 km, from where buses and taxis are available for Mukteshwar.

Best time: Mukteshwar is a year-round holiday destination. Rainy months can be avoided.

Accommodation: KMVN has a tourist bungalow and there is a District Board guesthouse midway to Nainital where you can stay with permits. Other than this, deluxe cottages, luxury tents and rooms are available at an up-market resort - tariffs start at Rs1550 to Rs3800 for a double room. Mukteshwar Himalayan Restort is in collabration with KMVN and GMVN (deluxe double room - 1400/-) 

Route:Delhi – Moradabad – Haldwani – Bhimtal –  Bhowali - Ramgarh - Mukteshwar.
Rail: Kathgodam (72 km).
Air: Pantnagar (95 km).

Places of interest:
Nainital (46 km), Bhimtal (38 km), Naukuchiatal (43 km), Ranikhet (85 km), Binsar (85 km).





When we started from Kathgodam on the curves of the beautiful mountains ..it was a breathtaking view....looking down in the valley made some butterflyes dance in my stomach ...a never ending smile automatically came on the face and the eyes were getting such a delightful view that I was not ready to miss out a single moment...
Bheemtal, Side view of Nanital, Pine tress, wild flowers and there magical fregrance ..all welcomed us to the Mountians with open arms!! As if saying ....come and embarase me with all your strenght ...take a dip in my beauty and get refreshed ...and relaxed ...you will get calm and coolness in me....Come and join me....Njoy!!

After having breakfast we discussed with the management there of the options available there, one was to get in touch with Camp Purple guys who will take us for tracking (450/- per person), rock climbing, and some water activities. Other option was that this guy here will take us for site seeing and forest walk. We settled for the second option. Ordered a cab which would take us to Mukteshwar Mahadev temple which was 7 km (cab took 400/- for this) from here and we could explore other things around. 

Till then we were escorted for a forest walk to the near by hill, as soon as we started climbing, the enchanting music of pine trees created by high wind gave us a feeling of ...if there is heaven ..its here and here only......from the top we could see the small wooden and stone houses and the huge potato plantations with other fruit orchids ....after spending some time in the hands of nature we came to the waiting cab.

With all due respect to old music ...i prefer fast tracks...but the driver had put typical mountain songs which actually mixed well with the situation at that time....speedy curves and deep below valley...finally in 20 min we reached the temple. The entire region and mountain ranges came to be known  as “Mukteshwar” after, “Mukteshwar Mahadev”. Pilgrims and tourist alike in order to have breath taking view of the valley and stunning view of snow capped Himalayan peaks, make it a point to visit the temple. A few seconds spend in the around temple premises leads to divine a spiritual peace and at the same time exotic view of lush green forests

It was not as would have expected ..overcrowded, priests forcing u to take some tilak etc... was very peaceful ..as if telling us that come and pray with all ur heart ...am giving u the calmness and tranquility required...join me and talk to me one to one....lets talk!!!
 


After having some conversion with Shiva, I started admiring the bells hung there with all the wishes people might have come with ...praying silently to HIM for making it true ...from there we got a good view of the Chauthi Jali, our next destination.

 

A school on the way to Chauthi Jali .......

 

It was a small walk to the rocks,Chauthi Jali, awesome! Rocks were cutting out at a bizarre angle, as if every step trying to peep down to the breathtaking view of the valley. There were some group of people trying the ROCK Climbing exercise, which was a very interesting view. They were taken to a very small distance but I think that would be good way down for a starter, I couldn’t try my hands on it due to back problem, but could feel the adventure in those who were going up and down with the rope tied around them.

We stayed there and watched some good rockers!! then  we had a goood walk to the KVM guest house where our guide had promised for lunch, unfortunately the cook was not available there since it was under renovation. Cool, we tried visualizing having full plate of food with the coke n Pepsi bottles available there.

Again set out for a curved ride from temple to the resort, in between stopping at a Chocolate Coffee shop buying some yummy chocolates for my son. After having grand lunch n tea, it was 6.30 pm and our guide friend tried to cajole us to go for the waterfall walk next morning. We insisted of going for the 4km (total 8) right that moment. So they took two torches with them and we started departing down the slop crossing the potato and paddy plantations taking a short cut rather then a simple walk on the road. The small apples, khumani, and other fruits gave a wonderful view, specially the green, brown, golden shades of Pine trees are beyond explanation.

The walk was a great experience in itself and we were told beforehand that it was a small waterfall (the larger one was 9km away, not making it possible for a walk that day), after going up and down the area, crossing a small stream of water, the road was hardly visible and we came to a point where he told us to walk down to the waterfall....I had to get rid of my shoes cauz they were slippery on the in between soil ...with the help of tresses and strong grips… we finally could hear the music of water falling on stones....the small local kid with us who was carrying a torch ...jumped on the rocks to a point where he fixed the light in such a way that it created a magical effect on the falling water over the stones….he demonstrated us a beautiful lighting show…...in the moonlight where all the stars were really twinkling (not like our cities) and we could hear the unadulterated melody of wind water n rocks....it was a moment to be cherished....clicked forever in the memory lane.

We were reminded of the walk back ...and so started the battle again, don't know about others but I was worn out ...took 4-5 stops on the road and instead of the danger of night and no lighting, we took the shortcut only to stay away from the loooooong walk....njoying antakshari on the route back ....oldies ...which made it difficult of a friend to join in cauz of her limited knowledge of hindi music.......

Finally when we climed the last rock to land on the road near our resort we were so exausted that we lied down on the road itself,watching the stars...a beep from a coming vehical forced us to join back to the garden...where we were treated with a local fruit juice ..Burans .....it is a State flower of Uttaranchal state. It grows at a height of 6-7 thousand feet.In Uttaranchal and Himanchal Pradesh BURANSH QUASHES is a popular drink, whereas in Darjeeling its dried flower are used to prepare Roksy, a traditional wine. Fresh BURANSH is an eatable item for local people.Medical Science now accepts the fact that BURANSH SQUASHES is useful in treatment of Cardiac-problems, High blood Pressure, Asthma etc. BURANSH SQUASHES is an effective cold drink. It is a unique gift of the Himalayas. (Red Flower in the middle in last snaps)

After a yummy dinner settled for indoor games till we droped dead to sleep ......Next morning we had plans to explore Nanital 


Morning views of Mukteshwar...before leaving for Nanital.......a bye with a promise in the heart to come and spend more relaxed time in next visit!!!