The Lake Tour, Nainital

The Lake Tour

The motive behind most of my vacations are to visit as many places as I can. But often due to lack of time, I end up visiting too many places in one trip. Last time, I thought I need to go to a place where I can relax and just relax. Hence, relaxation was the major agenda of my last vacation. I had an extremely busy and maddening life at my office last year hence a relaxing vacation was the need of the hour. Nainital being one of the nearest hill stations from Delhi, I opted to go there. This was my first trip to Nainital. And I must say it was worth it.

We decided to start our trip from the lake tour. The lake tour includes- The Naini Lake, The Saatal, The Bhimtal and Naukuchiataal. We started our lake tour from the Nainital Lake, which is about 67 ft deep and a preferred place for boating and yachting for all. Since the lake in eye shape, it is named as Naini Lake. True to its popularity the lake is wonderfully stunning. The lake is surrounded by hills, cosy cottages and villas peeping from the plants of the hills and when all these reflect in the lake, it is a sight to behold. We did the boating there that was for a small duration of half an hour.

Then we crossed a small lake which is a part of Satal, Garud Tal is unheard of by most of the tourists. It is just few kilometers before Sattal. Though there is no boating facility there, we decided just to take a look at the lake. The lake looks abandoned as there were no one there. Our driver said this lake is considered haunted. However I found it serene and beautiful. Moreover, I sighted a old church across the lake. However we stayed there for 15-20 minutes clicking photos and then left for next destination.

Our next destination of Lake Tour was Sattal. Located at a distance of around 23 km, from Nainital, it is personally my favourite lake among all four lakes. Sattal is a group of seven interconnected freshwater lakes grouped close to each other. The names of the seven Lakes of Sattal are Panna Tal, Purna Tal, Sita Tal, Ram Tal, Nal Damyanti Tal, Laxman Tal and Sukha Tal. Personally my favourite lake among all four lakes, it is simply breathtaking. The best part of this lake is that it is amidst the forest and and hills. Wherever you will take your eyes, there is greenery, clouds, hills and most importantly it is extremely peaceful.  The peace and serenity of the places just makes it a perfect place to relax. All you can hear is the soft sound of water and chirping of birds. Clear water of lakes surrounded by thick forest and sound of birds is a brilliant experience. We were truly in the lap of nature.

It was an amazingly de-stressing and rejuvenating boat ride.  Moreover we were able to get a glimpse of some beautiful birds. Kingfisher and Hornbill were two most beautiful birds that we was saw there. These lakes are home to migratory birds.  And beside the birds, it is said that it houses an unbelievable 525 species of butterflies and over 11000 species of insects including beetle, bugs and moths and a variety of flora including rare medicinal herbs and shrubs. I left the place with a thought that I will visit the place soon. I will come for a weekend and spend my whole weekend there doing nothing other than clicking photos and watching birds.

Just 5 kilometres from Sattal lies Bhimtal. After enjoying an amazing beauty of Sattal, Bhimtal was not that peaceful. It is more urban in nature. The lake has an island in the middle, which boasted of a restaurant earlier but now an aquarium has been set up with exotic varieties of fishes from countries like South Africa, Mexico and China. Bhimtal is the biggest lake around Nainital. We had a quck lunch there and then moved to our final destination in Lake Tour and that is Naukuchital.

Naukuchiatal Lake is about 130 ft. deep and is a nine cornered lake. We ordered two cup of tea and a spicy Maggie before going to boat. The lake is quite serene and so are its surrounding hills which are covered by forested green on all sides. It is believed that who so ever sees all the nine corners of the lake in one shot will attain Nirvana. This place is also apt for adventure lovers, as activities like trekking, paragliding and angling are done here. It is the deepest of all the lakes in the Nainital region. The lake is fed by an underground perennial spring.

Naukuchital was the last lake in our lake tour. Then we headed back to Nainital enjoying the cool breeze of late evening, the whole day was simply amazing. Rejuvenating and de-stressing will be the perfect words to define this day.

Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur Jain Temple

Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan

It was my 26^th birthday and I decide to treat myself by visiting the Kumbhalgarh Fort. Located 85 kms from the Udaipur city, Kumbhalgarh fort was built by Rana Kumbha. The Kumbhalgarh is the most important fort in Mewar after the Chittorgarh fort. But personally I liked Kumbhalgarh Fort more than Chittorgarh Fort. It is maintained in a better way, architecturally more beautiful and most importantly it is very peaceful.

Before getting into details, I will start with how to reach this fort. Well, this fort is situated about 82 kms northwest of Udaipur city and it is not as easy to reach as Chittorgarh. For going here you need to hire a cab or taxi as there is no local bus service here. The best way to visit this fort is by taking a single day tour from Udaipur along-with Ranakpur Jain Temple.

When our driver informed us that we will pass through the villages, I thought being Rajasthan, we will pass through vast deserts as shown in television. But to our surprise we pass through number of vegetation, fields and water bodies. The route is scenic and the roads are good, making the drive a pleasant one. We were lucky to get a good driver, one who kept telling us all about the area. There are lots and lots of trees, fields were men and women were busy farming and collecting woods. Though it is just 85 kilometers from Udaipur, it took us 2 hours to reach there.

The Kumbhalgarh Fort is guarded by seven huge gates. The massive entrance gate of the fort is known as Ram Pol.  This gate itself is a symbol of the sheer grandness of this fort. Considered to be the second longest wall in the world after the Great Wall of China, the wall runs through surrounding mountain cliffs of the Aravali range. Standing magnificently on 1180m high ridge and representing the past glory of the Rajput rulers, the Fort also provides an amazing view of the countryside from the top.

We started our trek up the long meandering path. Our destination was the Badal Mahal, named so because of its situation at the highest point of the fort. Badal Mahal also known as the Palace of Clouds was built by Rana Fateh Singh. The palace had a separate section for males and females. It was a refuge house for the rulers of Mewar in times of strife. The fort also served as refuge to the baby king Udai of Mewar. Roof of this palace offer an excellent view of Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary spreading over the Aravali Hills.

Beside the Badal Mahal, there are 360 temples inside the walls of the fort, 300 of them are Jain and the rest are Hindu temples. The architecture of the fort is really remarkable and the walk around it takes you back in time to the royal era gone by. The fort also houses some of the palaces which are simply magnificent. The visit to such a superb fort is truly worth it.

Our next destination was Ranakpur Jain Temple. Thought it is said to be just 40 kilometres, it took around an hour and half to us (including lunch stay). Built of white marble, it is also one of the most remarkable and stands in the league of the famous Dilwara temples of Rajasthan. The temple was constructed in 1437 by Dharna Shah under the patronage of Rana Kumbha.

It has 24 pillared halls with 80 domes that are supported by 400 columns. The upper and lower parts of the domes are linked by brackets that have deities’ sculptures. Above all, you would be amazed to see at a height of 45 feet decorated elves playing the flute in various dance poses. Each column is intricately carved and it is astonishing to know that no two columns have the similar design.

Amazing design, calm atmosphere and wonderful architecture is what defines Ranakpur Temple.