Nainital, one of the most beautiful hill stations in the picturesque, hilly regions of Uttarakhand attracts thousands of tourists every year. The lakes, fountains, temples, meandering lanes, alpine forests, gardens, snow-capped peaks, pleasant weather of Nainital all enchant the mind and lift the spirits. Get detailed info on Nainital as a tourist destination from the article below so as to get illuminated and interested about the place naturally.

Nainital is the hill station which is popularly known as the“Lake District” of India. The place is picturesque with beautiful landscapes and the favourable climate. The name of Nainital has been named after the Naini Lake. Nainital, which is the hill station of India, is a well-known tourist spot in the Kumaon region of Uttaranchal. Along with the lakes the place is surrounded by mountains like Naina, Deopatha and Ayarpatha.

Best Places to See In & Around Nainital

Nainital has been one of the most popular hill stations in India with tourists flocking in most time of the year. The attractive spots to visit in Nainital are:-

Naini Lake

The town is named after this lake. Naini is the name of the river and the word Tal signifies lake. The shape of the lake is pear covering a distance of 3.5 kms. It is circled by mountains those are green in colour.The beauty of the green mountains makes the lake more magnificient. The tourists gather around the lake for its beauty and other recreational activities like boating, paddling or yachting. The lake has two parts Mallital at the north and Tallital at the south. During night time the light from the surrounding places makes the lake more beautiful.

Naina Devi Temple

It is the religious centre of Nainital. Hindu devotees visit this place. The temple is located at the top of the Naina hill. According to the Hindu mythology, during the Tandav of Lord Shiva different parts of Sati’s body fell across the world. This temple is considered as the place where Sati’s eye fell. The temple has to reach by climbing at the top of the hill. Inside the temple there is the idol of Maa Naina Devi along with the Maa Kali idol and Lord Ganesh idol.

High Altitude Zoo

The zoo is located 2kms from the bus stoppage. The zoo is an elevated point of the town that is around 2100mts above the sea level. The zoo is the home of different kind of exotic animals like white Peacock, Ghoral, Himalayan Black bear, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Monkeys, Sambhar, Barking Deer, Silver Pheasants, Wolf, Palm civet cat, Siberian Tiger, Hill Fox and Leopard.

Snow View Point

It is one of the place from where one can enjoy the beauty of Nature. The place has snow-capped mountains and fullof greenery at the bottom. Nearby are the Dev Mundi Temple and the Gadhan Kunkyop Ling Monastery. One can trek to the point or can hire a cable car. The charge of the cable care is Rs 75 for a child and Rs 150 for adult. The service is available from 10 am to 5 pm.

Eco Cave Gardens

It is situated in the Kumaon University Campus. It is a natural garden which is 1 km away from Sukhatal. It has a musical fountain along with six caves.

Some places that one can visit from Nainital are the Bhimtal Lake, Sattal, Khurpa Tal, Naukuchia Tal, Hanumangarhi and Ghorakhal.

Culture and Attire

The Kumaoni people reside in Nainital. It is a Hindu dominated town and the deities like Shiv, Naina Devi, Ganganath, Haru, Adi, Golu, KailBisht, Sunanda Devi and Nanda Devi. They are quiet rigid about their culture and traditional values. The women war their traditional dress Pichora and Lehennga during special occasions but most of the time the women are found in Saree. According to the tardyon the married woman are to wear sindoor on their forehead and mangalsutra which is a necklace of black and golden beads. They are also to wear a necklace commonly known as Hansuli. On religious occasion woman wear a long Tilak on their forehead which is made out of turmeric and rice. The traditionaldresses of men areKurta and Pajamas. The languages that the people of Nainital speak are Kumaoni, Hindi, Garhwali and English.

The cuisine of the town is mainly based on rice diets. Several recipes that go along with rice are famous. Ras is a famous food item other than steamed rice, Pulam, Khumani, Kafhal, Malta, Bal Mithai, Aloo ke gutke, Kaapa Bhat, Bari Bhat, Dhai ka Jaula, Bhat ka Jaula, Gauhat ki Daal, Lason ka Lur, Gathi, Papad ki Sabji, Peenalu ki Sabji, Gaderi ki Sabji, Bathue ka Parantha, Muli ka Thechua, Madwe ki Roti, Black and White Roti, Baadi, Bhatt ki Churkani and Bhang ki chutney.

Painting is another important part of their life. The style of painting is known as Aipan. This is painted during festivals. These are designs that have geometric shapes and painted with a paste of rice and ochre. These designs are often seen on tables and other furniture’s. The drawings are mainly of sun and other natural elements painted in geometric pattern. The costume pichora worn by women are also hand painted with traditional art colourswhich also known as rangoli. Sometimes it is also seen a silk cloth is decorated with small sun, moon, shells, bells, conch and other decorative items to give it a bright and gorgeous look. It is done by the local workers in the town.

Musical instruments like Turturi, Dhol and Dhol are played during festivals. Dances like Chapeli, Jhora and Chholia Nritya are the traditional dances of Nainital. Folk songs based on the culture, tradition and lifestyle of the people are famous. Sometimes the music depicts the mythological stories of Gods and Goddess.

Best Time to Visit

Nainital is the place where the seasons are open full time of the year. The tourist can enjoy the beauty at any point of the year. But being hill station the best time always remains the winter when the town remains covered with snow. During the summer time the minimum temperature is 10C and the maximum is 27C. Summer is the good time doing the sight-seeing and for adventure sports like trekking. The monsoon season that starts from June and ends at September brings out the beauty of nature rediscovering the green mountains. As the town celebrates festivals with grate pomp and grandeur many tourist come to the place to enjoy the festival of Dussehra. The chilly winter starts from October to February. The temperature remains between 0C to 15 C. Snowfall covers Nainital during this time. Honeymoon couples flock the town in this season. Woollengarments are must during this winter to beat the cold.

Transport

Nainital can be reached through air, rail and by road. The nearest Airport is at Pantnagar. The place is 65 kms away from Nainital. There are no commercial flights only private chartered flights arrive available. The other option is to reach the New Delhi airport. Private taxis will commute the distance between Nainital and Dew Delhi Airport. The fare is around 400-4500. One can also take a train from Delhi station. The nearest railway station to Nainital is the Kathgodam station. The station is 34 kilometres away from Nainital. Trains like the Anvt Kgm Shatabdi Express, Dehradun Kathgodam Express, Bagh Express, Kranti Express, Uttar Sampark Express and Ranikhet Express can be opted. From the station one can take a taxi to the town. There are also bus facilities from different parts of North India. One can avail the Volvo Bus Service from New Delhi to Nainital. If one boards a bus from Nainital one can easily reach Nainital by morning, though there are also morning bus services. There is also the option of taking a private car to reach Nainital. It is a 6-7 hour drive from New Delhi by taking the National Highway 87.