About Bhimtal
Tour to Bhimtal The small town of Bhimtal is famous as a lake resort. It offers to the tourists a quiet vacation and facilities for water sports. This beautiful town also attracts hundreds of tourists every year by its peaceful green surroundings.
Location:
Bhimtal is located in the northern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, in the northern region of India. It is located at an altitude of 1,371 m above sea level amongst the Kumaon hills. It is 23 km from Nainital. The weather in Bhimtal is alpine. Summers (April-June) are mild and winters are cold (November-February). It experiences southwestern monsoon rains in July-September.
Best Time to visit Bhimtal:
March to June and Mid-September to the end of October. Clothing: Summer – Light Woollen/Cottons, Winter: Heavy woollen. Language Spoken: Hindi, English and Kumaoni.
History of Bhimtal:
Bhimtal is an ancient place named after Bhima of Mahabharata. Bhimeshwara Mahadev Temple, an old Shiva temple in the bank of Bhimtal lake, is believed to have been built when Bhima visited the place during the banishment (vanvas) period of pandavas. The present temple was built in 17th century, by Baz Bahadur (1638-78 AD), a King of the Chand dynasty, and the Raja of Kumaon.
Bhimtal came under British rule after the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-16), when Naintal became the summer capital of the province.
Bhimtal is older than nearby Nainital as the city of Nainital is just 150-160 years old. But Bhimtal has been a stoppage for the travellers of the region from hills to plains or vise versa for a long time. The old pedesterial road is still in use here and this road connects nearby Kathgodam to all Kumaun region and even to Nepal and Tibet. It might have been the part of the famous ancient silk route.
Tourist attractions:
The main tourist attraction of this small hill station is its lake. It is one of the largest lakes in the district of Nainital. The lake offers scope for boating to the travelers. In the middle of the lake, there is a beautiful island with a restaurant.
The island provides a panoramic view of the lake as well as its luxuriant surroundings. Travelers can also explore the region around the lake and take a walk through the quiet forest surrounding the lake.
There is a large Victorian dam at one end of the lake and terraced flower gardens can be found on either side. Bhimtal is also known for its lovely dappled paths, ravines festooned with dog rose and wild raspberry. Farmhouses are set among terraced fields and citrus trees laden with fruits.
There is a Folk Culture Museum in Bhimtal, which is a private institution. It has a good collection of artifacts and information about the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The collection includes ancient wooden artifacts, information about traditional rites, rituals, stone implements, and items of archeological importance. It also houses a sizable collection of reproductions and photographs of rock art.
Places around Bhimtal:
Naukuchiatal is 4 km from Bhimtal. It is a lake having nine corners. Like Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal also has quiet verdant environs, which attracts the traveler to it. This tree-fringed lake is good for boating.
Sat Tal (literally seven lakes) is 7 km from Bhimtal. It is another important place to visit. Sat Tal was originally a cluster of seven lakes, out of which two have dried up. It is famous for fishing and boating. The densely wooded hills and little creeks along the shores of the lakes are a perennial attraction to the tourists. Godhakhel Temple is 3 km from Bhim Tal.
Near the Bhimeshwar temple is a small hill known as Garg Parvat, which is the source of river Gargi, also known as Gola Nadi in the region.
About 2 km from Bhimtal is Nal Damyanti Tal, a small natural lake. It is believed that the palace of famous king Nala drowned into this lake. It is a very sacred place for the dwellers of the region.
About 5 km from Bhimtal is a hill known as Hidimba Parvat. It gets its name from demon Hidimba of Mahabharata. Vankhandi Maharaj, a monk and environmentalist lives on the hill now, and has created a sanctuary for the wild animals around the hill. The area is known as Vankhandi Ashram.
The hill of Karkotaka is supposed to be named after Karkotaka, a mythical cobra. The hill is famous for its Nag temple in the region and on every Rishi Panchami thousands of people visit the temple and worship the Nag Karkotaka Maharaj. This is one of the famous nag temples situated in Uttarakhand region.
How to reach Bhimtal:
Air: Nearest airport is at Pantnagar (71 km), connected by air service with New Delhi.
Rail: The nearest railway station is Kathgodam (35 km). Kathgodam is connected directly by rail with Agra, Bareilly and Lucknow.
Road: Nainital is well connected with all major cities in northern India. Some of the road connections are Delhi via Hapur (316 km), Delhi via Meerut (336 km), Bombay (1729 km), Calcutta (1465 km), Madras (2690 km), Almora (66 km), Kausani (120 km), Kausani via Ranikhet (138 km), Ranikhet (59 km). Corbett Park (128 km), Badrinath via Almora (346 km), Badrinath via Bhowali-Ranikhet (340 km). Bareilly (140 km), Haridwar (310 km) and Dehradun (387 km).
Taxies: Available at Kathgodam and Nainital.
Local Transport: Rickshaws, Dandies and Cycle Rickshaws are available at Nainital. Poneis are also available for joy rides and rates are negotiable.
(Please note: The information on Bhimtal has been compiled from what we could lay our hands on while preparing for the trip)
