Lansdowne

A Quaint Small Town of Unspoilt Beauty

The Beautiful town of Lansdowne is situated at an elevation of 1780mt. above sea level. It is South of Pauri enroute Kotdwar and is surrounded by thick oak and blue pine forests offering great mountain views. It is a charming place for a quite holiday as it is devoid of the usual hustle and bustle of other hill stations in Uttarakhand. Landdowne was originally a popular hill station with the Britishers. Attracted by its salubrious climate and natural beauty, they established a cantonment here. It was founded by the, then Viceroy Lord Lansdowne in 1887AD, thus the place has been named after him. The famous Garhwal Rifles of the Indian Army hat its command office here.

What to See

Lansdowne is a cantonment town, which is still the recruiting centre for the Garhwal Rifles.

The Garhwal Rifles Regimental War Memorial:  The War Memorial at Lansdowne was unveiled on a suitable vantage point on the Armistice Day (11 November 1923) by his excellency Lord Rawlinson of Trent, the then Commander in Chief of India. Located at the Parade Ground is a major attraction which attracts tourists from all over India and the world. The forests here are lovely, dark and deep, just ideal for those long walks and picnics. You can enjoy amazing views of the Western Himalayas from a number of vantage points like Snow View and Tip-in-Top.

Garhwali Mess: This mess was build in 188 which subsequently became the present Mess in 1892. It is one of the oldest buildings in Landsdowne and speaks volumes of heritage and a very high quality of maintenance.

Regimental Museum: A motivational hall was inaugurated at Lansdowne in 1983 to display the rare collections of Garhwal Rifles over the period of 119 years.

The Regimental Temple: To suitably honour and match the deep religious feelings of wondrous Garhwali troops and also as tribute to the wonderful Dev-Bhoomi, the work to renovate and beautify the old Regimental was undertaken on 01 April 1913.

Kaleshwar Mandir: It is the oldest temple building of Lansdowne and is believed to be 500 years old. When the Garhwal Rifles reached Lansdowne on 04 November 1887, the site had only the idol of Lord Shiva. The temple now draws lots of civilian devotees and is deeply worshiped by locals and villagers who flock it frequently specially on ‘Shivratri’.

St. Marry’s Church: Construction of St. Marry Church began in 1895 by Colonel (then Lieutenant) A.H.B Hume of Royal Engineers and was completed in 1896. St. Marry’s Church fell into disuse after 1947 and gradually began deteriorate. The building has now been independence photographs and audio visual display of Regimental history.

St. Jhon’s Church: On the Mall, the Roman Catholic Church (now St. John’s Church), situated just above the road on the spur below the Forest bungalow was completed in situated just above the road on the spur below the forest bungow was completed in 1934. It reopened on November 29th 1980. From then St. John’s Church became the only Church of worship in Lansdowne and continues till date.

Bhulla Tal: Name Bhulla means younger brother in Garhwali language and is dedicated to the young Garhwali youth of the Garhwal Rifles who contributed their services day and night in its construction without any Government funds. The boating facilities are also available and the areas around the lakes formed by the dams have been beautiflied. A children park, bamboo machan (tree house) and fountains have been erected as part of entertainment and beautiflication of pristine surroundings.

Tin-in-Ton: Tip-in-Top is a popular vantage point amongst the tourists visiting Lansdowne. It is on the ridge close to St. Marry’s Church. One can plan a trek on a bright sunny day to feel the glorious view of the Himalayas, which is unforgettably inchanting.

Beyond Lansdowne

Kotdwar: Kotdwar is a biggest business township, situated at the border of Uttarakhan and Uttar Pradesh, on the foothills of lush green Shivalik range of Himalayas, locked by hills from three sides. The name Kotdwar indicates the gateway (dwar) to the Abode of God (Dev Bhoomi). It is situated on the banks of three seasonal rivers namely Khoh, Malini and Sukhro. This area was the place of meditation for many sages and rishis. Ashram of Karnav Rishi is situated at the banks of Malini River and is about 13km. from the main town. Other famous temples are Sidhbali Mandir and Durga Devi. People from all over India come to pay visit to these temple, especially Sidhbali Mandir.

Kotdwar is also known for its distinguished Public Sector Unit, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Kotdwar can be accessed from Delhi by train (distance about 240km) or by road (distance about 210km). Train such as Mussoorie Express and Garhwal Express are available from old Delhi Railway Station. A computerized railway reservation centre is available here. Bus services from Uttarakhand Roadways and UP roadways can be used from Kashmiri Gate ISBT, though for some time the UP roadways is running its operations from Kaushambi, near Anand Vihar ISBT.

Bharat Nagar: 22km. from Kotdwar and a height of 1,400mt. Bharat Nagar abounds in immense natural beauty. It is mentioned in the ancient Hindu Texts that once this place was full of life giving herbs. One can have a beautiful view of the Balawali bridge of Ganga, Kalagarh dam and Kotdwar town.

Kanvashram: Situated on the bank of river Malini at a distance of 14km. from Kotdwar. It is believed that Stage Vishwamitra meditated here. Indra the king of Gods, was scared by his instance meditation, and sent a beautiful heavenly damsel named Menka to disturb him. Menka finally succeeded in diverting Vishwamitra’s attention. After giving birth to a girl she went back to Bharat, the prince after whom our country is called BHARAT. Accommodation is available at Tourist Complex, Kanvashram.

Durga Devi Temple: The temple at a distance of 24km. from the town is revered by the locals, It’s situated on the banks of Khoh river. The temple itself is inside a cave. Deep inside is a shivling, thronged by hundreds on Shivratri. Simply and out of the world experience!

Trekking Routes:  A large number of interesting scenic trekking routes exist in and around Lansdowne. They are as follow:

Tarkeshwar Mahadev: It is an ancient Lord Shiva Temple which is a beautiful picnic spot surrounded by thick Cedar trees. It is located 38km away a height of 180mt. to the North East of Lansdowne on road Lansdowne-Deriakhal.

Bhairav Garhi: A conical shaped hill approximately 1830mt. high is situated near Gumkhal and it Overlook Eastern Nayar River. This is a historical feature where a pitched battle was fought between British and Gorkha troops in the year 1814.

Rathi Point Trek: Planning trek in the early hours of the day of Rathi Point gives one opportunity of having a look of beautiful sun rise. It is a beautiful site to watch the sun peeping from behind the Himalayan mountain regions. In this trek one can encounter herds of Monkey and Apes (Langoors). The trek is covered by splendid wild flowers and rhododendron trees.

Deriakhal Trek: This provides and excellent view of the valley which lies east of Jaiharikhal village. The trek passes along the picturesque village of Deriakhal with terraced fields, gay with life which present a glance of Garhwale culture. Entire distance on this trek is approximately 8.6km.

Hawaghar Trek: Trek to Hawaghar passes through Khyber pass along the road to Jaiharikhal. The walk is very refreshing with the view of snow covered peaks of Himalayas in the North East.

How to Reach

Air: The nearest Airport is Jolly Grant (145km).

Rail: The nearest railhead for Lansdowne is Kotdwar (45km).

Road: Landsdowne is also linked by a motorable road to almost all the important cities in Uttarakhand.

The place is 240kms. Away from Delhi,150km. from Dehradun and 95km. from Haridwar.

 Where to Stay

• GMVN (Heritage House)
• GMVN Tourist Rest House
• PWD Inspection Bungalow
• Army Welfare Board Rest House
• Uttarakhand Forest Department Base Camp
• Fairy Date Hotel
• Hotel Mayur
• Blue Pine
• Ananda Resort, Tip-n-Tip (View Point)
• Hotel Tourist
• Tourist Rest House, Malini Tourist Complex
• Tourist Rest House Karnav Ashram
• Hotel Ambey
• Bharat Bhoomi
• Shakti Rest House
• Hotel Raj
• Hotel Dev Vani