Nainital
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nainital (29° 24' N, 79° 28' E) is a town in the Indian state of Uttaranchal and headquarters of Nainital District in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalaya. Situated at an altitude of 1938 m (6,350 ft) above sea-level, Nainital is set in a valley containing a pear-shaped lake, approximately 2 miles in circumference, and surrounded by mountains, of which the highest are Naina (2615 m) on the north, Deopatha (2438 m) on the west, and Ayarpatha (2278 m) on the south. From the tops of the higher peaks, "magnificent views can be obtained of the vast plain to the south, or of the mass of tangled ridges lying north, bounded by the great snowy range which forms the central axis of the Himalayas."[1]
Nainital has temperate summers (maximum temperature 27°C, or 80°F; minimum temperature 10°C, or 50°F) during which its population increases more than five fold with an annual influx of tourists predominantly from the plains of Northern India. In the winter, Nainital receives snowfall between December and February with the temperatures varying between a maximum of 15°C (59°F) and a minimum of -3°C (26°F).
As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Nainital had a population of 38,559. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Nainital has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86%, and female literacy is 76%. In Nainital, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
| Nainital. | |
  Nainital.
|
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| State - District(s) |
Uttaranchal - Nainital |
| Coordinates | |
| Area - Elevation |
11.73 km² - 1,938 m |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Population (2001) - Density |
38,560 - 3827/km² |
Contents |
[edit] Nainital in Mythology
It is believed that Nainital figures in some ancient myths of India. In the Manas Khand of the Skand Puran, Nainital Lake is called Tri-Rishi-Sarovar, hinting at the story of three sages (or rishis), Atri, Pulastya and Pulaha, who, upon finding no water in Naintal, dig a large hole at the location of the present day lake (sarovar = lake) and fill it with water from the holy lake Manasarovar in Tibet. According to lore, a dip in Naini Lake, "the lesser Manasarovar," earns merit equal to a dip in the great lake.
It is also believed that Naini Lake is one of the 64 Shakti Peeths, or religious sites where parts of the charred body of Sati (Parvati) fell on earth while being carried by Lord Shiva. The spot where Sati's eyes (or Nain) fell, came to be called Nain-tal or [lake of the eye.] The goddess Shakti is worshipped at the Naina Devi Temple on the north shore of the present day lake.
[edit] British Period
[edit] Early Construction
The Kumaon Hills came under British rule after the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-16), but the hill station town of Naini Tal was founded only in 1841, with the construction of the first European house by P. Barron, a sugar trader from Shahjahanpur. In his memoir, he wrote: "It is by far the best site I have witnessed in the course of a 1,500 miles trek in the Himalayas."[2] In 1846, when a Captain Madden of the Bengal Artillery visited Naini Tal, he recorded that "houses were rapidly springing up in most parts of the settlement: some towards the crest of the limitary ranges were nearly 7,500 feet above sea level: the rugged and woody Ayarpatta was being gradually planted and that the favourite sites were on the undulating tract of forest land which stretched back from the head of the lake to the base of China and Deopatta (Camel's Hump). The Church, St. John in the Wilderness, had been built, ..."[3] Soon, the town became a health resort favoured both by British soldiers and by colonial officials and their families trying to escape the heat of the plains. Later, the town also became the summer residence of the Governor of the United Provinces.
[edit] The Landslip of 1880
In September 1880 a landslide (the Landslip of 1880) occurred at the north end of the town, burying 151 people. The first known landslide had occurred in 1866, and in 1879 there was a larger one at the same spot, Alma Hill, but "the great slip occurred in the following year, on Saturday 18th September 1880."[3] "Two days preceding the slip there was heavy rain, ... 20 to 25 inches fell during the 40 hours ending on Saturday morning, and the downpour still lasted and continued for hours after the slip. This heavy fall naturally brought down streams of water from the hill side, some endangering the Victoria Hotel, ... (which) was not the only building threatened ... Bell's shop, the Volunteer Orderly Room and the Hindu (Naina Devi) temple were scenes of labour with a view to diverting streams. At a quarter to two the landslip occurred burying those in and around the buildings mentioned above." The total number of dead and missing were 108 Indian and 43 British nationals. (See poem by #Hannah Battersby below.) The Assembly Rooms and the Naina Devi Temple were both destroyed in the disaster. A recreation area known as 'The Flats' was later built on the site and a new temple was also erected. To prevent further disasters, storm water drains were constructed and building byelaws were made stricter.
[edit] The Schools
In the latter half of the 19th century a number of "European" schools for boys and girls were founded in Nainital. During the Victorian and Edwardian eras, students in these schools consisted largely of children of British colonial officials or soldiers. In 1906, for example, there were over half a dozen such schools,[3] including the Diocesan Boys' School (later renamed Sherwood College) under the guidance of the Church of England; Philander Smith's College, maintained by an American Mission; St. Joseph's College a Roman Catholic institution, Wellesley School and American institution; St. Mary's Convent High School, a Roman Catholic institution; All Saints Diocesan High School for Girls, under the Church of England, and Petersfield College for Girls.
In the 1920s and 30s, the schools began to admit more Indian students. This trend continued until independence, by when the student bodies had become predominantly Indian, although in many cases greatly reduced in size.
[edit] Transition
By the 1880s, a mere 40 years after its founding, Nainital had become something of an exclusive English preserve, with the Indian presence in the town confined largely to a behind-the-scenes labour and service industry, or to the occasional prince. This state of affairs lasted for much of the Victorian era. The first signs of change came early in the 20th century, when Indian bureaucrats and professionals began arriving in town as a part of the annual migration of the state government of the United Provinces to Naintal every summer. The next big change came in 1925, when British civil servants began to receive subsidies for taking their annual vacations in England,[4] and, consequently, many stopped going to the hill stations in the summers. From then on until 1947 (excepting the war years), the British presence in Nainital (measured, for example, by home ownership) continued to decline and was gradually replaced by a burgeoning Indian presence.
[edit] Nainital Today
[edit] Places of Tourist Interest
[edit] In and Around Nainital
- Naina Devi Temple. The temple, destroyed by the Landslip of 1880 and later rebuilt, is located on the northern shore of Naini Lake. The presiding deity of the temple is Maa Naina Devi represented by two Netras or eyes. Flanking Naina Devi are the deities of Mata Kali and Lord Ganesh.
- St. John in the Wilderness, established in 1844, is located on the north end of town (Mallital), about half a mile north-west of the Naina Devi temple. The church was so named by Daniel Wilson, the Bishop of Calcutta, who, after falling ill during a visit to Nainital in 1844 to lay the foundation of the church, was obliged to sleep in an unfinished house on the edge of the forest. (See excerpt from Josiah Bateman in the #Nainital in Literature section.) A brass plaque on the altar is inscribed with names of the victims of the Landslip of 1880.
- Governor’s House (also Raj Bhavan), formerly, Government House was built in 1899 and designed in the Victorian Gothic domestic style (also called "domestic Gothic") by the architect F.W. Stevens. Originally built as the summer residence of the governor of the North West Province, it later became the summer residence for the Lieutenant Governor of the United Provinces. Currently, Raj Bhavan is the official guest house for the governor of Uttaranchal and for visiting state guests. The complex consists of a two-storied mansion with 113 rooms, a large garden, a swimming pool, and golf links. Obtaining prior permission is must for visiting.
- Snow View (altitude 2270 m.), located atop the Sher-ka-danda Ridge (north by north-east of the town centre), is easily reachable by a cable car. On a clear day, it offers spectacular views of the snowbound high Himalaya, including Nanda Devi, Trisul, and Nanda Kot. The best time of the year for viewing the mountains is late October and November.
- Naina (also China, also Cheena) Peak. Naina peak is the highest peak in the town, with an altitude of 2615 m. and at a walking distance of 6 km from north end of the town (Mallital). From atop the peak, one cannot only see a broad swath of the snow clad high Himalaya, but also obtain a panoramic view of Nainital town itself. The summit is an invigorating hike from Nainital town; in addition, for the less energetic visitors, ponies can be hired in Mallital or on Snow View.
- Tiffin Top (also Dorothy's Seat). (Tiffin = light meal eaten during the day.) This terraced hill top (altitude 2292 m.) on Ayarpatta hill is a 4 km hike from the town centre and commands a nice view of the neighboring country side. Dorothy's Seat is a stonework picnic perch on Tiffin Top built as a memorial to an English artist, Dorothy Kellet, by her husband and admirers after her death in a plane crash.
- The High Court of Uttaranchal (formerly The Old Secretariat)
- Laria Kanta.
- Land's End.
- High Altitude Zoo.
- Gurney House, the former house, of Jim Corbett, is located on Ayarpatta Hill. The house is now a museum of Corbett memorabilia. The surrounding hillside is rich with deodar, oak, pine and rhododendron.
[edit] Outside Nainital
- Jim Corbett National Park (29°32'N, 78°56'E) Nainital district is home to India's oldest national park, the Corbett National Park. The park, which is 63 km. west by north-west of Nainital, contains a wide variety of wild life including elephant, tiger, chital, sambar, nilgai, gharial, King Cobra, muntjac, wild boar, hedgehog, common musk shrew, flying fox, Indian Pangolin, and nearly 600 species of birds.
- Mukteshwar (2286 m. or 7,500 ft), a picturesque town 52 km north-east of Nainital, is home to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute. It also offers an unhindered view of the high mountains of the western Himalaya, including Nanda Devi, Trishul, and Nanda Kot.
- Bhim Tal is a lake named after the second Pandava brother Bhima in the Mahabharata who was known for his prodigious strength. The lake, which is larger than Naini Lake, is approximately 22 km from Nainital at an altitude of 1370 m. There is an island in the lake with a popular restaurant on it. There is also a 17th century temple complex, the Bhimeshwar, alongside a 40 feet high dam at one end of the lake.
- Saat Tal (literally Seven Lakes) is at a distance of about 23 km. from Nainital at an altitude of 1370 m. It is a cluster of small interconnected lakes in the midst of an old oak forest. On approaching Sattal, the first lake encountered is the Nal-Damyanti Lake; next it is the Panna or Garude lake; and finally there is a cluster of three lakes: Ram, Laxman, and Sita lakes.
- Khurpa Tal (literally Trowel Lake) is an attractive lake about 10 km. by road (or a 5 km. hike) from Nainital at an altitude of 1635 m. It is popular with anglers and is surrounded by terraced fields (or farms), from which it presumably gets its name.
- Naukuchia Tal (literally, Nine-Cornered Lake) is 26 km from Nainital and 4 km from Bhimtal at an altitude of 1220 m. The lake is almost 1 km long, half a kilometre wide and approximately 40 m. deep. It is the deepest of the lakes in the greater Naintal area. According to legend, if one takes in all nine corners in one glimpse, one can disappear in a cloud of smoke.
- Hanuman Garhi (also Hanuman Garh), altitude 1951 m. The temple complex is about 3.5 km from the Tallital (South End) bus stop. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Hanuman, the vanara god of the Ramayana, and he is depicted tearing open his chest to reveal Rama and Sita in his heart. Hanuman Garhi is also known for its spectacular views of the setting sun.
- Ranikhet.
- Bageshwar.
- Almora.
[edit] Educational and Research Institutions
[edit] The Schools
For well over a century, Nainital has been known for its many schools. Four schools from the British period continue to exist today: Sherwood College [1], established 1867; All Saints' College[2], established 1869; St. Mary's Convent High School [3], established 1878; and St. Joseph's College[4], established 1888. In addition, a number of new schools have been established since independence: Birla Vidyamandir [5], established 1947; Sanwal School, established in the 1940s in Mallital; Sainik School, established 1966; St. Amtuls Public School, established 1983; Parvati Sah Prema Jagati Saraswati Vihar, established 1983; and Oakwood School, established 1989. [6]
[edit] Kumaon University
Nainital is home to one of the two campuses of Kumaon University [7] (the other being Almora). The university was founded in 1973 when it incorporated the Dan Singh Bisht (DSB) Government College (commonly called "the Degree College"), which had been founded in 1951, with the mathematician Dr. A.N. Singh as its first principal.
[edit] ARIES (State Observatory)
The 50-year old State Observatory at Nainital was reborn in 2004 as ARIES, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational-SciencES, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. The Observatory, which had come into existence in Varanasi in 1954, was moved the following year to Nainital, under its more transparent skies. In 1961 it was moved once again to its present location—Manora Peak (altitude 1951 m.) —a few kms south of the Nainital town. ARIES's main objective is to provide national optical observing facilities for research in astronomy, astrophysics, and the atmospheric sciences.
[edit] Environmental Degradation
In recent years, academics, geologists, concerned citizens and the judiciary have become alarmed at the rate of new construction in Nainital and its effect on the Naini lake. As a result, efforts have been undertaken to check the deterioration of the lake and its surrounding ecosystem. Desilting of the lake and afforestation of the catchment area have been initiated; however these measures have not been sufficient to cope with the ever increasing pressure on its fragile ecosystem. The number of tourists, and with them the number of vehicles entering the town, is rapidly increasing and this, if not checked, could turn Nainital into a disfigured and despoiled town.
For example, it has been noticed that hundreds of fish die in Naini Lake every winter, the last such event having occurred in January 2006. Naini Lake is 20 meters deep, but, according to experts, the level of oxygen in the hypolimnic layer (the bottom, colder, stagnant, and constant temperature layer) is much lower than is required to sustain fish—and this is mostly due to pollution, which includes illegal dumping of garbage. The problem gets exacerbated during winters when the polluted and nearly anoxic (i.e. lacking oxygen) water from the bottom, moves up to the surface on account of the lower temperature of the surface water. Fish die due to low oxygen content in this altered surface water. According to Rakesh Kumar, once District Magistrate of Nainital, "The main problem is trying to siphon off the water from the hypolimnic layer, six metres from the bottom of the lake. Once that is done, we can increase the oxygen content in the lake using aeration methods. That is the only permanent solution."
[edit] Nainital in Literature
Among the authors who referred to Nainital in their writings were Rudyard Kipling, Munshi Premchand, Yashpal, Jainendra Kumar and Jim Corbett.
[edit] Famous people with links to Nainital
- Elsie Inglis – pioneer Scottish woman physician and social reformer, founder of The Hospice (a maternity hospital for poor women in Edinburgh) and the Scottish Women's Suffragette Federation. Born, Nainital, August 16, 1864.
- Jim Corbett – expert hunter of man-eating tigers, author, conservationist, and namesake of Jim Corbett National Park, India's first national park. Born, Nainital July 25, 1875.
- Percy Hobart – British major general and military engineer, armoured warfare expert; responsible for Hobart's Funnies during the Battle of Normandy, commander of British 79th Armoured Division during World War II. Born, Nainital, June 14, 1885
- Govind Ballabh Pant – prominent leader of India's independence movement, first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Home Minister of India.
- Orde Charles Wingate – British general and commander of the Chindits in Burma during World War II. Born, Nainital, February 26, 1903.
- Sam Manekshaw – Indian Army Chief of Staff during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Attended Sherwood College Nainital.
- Som Nath Sharma - India's first Param Vir Chakra award winner. Attended Sherwood College, Nainital
- Narayan Dutt Tiwari – prominent Indian leader and politician, current Chief Minister of Uttaranchal and former Finance Minister of India. Born, village Baluti, district Nainital, October 18, 1925
- Amitabh Bachchan – Bollywood actor. Attended Sherwood College, Nainital.
- Naseeruddin Shah – Art films and Bollywood actor. Attended St. Joseph's College, Nainital.
[edit] Notes and References
- Bateman, Josiah (1860), The Life of The Right Rev. Daniel Wilson, D.D., Late Lord Bishop of Calcutta and Metropolitan of India, Volume II, John Murray, Albemarle Street, London.
- Corbett, Jim (1944 (2002)), Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Oxford India Reprint
- Corbett, Jim (1948 (2002)), The Man Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag, Oxford India Reprint
- Corbett, Jim (1954 (2002)), The Temple Tigers and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon, Oxford India Reprint
- Fayrer, Joseph (1900), Recollections of my life, William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh and London
- Imperial Gazeteer of India (1908), Imperial Gazeteer of India, Volume 18, pp. 322-323., Oxford University Press, Oxford and London
- Kennedy, Dane (1996), The Magic Mountains: Hill Stations and the British Raj, University of California Press, Berkeley, Los Angeles, and Oxford. 264 pages.
- Kipling, Rudyard (1889), The Story of the Gadsbys, Macmillan and Company, London
- Kipling, Rudyard (1895), Under the Deodars, Macmillan and Company, London
- McLaren, Eva Shaw (1920), Elsie Inglis: The Woman with the Torch, Macmillan and Company, New York
- M'Crindle, J.W. (1901), Ancient India: As Described in Classical Literature, Archibald Constable & Company, Westminister
- Murphy, C.W. (1906), A Guide to Naini Tal and Kumaun, Allahbad, United Provinces
- … (1880), Penny Illustrated Paper, October 2, 1880, London
- Pilgrim, (P. Barron) (1844), Notes on Wanderings In the Himmala, containing descriptions of some of the grandest scenary of the snowy range, among others of Naini Tal, Agra Akhbaar Press, Agra
- Premchand, Munshi (1921), Godaan (The Gift of the Cow: A Translation by Gordon C. Roadarmel), Indiana University Press
