Ranikhet is a hill station and cantonment town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Ranikhet is at an altitude of 1829 metres above sea level and within sight of the western peaks of the Himalayas.
Ranikhet gets its name, which mean Queen's meadow in English, from a legend that an Indian queen visited the site and built herself a palace here, though no palace exists in the area. In 1869, the British established the headquarters of the Kumaon regiment here and used the station as a retreat from the heat of the Indian summer. Ranikhet becomes very cold in the winters and is moderate in summers.Ranikhet gets snowfall in the winter season, maily in the months of December, January and February. It offers a vast diversity of flora and fauna with vast forests of Pine and Deodar. One can see leopards in Ranikhet as well[citation needed].The local language of this town is Kumaoni.
Other Scenic Places nearby Ranikhet:
Bhalu Dam:
Bhalu Dam is an artificial lake on the Kosi River, about 3.2 km away from Ranikhet. This dam supplies Ranikhet with its water and is popular for fishing.
Jhoola Devi Ram Mandir:
7 kms from Ranikhet on the Ram Mandir route to Chaubatia.it is known for temples devoted to the Goddess Durga and Lord Rama.
Chaubatia:
Chaubatia means the place where four roads meet. Chaubatia is situated about 10 km to the south of Ranikhet. Chaubatia was originally a sanatorium for British troops, but it now houses the Government Fruit Garden and Research Station which grows 200 varieties of fruit. The Himalayan peaks can be seen very close from Chaubatia. A 3 km walk from Chaubatia leads to the artificial lake of Bhaludam.
Kalika:
1 kms golf maidan, known for its forest nursury and a temple dedicated to the Goddess Kali.
Tarikhet:
Tarikhet is situated about 8 km from Ranikhet. This place is famous for the Gandhi Kuti, a small hut in which Gandhiji once stayed, and the highly venerated temple of Golu Devta.
By Air: The nearest airport from Ranikhet is at Pant Nagar.
By Rail: The nearest railheads from Ranikhet is at Kathgodam at a distance of 84 km.
By Road: Ranikhet is well connected by surface transport with Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, Ramnagar, Moradabad and Delhi.
Road Distances (Some important distances are: Kathgodam 80 km)
Nainital 54 km
Almora 49 km
Bareilly 181 km
Delhi 340 km
Karnaprayag 136 km.
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