Nainital, the lovely Lake City of India

Nainital is bustling Kumaon’s largest town centred on a deep, green volcanic lake. It is also a favourite place of holiday goers and famous hill resort of Northern India. Namesake lake Naini is the centre point surrounded by a bustling town and steep forested valley. The place is dotted with plenty hotels, shops and many food joints.  The home of Jim Corbett, the place was once teemed with bears, leopards and other animals. Now, forests and animals are abysmally thinned down but the charm is surprisingly still there.

For travellers who want to go further uphill, Nainital offers a nice relaxation where they can eat well, relax well, paddling on the lake, lazy horse riding and enjoy the ropeway. Nainital is packed with families and honeymooners during May to early October and hotel prices skyrocket. The lake is divided into two parts: foot and head. The foot is called Tallital, the south-eastern end of the lake where the main bus stand is located. The head is called Mallital at the northwestern end of the lake. You find most of the hotels, restaurants, guest houses in between foot and head. 

Naini Lake is the centrepiece of the town and believed sacred by Hindus. Legend says the lake is actually emerald green eyes of Sati (Lord Shiva’s wife). Many Hindus visit Naini Devi Temple at the northern end of the lake where it is said the spot where the eyes were fallen when Lord Vishnu chopped off corpse of Sati. Religious harmony is demonstrated by a Jama Masjid and Gurudwara built nearby. The southern side is more peaceful and you can have a full view of the town.

You can also hire a boatman and enjoy the rowing on the lake. 4km gentle trek to Tiffin Top (also called Dorothy’s Seat) leads you to the highest point of the town. From there you can walk through a forest of oak, deodar and pine to reach Land’s End.

Divine retribution for human encroachment, but Kedarnath temple survived flood

“Yes this is a message from above. The message is in the destruction that rained from the skies. The message is in the temple standing intact after all that,” said Shashidharlinga swami, one of the main priests of the famous Kedarnath temple.

Along with other priests, he said that the space of 80m should be left vacant at three sides and in front it must have 150m of free space, but human encroachment through shops, dharamshala, hotels, guesthouse, restaurant etc. had taken away the space. He remembered and lamented about a time when people could see the temple from 3km away but now this encroachment made it impossible to see anything. 

He further said temple was not broken because Lord Shiva didn’t want to break devotees’ spirit, so all else wiped clean but temple still remains there.

Well, this is the version of religion, the simple reason of faith why Kedarnath temple stands still and everything else is destroyed. However, scientific mind doesn’t want to listen to faith; it demands logic, some reasons that satisfy their own questioning. 

Climate change in Himalayan terrain in last one decade is quite evident with the occasional flood, landslides and tumultuous weather. The hill slopes are rapidly converting into concrete jungle, destruction of watersheds of the rivers; deforestation and environmental degradation in the ecologically sensitive regions have created an imbalance.

Archaeological researchers have found that the Kedarnath temple survival in midst of terrible devastation, especially in that particular region is the combination of traditional wisdom with ecological sensitivity of ancient architects. Apart from religious significance the temple stands as a symbol and tribute to ancient Indian architectural and civil engineering wisdom.

From choice of location to build the platform, building material and design, everything was well-thought process. The temple is built by heavy polished stone slabs without any mortar. ‘Man-woman’ type joints were used to assimilate the building structure. 

In Kedarnath a wave 40-feet high engulfed the temple and flowed away, but it stood still. The water destroyed surrounding area, the stairs and everything around it. Kedarnath temple endured this heavy rush of water because of a strong stone plinth, especially built in this sensitive mountainous region to bear the whims of nature. 

This devastation is an eye-opener to people, showing how climate change could affect Himalayan regions, not sparing even ancient pilgrimages. The destruction by landslides, flood and mudflow took away buildings built illegally without any concern for environment, but Kedarnath temple survived.

Science and religion always have antagonistic approach, but today these two philosophies agree at one point – Do not take nature as granted.