Nainital is a beautiful town and the headquarter of Nainital district in Uttarakhand state. The town is most known for its rich ecology and an immense religious significance. It is one of the 64 Shaktipeeths and the abode of mata Sati. Visit the religious city during next vacation and pick your choice from the best hotels in Nainital.
Nainital is a beautiful town situated on the hillocks of outer Himalayan Mountain Range. It is a popular hilly escapade from the chaos of the city life as well as the scorching heat of the plains. Set at an altitude of 2,084 meters above the sea level, the city is a tourist town and sees the influx of visitors almost year-long. The city falls under the province of Uttarakhand state and houses the headquarters of Nainital district. This makes the city significant across the region. Other than that, the city is perhaps the most developed town in the regions around. Tourism is the prime contributor to the city’s revenue. It is the chief industry and majority of commercial activities are dependent on it. The city is also an important religious place. It is one amongst the handful of holy Hindu cities that are situated at a height of 2,000 meters and above. The Nanda Devi Temple is the most revered religious shrine with the presiding deity of Mata Sati. The temple is considered to be one of the 64 Shaktipeeths that are scattered across India. Visiting the temple is one of the top itineraries amongst the visitors heading to Nainital.
Nainital derives its name based on a beautiful lake that exists in the midst of hills. Apparently, the shape of the lake resembles to the shape of an eye which is called Naina in Hindi. So, Nainital is the combination of Naina and Tal; tal is the Hindi version of lake. According to the most-popular belief, when Lord Shiva was carrying the lifeless body of Mata Sati, her eyes fell in the place where the lake exists today. It is thus the lake has a high religious significance and bathing in it is considered to be auspicious. Additionally, the lake is also popular for boating, watercraft rides, and jet skiing. The rising popularity of the lake for its water-based activities brings large number of tourists to the lake and today there are a number of privately owned boating clubs that offer boating and other water-based fun activities. The lakeside is the most commercialized area. It is here where exist most number of Nainital hotels, restaurants, shops, guesthouses, photography studios, adventure and tour companies.
Note that the credit for popularizing the town and bringing it into prominence goes to the British. During their colonial era, they not just colonized the town but also made several improvements that helped the city to gain its popularity as a beautiful hill-resort. They built churches, cathedrals, and schools. These old testaments are today the significant parts of Nainital tourism. A couple of prominent tourist attractions that are worth visiting include: China Peak, Hanumangarhi, Boat House Club, Astronomical Observatory, Bara Bazaar, Naina Devi Temple, Dorothy’s Seat, Nainital Zoo, Governor’s House, Lands End, Kilbury, and Eco Cave Gardens.
Since the city is small in area, exploring all of its attractions does not take long. Ideally, 3-4 days are sufficient to explore-experience every aspects of the city. However, if one still has some leisure time then checking out the nearby offbeat places in Uttarakhand will make their trip more fun and memorable.
