The city of beautiful temples and shrines, Kotdwar is known for being one of the most popular names in Uttarakhand. There are many villages attached to this place, among them, many of them have been under the scanner of moderate development. What makes Kotdwar special is, the place not just retains its serenity while treading the path of development, but is found in the history of India for many memorable firsts in the city. As the first passenger train started in 1901 from here. The stationhere, is one of the oldest stations in India. It is developed and maintained since the British era. This place acts as the entrance to the mighty Himalayas. There are legends being wrapped around this place. Situated near the banks of the water body,makes the place more scenic.
The NH119, enters Kotdwar, linking it to many of the major cities of Uttarakhand. It is a small region covering places like Sitabpur, Johnpur, Janaki Nagar and Kashiram Talla. The station is located in the centre of the city, many of the trains reaches this destination, as tourism is a progressive in the town. There are a Garhwal Talkies in the city for entertainment of people. The locals make sure, you stay there safely and is memorable too. It is no more the Kotdwar you once knew, there has been an immense development with time and things have changed for real there. The markets are offering updated products as the transport has improved, roads are less clogged and danger prone.
If you have been considering the city really small, you would be shocked to know, that is not the case. This is proved by the large number of accommodation options the city offers to the tourist. There are many renowned and affordable hotels in Kotdwar. Some of them are Hotel Park Grand, Hotel Sunshine, Hotel Hill View, Trilok Hotel, Hotel Ambey, Hotel Urvashi, Raj Hotel and Shri Gocind Highway Motel. There are others as well, which are popular there in among the storing tourist every yearRio Resort, Hotel Surya Plaza, Lans Castle, Blue Pine Resort, Hotel Shantiraj Hill View etc. You may take aid of the small scale hotels as well, the service would be cordial in most of them as the locals are cooperative and takes up tourism seriously.
If you ask someone among the locals, the first thing they will ask you is to visit the famous Sidhbali Temple. The signatureof Kotdwar. It is a historic temple, holds a great value in the mythological books, and has been mentioned in many of the religious texts as well. The temple belongs to Lord Hanuman!
The name suggests which God is hidden in the treasure of Koteshwar temple. It is of Lord Shiva and has many folklore attachedto it. Celebrities often visit this place. It is believed, the temple complete wishes, which one asks for!
Kanvashram which is a prehistoric ashram of the famous Karnav Rishi, is a boon to Kotdwar, that is what people there believe. It is located at the distance of 12kms from Kotdwar. The place is on the banks of the Malini River. This is the sameriver which has found its mention in the renowned literary epic Abhijnana Shakuntalam by Kalidasa.
A temple belonging to the Shakti clan of the religious sects in India. During Shivratri, the place is filled with devotees from far and wide, seeking blessings and recluse in the solace of nature. The temple is decorated and the idol of Goddess Durgawhich is inside the temple, is decorated during those times.
What makes the city unusually attractive, is this age old church found in between the city’s tangling. The peaceful nature in the place attracts people from various communities. The church is among one of the largest churches in Asia. It has history behind the construction and is a popular building in the city, being huge and archaic in structure.
Other than these Kalagarh and Landsdowne are some of the other common places around Kotdwar which are visited by people, once they start the Uttarakhand travel! RamNagar is yet another picturesque place, quaint in true sense.
While Relish restaurant and Taste Restaurant may give you a warm welcome of the westernised style of Kotdwar. There are many of the food outlets spread across the city. The local food is also served at some of the food eateries. Negi’s, My Choice, Ambience Garden and Mithas are truly the interesting ones. You can seek guidance from the locals and hotel owners as to what is special and truly localised in taste. Savour the beauty of the mighty Himalayas, which you may not get later in Plains.
The locals feel there is a surge to start education in a more managed way in the city. But there are still few schools which saves the name of the city, in the name of education. To name some are:
The government colleges are spread in the region for the higher education. Locals have the concern of lack of quality education in the region, while the government is trying to motivate many organisations, to move towards the hills.
The impending projects of private colleges and many schools are pipelined since a long time.
Due to presence of rivers, forests and steep hills, thunderstorm and heavy rains are usual in the area. The summer is notaggressive and keeps the environs bearable. During winters the hills get real cosy and chilly too. Though the cold is tolerable. In summers, the temperature may hit the 30 degrees bar but that is rarely a chance. The locals keep up with nature as much as they can.There are many village nearby and people are closely attached to their lands in the area. The propensity of the locals to stay within the parametersof their areas, is acceptable as the conditions are pretty good indeed.
With the rise in tousim in the state, Kotdwar also comes among the common favourites of the travel buggers!
If you are travelling to hills, you must stay prepared with many things. But troubles come when you are least prepared, thusmay be a list of Banks and Hospitals in the area may come as a useful material for the travellers in the area.
It would be easy to search the ATMs now for the related banks.
There are others as well, small clinics. Many of the doctors are well qualified and settled there to help their hometown healthy and frisk! You can rely on them!!
The world is small and the time of existence is limited too, thus utilise the limited time to travel the hills of Uttarakhandstate, especially Kotdwar. The city is small, newly developed, filled with the love of the locals and the dedication of the administration to make the city more hospitable.
#The city of Solace!
