Ranikhet is a popular picturesque hill station situated in Uttarakhand. This popular hill station is located in Almora district. Ranikhet, also known as Queen`s Field, is considered as a divine and holy place that offers beautiful and clear panoramic views to the travellers. The marvellous pine trees, apple orchards, extravagant greenery, vivid life, the undulating mountains and the rivers flowing in wavy motion integrate together to form the splendid beauty of Ranikhet. Ranikhet is also renowned as the abode of Gods because of the several legends that has taken place in this holy land.
History of Ranikhet
Ranikhet is said to have got its name through a popular legend of Rani Padmini, Queen of Raja Sudhardev who became fond of this awestruck scenic beauty and designated this place as her place of residence. Since then this place came to be known as Ranikhet or the Queen`s Field. When she decided to stay here, she built a beautiful palace for her residence, today this palace is known as the Ranikhet Club. After her rule, the Britishers came to this place and preferred this place for the British troops and established the Kumaon regimental centre in 1869. Now it is the Head Quarter of Kumaon regimental centre. The Kumaon Regimental Centre Museum and Memorial are some of the places that are regarded as jewels of Ranikhet.
Geography of Ranikhet
Ranikhet positioned at an altitude of 1,869 metres offers a clear picturesque view of the snow-clad mountains, abundant green forests and the aromatic apple orchards make the atmosphere pleasing and filed with ecstasy. Ranikhet is positioned at 29 degree 65 minutes north and 79 degree 42 minutes east. Ranikhet is spread across two ridgelines, first one is known as the Ranikhet ridge that is located at an altitude of 5,983 feet and the second one is known as Chaubattia ridge that is located at an elevation of 6,942 feet. The atmosphere of this cantonment town remains pleasant throughout the year. However, winter season becomes extremely cold while the summer season remains quite moderate. Thus, the best season to visit Ranikhet is in between March to October. This hill station also gets snowfall during the winters especially in the months of December, January and February. Through July and August, Ranikhet experiences heavy rainfalls because of the influence of south western monsoons.
Tourism in Ranikhet
Ranikhet offers a memorable and enriched travelling experience. The tranquillity and serene atmosphere of this hill station leaves the spectator enchanted. It is just 60 kilometres away from Nainital. Ranikhet is enclosed by the shimmering mountains which are always covered by white sheets of snow. There are several popular visiting places in and around Ranikhet. Some of the places worth visiting in Ranikhet are Golf course, Kalika temple, Jhula-Devi temple, Chaubattia garden, Hairakhan temple, Binsar Mahadev, Dronagiri, Bajinath temple, Katarmal (Sun temple) and Chamarkhan.
Visiting Information
The nearest airport is Pant Nagar, Nainital at a distance of 114 kms. During the summer, flights link other places with Nainital and in turn Ranikhet. The nearest railway station is Kathgodam situated at a distance of 82 km. The excellent road network connects Ranikhet with other important cities. Regular bus services are available from Ranikhet to Nainital, Almora, Kathgodam and Kausani.
