Ramgarh - serenity in kumaon hills

Ramgarh is a lesser visited hill station of Uttarakhand and is the perfect place for those looking for quieter holidays in an idyllic setting. I had been to Ramgarh around 15 years back -that time we had stayed at Bhowali, a sleepy little, largely untouched place, with fresh, pure mountain air (Bhowali is about 15 km downhill from Ramgarh). Not surprisingly, one could understand why during British times, patients came to Bhowali for convalescing for its invigorating environs were considered therapeutic. It is not bitingly cold in winters yet very pleasant in summers. The T.B.sanatorium here was built in 1912, which I made it a point to visit because at one time my grandmother had stayed there for a month (I had heard from my mother that my grandma had been suspected of suffering from TB and was sent here to recuperate and further that the whole extended family stayed put in Bhowali for a couple of months and had a blast).

I remember a stream running right besides our Guest House in Bhowali and both my kids would love going down there to float their paper boats. From the bay windows of the guest house, one was mesmerized by a magnificent morning view - just beyond the stream were the mountains which were heavily forested.  The caretaker would repeatedly warn us not to go very far in our walk in those mountains as these were inhabited by bears (am still not sure whether that was really true). The drive from Bhowali to Ramgarh was also breathtakingly beautiful with pine, deodar and oak trees surrounding both sides of the hilly road. So on this trip, I was looking forward to revisiting both the places and re-living the charm which I hoped that the interim years had not watered down.

To my chagrin, Bhowali has changed beyond recognition; it's no longer that quiet and simple place that I remembered. Instead, now it was a bustling town, over populated, spilling over with concrete structures – gone were the simple thatched sloping ‘khaprel’ cottages … replaced by ugly and incongruous apartments that seemed to make the whole place, an eyesore. Apparently, the stream had also dried up in all these years. We quickly made our escape from Bhowali -not wanting to mar my lovely memories of this place.

Ramgarh is another 45 minutes drive from here. The route is still very scenic, and it got pretty nippy as we winded our way up the hills. Ramgarh is divided into two parts the higher elevation area is called ‘malla’ where the so called market is, and the lower one is ‘talla’.

We stayed at Taradale Cottage, it's a heritage property nestled amidst great natural beauty of the Kumaon hills. I understand that the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore had stayed here and a part of his classic 'Gitanjali' (book of poems) was penned here. Taradale cottage is a charming place with a rather Victorian feel. Its exterior is reminiscent of a well preserved English cottage. The huge bay windows and the Victorian styled swing in the garden completes the colonial effect. The cottage is at a vantage point and offers great view of the valley and mountains. There are lots of fruit trees in the garden and for us city folks who are deprived of simple pleasures, it was great fun plucking them right from the trees – it became so evident what is the true meaning of ‘fresh fruits’.

Ramgarh is a perfect getaway for someone looking for a leisurely vacation - away from the crowds, to relax, catch up with the latest Graham Greene; - long walks which make you feel ravenous, eat all day long and just soak in the natural beauty. It’s not like a typical bustling hill station- no de rigueur Mall road to walk down … the only market is  a small stretch of a road with few small shops and a dhaba kinda restaurant and  where the main activity is to catch up on the local news. I have known some city folks who got thoroughly stressed in this place – deafened by its extreme tranquility - and only the bright lights and ‘chahal –pahal’ of Nainital were able sooth their ruffled nerves. So basically, Ramgarh is not everyone's cup of tea particularly if you do not know how to amuse yourself in the village like calm.

This place is a treat for bird watcher's – sorry guys … only the feathered ones. Other things to do here are going for nature walks or, even trekking down to one of the villages.  There are a lot of fruit orchards here ... apples, pear, apricots and peaches, and justifiably it is known as the fruit bowl of Kumaon. Mahadevi Verma the famous writer also lived here and her house has been converted into a museum. Ramgarh also finds a mention in one of the books written by wildlife conservationist, Jim Corbett who had come here perhaps enroute to one of his tiger hunts.

Mukhteshwar, one of the pilgrimage towns (with Shiva as its main deity) is just  25 kms  up hill from here and the drive is very pleasant as we passed through small hamlets …even today one can actually witness the lost in time village life in this area. Another quintessential feature of the hill country – terrace farming makes for a picturesque countryside setting. Mukhteshwar in recent years has become quite a buzzing place, lots of new cafes have mushroomed – few of these also cater to the western palate. There was a cute shop where one could indulge in some gourmet chocolates, besides, for adventure enthusiasts plenty of fun activities too are on offer here - from rappelling to rock climbing, and, if the wind and weather permits, then paragliding.

A major attraction of this place is the Mukhteshwar Temple, a 350 year old ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, surrounded by tall and old deodar trees. Then there is the 'Chauli ki jali' situated on a cliff behind the temple which has natural lattice work on rock. There is the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) a British legacy, the Institute campus houses a library and a museum. We caught spectacular views of the Himalayas and the famous Nanda Devi peaks from here. At the market place we bought rhododendron (buransh) squash, a Kumaon specialty which is supposed to have cooling properties. As you move away from its main market area and drive down towards the temple there is the local post office, which is right from the colonial times and still maintains the same pre-independence British looks, and is a very charming feature of Mukhteshwar.

If my blog inspires you to drive down and spend a weekend in Ramgarh – you have two routes to choose from (both take about 7/8 hours). One is the sedate, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Hapur-Moradabad-Rampur-Rudrapur-Haldwani-Bhimtal-Bhowali-Ramgarh. And other one, which is definitely greener (and shorter) is that from Moradabad you take the Bazpur-Kaladungi road and then to Nainital-Bhowali- Ramgarh. By the way, apart from Taradale another good option is the Writer’s Bungalow of  Neemrana  fame.

We enjoyed our Ramgarh weekend – it is not the typical Mussorie/ Simla kind of getaway, for it is far more peaceful and thankfully less touristy. Little chance that you would bump into your long lost ‘friend’ whom you never really wanted to spend an evening with!!!.