Lansdowne is a famous north Indian hill station located in Uttarakhand, a cantonment town in Pauri Garhwal district, 45km from Kotdwar(town) and 1780m above sea level with a radius of 6km.
Lansdowne is one of the famous tourist destinations popular for various reasons like museums, churches, lakes, lover lanes, temples, brave fighters history, breathtaking views, freshness, cleanliness, etc.
Why is it famous?
Lansdowne is a beautiful town and tourist attraction place, earlier known as Kaludanda (Kalu means black, Danda means hills) because here the weather is often foggy so that the view is in light black.
Lansdowne was named after the Viceroy of India in the year 1888-1994. it is a famous place since the British came here for the catering for recruits training center of the very brave GARHWAL RIFLES.
It is a medium of employment for Garhwal youngsters especially boys.
In the 1962 world war, the very brave personality rifleman JASWANT SINGH who was an army soldier serving in the Garhwal rifle 4th unit and awarded the prestigious Maha Veer Chakra posthumously for his braveness showed in the battle of Nuranang(Arunachal Pradesh) against Chinese troops, he was there with launce naik Trilok Singh negi and rifleman Gopal Singh Gusain but at the end, he was only barely injured, who left there to stoped them, as a resulted 300 Chinese casualties.
whereas the 4th Garhwal rifle lost their two men and had eight barely wounded. He was honored by a memorial building named Jaswant Garh, and it is believed that he is still alive to serving his nation.
What to visit?
Lansdowne is not only famous for its historical reasons but also for the work done by the army troops in various models like a jet, tank, etc
.
There are some scenic and antique places as follow:-
1. Rathi hut :
It is surrounded by Buransh and Kafal tree that is the most famous tree of the Uttarakhand region.
The history behind this area of Lansdowne is that once an army person comes with his child and capturing the moment suddenly his child’s foot slipped and fell down. from thereon this is known in the memory of his child.
2. Satabdi Dwar :
This is the second viewable area of Lansdowne. It is the Dwar(Gate) of Parade Ground, established in the memory of the heroic Garhwal regiment. The long corridor with the wall in which the great martyred names are written makes us proud of them.
After the nine-month training of recruits, their parade waiting for them to show passion and courage.
3. Bhim pakora :
This is the place where two huge stones balanced on one another, look like pakora (an Indian dish). it is 2km away from Lansdowne.
Myths about it- you can move this stone with little force but the reality is that they have been never moved a little bit since they noticed even not from the storm, heavy rainfall, etc.
4. Kaleshwar Mandir :
This temple is of Lord Shiva has several devotees. it is a widely recognized temple of Garhwal regiment Lansdowne.
It is believed that 5000 yrs ago, Sage Kalun(Mahadev) meditate here through which this place is known as sage Kalu before the Kalu danda. there are many Dharamshala which is built nearby in 1901 and are now maintained by the Garhwal regiment.
5. Bhula Taal :
It is a beautiful lake that includes many activities like swing, boating, garden, pet house(rabbit), an artificial lake made by the Garhwal regiment troops. Restaurants and cafes are available nearby.
Bhula Taal boating cost is 50/person, opened 10 am till 5 pm.
6. tip in top :
Tip in the top is the highest point of Uttarakhand which is very famous for its scenic views of the Himalayan range. It is 1.5 km away from Lansdowne city center. Around 1700 meters in height but still a less crowded and peaceful place. There is a beautiful small hurt resort named GMVN Tip In Top Resort. En-route to this place, there are various oak and pine trees.
7. St.Marry church :
It is a scenic and viewable church of Lansdowne established in the British colonial period, 0.4km away from Lansdowne city center. It is famous for photography as it is peaceful and surrounded by trees.
8. Santoshi Mata mandir:
The Santoshi Mata Mandir is one of the beautiful places located after Tip-in-Top, it is the place from where the Bhairav Garhi Mandir is visible, you can also find a scenic view as it is higher than Tip-In-Top. This temple also comes under the upkeep of the Garhwal regiment. It is a peaceful place 0.3 km away from Lansdowne city center.
9. Darwan Singh museum :
It is the oldest historical defense museum named after Darwan Singh museum in the memory of the victoria cross holder in Garhwal rifle Rifleman Darwan Singh Negi, near Gandhi park or Parade Ground.
it was inaugurated in 1983, contains the rarest collection of weapons of Garhwal Rifles. which is not open for the general public.
Times to visit:- 09:00 am to noon and 03:00 pm to 06:00 pm.
The best time to visit :
The Best Time to visit Lansdowne :
April to June (in summer)
October to march (in winter)
July to September (in monsoon) is quite risky because heavy rainfall cause landslides.
Where to stay?
Here are various resorts and hotels you will get to stay at the least rate. But in comparison to it, 5km away Jaiharikhal block has a lower rate of hotels, homestays, and restaurants with good discounts.
How to reach?
Lansdowne has motorable roads so you can go through by roads, by trains, by flight.
So I recommend you avoid flight because the nearest airport is Jolly grant airport 148km away in Dehradun. So, you can go through by train option which is 40km away in Kotdwar.
By Road (Delhi to Lansdowne is 265kms)
Delhi–(70kms)—Meerut–(30kms)–Mawana- Bessuna- Ramraj- Meerapur- Bijnor–(16kms) –Kiratpur, Najibabad- Kotdwar–(25kms)—Duggada–(15kms)–Lansdowne.
By Air
Jolly Grant closest airport in Dehradun, from there taxis, are available to Lansdowne.
By Rail
the closest railhead to Lansdowne is in Kotdwar 40km away. from there, local buses and taxis are easily available to Lansdowne.
What to eat?
Lansdowne has fewer restaurants but is amazing. so, you can get Indian, Italian, Chinese, south Indian food here but you can also try Garhwal foodstuff like Chainsu, Dabhdi, Roat, etc.
The Lansdowne is famous for the bakery Bun, and chocolate sweets.
The weather of Lansdowne in 12 months
Months High/Low(C)
1. January 12°/3°
2. February 15°/5°
3. March 18°/7°
4. April 24°/12°
5. May 30°/16°
6. June 30°/18°
7. July 24°/18°
8. August 23°/17°
9. September 23°/16°
10. October 22°/12°
11. November 20°/10°
12. December 14°/4°
Other nearby cities to visit
Tadkeshwar mandir
Bhairav Garhi mandir
Kotdwar
Pauri
Durga Devi temple
Article credit: Ritika Negi