Trip to Mussoorie

Me and my husband went to Mussoorie along with my sister and two more of her friends. We all stayed at a bungalow owned by a lady from Mumbai.

The present owner of Hotel Padmini Nivas is from Worah family (managed by Mrs. Harshada Worah), who purchased the heritage property in 1964 from Maharani Padmini Kuverba. 

Originally it was purchased as a summer family getaway, the property was converted into a family-run heritage hotel in 1979.

The family-run hotel has not changed the name of the estate, and it still remains Padmini Nivas. Maintained and restored with care it retains its old-world atmosphere, a charming mix of Raj era architecture and luxury of princely lifestyles while adding modern conveniences. There is a lovely garden all around with flowering plants.

It’s is like a Bungalow. So the main property has up to six rooms, and a spacious dining room. One advantage is that the main gate lies on a busy road. While one can also enter with the car from a gate located at lower level.

My First Vist to Mussoorie

On the first trip we went to a garden with a Jwala Devi Temple. From here we could see the valley. It stands on Benog Hill, outside Mussoorie, and has views over the Doon Valley. Next we drove along a long road going parallel to a river Yamuna. On the way we saw Kempty Falls.

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Finally we reached a bridge over Yamuna river where youngsters were diving in the river. The Yamuna Bridge is on the road continuing north from the Mussoorie toward Barkot / Yamunotri. Our hostess had told us earlier that she had travelled up to Yamunotri.

Sir George Everest's House

Next we visited was  Sir George Everest's house and observatory at Park Estate, Hathipaon, near Mussoorie. Sir George Everest lived and worked there, and the site was connected with the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. The location is about 6 km from Gandhi Chowk. Later I learned that besides him there was another engineer, the brilliant Indian Radhanath Sikdar, with him measuring the mountain. He is a mathematician and surveyor, and played the crucial role in calculating the height of what was then called Peak XV.

Landour - Old Military Cantonment.

It is is located close to Musoorie at a height. Military cantonment was being used during the war for the military people to rest. As one enters Landour the first place you see is a church. As you drive to Landour one first sees Ruskin Bond’s house - he was well known for writing articles in News Papers - I had read a few of his articles in an evening News paper. We took a full round around this place with big trees all over. Victor Banerjee also lived in Landour in a house with beautiful garden. As we were walking around we had a chance to see him saying goodbye to friends.

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We bought some cheese from a famous shop named Prakash. Famous Woodstock School, in Landour, is above Mussoorie.

My Second Vist to Mussoorie

This time we drove from Mussoorie all the way towards Rhishikesh.

Tehri Dam

Going further we reached a village where a large dam was under construction, with something unusual about water being carried underground. The Tehri Dam is  the tallest dam in India and the 13th-tallest dam in the world, standing at a height of 260.5 meters (855 feet). The dam project involved enormous underground works and diversion tunnels .

Built on the Bhagirathi River near New Tehri in the Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, India. We spent a night here at the government property where tourists could stay. We were given individual rooms and at dinner food was good. It had a beautiful garden and a Glass house on the back side.

Next day we went as close as possible near the dam where work was going on  - next to this area big trucks were busy working.

Stop at Selfie Point

On our journey through Tehri Garhwal, we stopped at the Selfie Point Hotel near Pipaldali. We had not stopped for snacks or refreshments. It was the beautiful view across the Bhagirathi River that attracted us.

One could also go down close to the river. A relatively flat stretch of land had been developed as a ground for playing games, a welcome open space amid the surrounding hills.

I remember this place for its natural beauty. Kausani remains one of my favourite Himalayan destinations, but this view of the Bhagirathi, with the hills rising on either side, was among the most beautiful I encountered on my travels.

It was one of this unplanned stops that made our journey memorable. We simply stopped because the view was too beautiful to pass by.

The route from Mussoorie toward Haridwar that go through Dhanaulti → Chamba → Tehri → Tehri Dam →  going  to Haridwar. 

We chose to go to Rhishikesh. Hardware was already crowded and busy with loading buses going for “ Char Dham Yatra “. The hotel was a modern property, close to Ganga river built over a slope. Dining room was close to the river and that involved a long walk. 

Where Two Rivers Become the Ganga

Our first outing was to see confluence of two rivers. Devprayag, is one of the most sacred river confluences in Uttarakhand. The two rivers that meet there are the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda. Both rivers have travelled a long way through the Himalayan mountains, gathering strength as they descend towards the plains.

From their confluence onward, the river is called the Ganga. The meeting of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi is one of the most memorable geographical landmarks of Uttarakhand. It is at Devprayag, a place where two Himalayan rivers come together, and from that point onward, the combined river is known as the Ganga.

Devprayag lies among the steep, rugged hills of the Garhwal Himalayas. The two rivers descend from different parts of the mountains, carrying water from glaciers and tributary streams.

• Bhagirathi comes from the region of the Gangotri Glacier, with its source stream emerging at Gaumukh.

• Alaknanda rises in the higher Himalayas, fed by glaciers and other streams.

When the rivers meet at Devprayag, their waters can often be distinguished by their contrasting colours. The Bhagirathi may appear greenish, while the Alaknanda may look browner or muddier, depending on the season and conditions. They merge and continue downstream as the Ganga.

One small geographical detail worth remembering, Devprayag is where the Ganga takes its name, not where the river first begins to flow. The Bhagirathi and Alaknanda have already travelled considerable distances before they meet.