Lansdowne

Lansdowne is located in the Pauri district of Uttarakhand, 45 kms from Kotdwar.

Unspoilt nature, bracing air and a magnificent view of the snow covered peaks inspire peace and tranquility. If you dream of the romance of the mountains than Lansdowne is the perfect place.

Ensconced with the world’s highest and most beautiful mountain ranges – the Himalayas, naturally Uttaranchal Hills are endowed with extra ordinary beauty and most of it is unseen the outside world. This makes Lansdowne an ideal location for eco-tourism. While rest of the world is selling tourism by destroying nature, we at Lansdowne are also selling tourism but by preserving and conserving nature. A clean fresh and invigorating environment makes Lansdowne a preferred destination to relax and unwind and it is a truly rejuvenating experience.

At Lansdowne we have something for everybody. If we have the Siddhpeeth route for the pilgrims, than there is wild life route for nature and animal lovers, adventure sports for the daring and health resorts and cultural tourism for the rest of others.

No softy stalls, no video game parlors, no fancy tandoori joints, and no not even a movie hall, but we are proud of it. The Cantt Board keeps the towns fresh as a daisy for the bravest of them all. The proud Garhwal rifles which has the major presence in the town, this is where some of the bravest sons of India are trained on the huge parade ground right in the middle of the town. They also pride in the second best kept Regimental Mess in Asia, complete with old armoury, weapons, hundreds of animal trophies and the regimental ghost.

On Nov 5, 1887, the first battalion of Garhwal Rifles migrated from Almora to Lansdowne. Since the regiment was shifted from Almora, so Kumaoni culture was inherited with the soldiers of Garhwal Rifles in their life-style and food habits as well.

Being a Cantonment area, it was a good market place for the businessmen, so many Garhwali, Kumaoni, Rajasthani (Marwari), Muslims, Kannauji, Gorkhas and Christians migrated to Lansdowne for business and employment and become its inhabitants. The cultural activities of Lansdowne were highly influenced by the mixed cultural society. This the reason why it Lansdowne lacks a purely traditional Garhwali culture.

Till the late 70s, Lansdowne was the only city after Almora which was the center of cultural activities. In the beginning, the Kumaonis, Garhwalis and Rajasthani stared at each other’s culture with curiosity but subsequently they adopted each other and formed an enriched culture of Lansdowne. Rajasthanis (Marwaris) had a rich cultural tradition, so they highly influenced the Garhwalis. On the other hand, since Rajasthanis were the migrants who had come for business needs, so they also merged themselves with the Garhwali culture. Many Pathans also migrated to Lansdowne for “labour work”. These Pathans belonged to Sia community, while the other Muslim migrants belonged to Sunni Community. The mosque of Lansdowne is unique as both the Sia and Sunni community Muslims can offer NAMAZ in the same Mosque.

The different cultures of Kumaoni Garhwali and Marwari complemented each other and put up an exemplary symbol of communal harmony. The Army culture also contributed towards the Lansdowne culture. It highly influenced the youth and middle class people and nurtured them as responsible citizens. Till today, discipline is an inborn quality of Lansdowne children.

The education system at Lansdowne was very open. The children from families of all classes, community and background used to go to same school developing harmony among them.

Lansdowne culture inherited only the good things from its migrants’ cultures. Social evils never became a part of Lansdowne culture. Though Pashu-Bali (Animal Sacrifice) is a common phenomenon is various parts of Garhwal and Kumaon, it never developed in Lansdowne. It always stood apart from evils like Sati Pratha, Child Marriage, Animal-Sacrifice or any other orthodox tradition. Every good practice or thought which was for the common good of the society and the country was openly adopted by Lansdowne.

Places to see in Lansdowne

The Garhwal Rifles Regimental War Memorial
The War memorial at Lansdowne was unveiled on a suitable vantage point on the Armistic Day 11 Nov 1923 by his Excellency Lord Rawlinson of Trent, the then Commander in Chief of India. Located at the Parade Ground is a major attraction which attracts tourists from all over the India and the world.

Garhwali Mess
This Mess was built in Jan 1888 which subsequently became the present mess in 1892. It sis one of the oldest building in Lansdowne and speaks volumes of heritage and a very high quality of maintenance.

Regimental Museum
A motivational hall was inaugurated at Lansdowne in 1983 to display the rare collection of Garhwal Rifles. This museum is name after Darban Singh Negi.

St. Marry’s Church
Construction of St. Marry’s Church began in 1895 by Colone AHB Hume of Royal Engineers and was completed in 1896. St Marry’s Church fell into disuse after 1947 and gradually began deteriorate. The building has now been restored by Garhal Rifles Regimental Centre with additional facilities of relevant pre independence photographs and audio visual display of Regimental history.

St. Jhon’s Church
On the Mall, the Roman Catholic Church (now St. John’s Church) situated just above the road on the spur below the Forest bungalow was completed in 1934. It reopend on Nov 29, 1980. From then, St. John’s Church became the only Church of worship in Lansdowne and continues till date.

Bhulla Tal
Bhulla means “younger brother” in Garhwali and is dedicated to the young Garhwali youth of the Garhwal Rifles who contribute their services day and night in its construction without any Government funds. The boating facilities are also available and the areas around the lakes formed by the dams have been beautified. A children park, bamboo machan and fountains have been erected as part of entertainment and beatification of pristine surroundings.

Tip-In-Top
Tip-in-Top is a popular vantage point amongst the tourists visiting Lansdowne. It is on the ridge close to St. Mary’s Church. Once can plan a trek on the bring surnny day to feel the glorious view of the Himalayas which is unforgettably enchanting.

Tarkeshwar Mahadev
It is an ancient temple dedicated to lord Shiva surrounded by thick Cedar trees. It is located 38 kms from Lansdowne at an altitude of 1800 m to the north east of Lansdowne on road Lansdowne-Deriakhal.

Hawaghar
Trek to Hawagarh passes through Khyber Pass along the road to Jaiharikhal. The walk is very refreshing with the view of snow covered peaks of the Himalayas.

Durga Devi Temple
The temple dedicated to Goddess Durga is located 24 from Kotdwar and is highly revered by the locals. The temple is situated on the bank of river Khoh. The temple itself is inside a cave.

How to Reach

Air: The nearest airport is Jolly Grant (Dehradun) 145 kms.
Rail: The nearest railhead for Lansdowne is Kotdwar (45 kms)
Road: Lansdowne is well connected by a motorable road to almost all the important cities in Uttarakhand. Lansdowne is approx 250 kms from Delhi, 145 kms from Dehradun and 95 kms from Haridwar.

Reference: Lansdowne- Samaj, Sanskriti aur Itihaas, Winsor Publication; Uttarakhand Tourism

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