Mukteshwar, Uttrakhand, India

[Mukteshwar]

"Some destinations leave you spell bound" and Mukteshwar is definitely one of them. Mukteshwar is a town and tourist destination in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. It sits high in the Kumaon Hills at an altitude of 2900meters (7500 feet). My friends and me heard about the beauty of this place so we decided to witness the beauty of this place during late November. It was all boys trip so not much planning was done and we all left from Delhi during Friday mid-night after picking one of our friend from his Gurgaon office. Since we hired a cab, we all were bit relaxed and trusted driver with all directions and continued with all boys talks.

Since there was not much traffic and it was night, we hoped that we will reach our destination earlier than anticipated, but destiny had something else in mind. The driver we trusted lost his way and we wasted 2 hours in the wrong direction. Well, we did realize that it is not always good to trust so we took the map in our hands and guided him as politely as we could. 

We were four friends and were meeting after a long time so we all continued with all boys stuff but were vigilant enough to lost our way. It was 4 in the morning that we stopped our car for some quick tea and snacks and continued the journey trying to cover up all the lost time. Soon, we had to stop again at 6am due to excessive fog on the way. The only good part was that the place we stopped had awesome Omelettes which I still remember. One after another we had them as much as we could along with multiple cups of tea. After an hour, it appeared that fog cleared a bit so we were back on the road and this time we promised that there won't be any stoppage. 

The Fog on the way

Yes, we did stop once again, now because of the views we saw on our way. We were just an hour away from Mukteshwar and the route was so mesmerizing that we could not stop ourselves and did few photo sessions. We also saw many Gum Trees which I never saw in my earlier. After spending good half an hour, we continued and reached Mukteshwar at around 12 in the noon.

The Gum Trees

We were all tired but as soon as we stepped out of the car and smelled fresh air, we felt refreshed. Though one of the friend had to be kicked to ensure he is also refreshed. We barely spent few seconds after stepping out of the car that a guide approached us to show us around. He must have been 12 - 13 years old kid and asked for a very nominal fee for his services. He looked so cheerful so we agreed and we talked about his life, his friends, his school and his hobbies to which he replied very happily.

Choli Ki Jaali/Chauli Ki Jaali

We all followed him and he showed some places like Choli Ki Jaali/Chauli Ki Jaali, which is quite famous. Choli Ki Jaali/Chauli Ki Jaali is an extended rock with a hole in between. It is believed that women who can't conceive due to some reason are made to pass through this hole during Maha Shivratri and post that they are able to conceive. A huge fair also takes place during Maha Shivratri at that place. Astonished, we moved ahead through magnificent views along with granite rocks (I believe).

Along the way, the guide kid took the responsibility of being our photographer to which he did an excellent job. Now, after all the walking, we were hungry again, to which he took us to a small cafe which served pretty expensive Maggi. We had no choice and ate couple of Maggi's and moved on with our tour. He showed us some flora and fauna exclusive to that place and then he took us to a waterfall where we had to walk a lot. Since it was November, we could not enjoy the waterfall completely, so we returned without wasting too much time. On our way back, he took us to a Lord Shiva's Mukteshwar Dham Temple with lot of bells. He mentioned that if you wish something from Lord Shiva and your wish gets fulfilled, you come back next time and tie a bell in the temple. Well, my next visit is due and I will go again as soon as I can. We relaxed outside the temple enjoying the beauty of the valley and peace I felt there is something I never experienced ever. With this, the Guide Kid took his fee and said Goodbye to us.

Mukteshwar Dham

Bells Tied in Mukteshwar Dham

Guess what? We were hungry again. Someone suggested us a good restaurant which has its own farm. We went ahead to try and the woman that ran that restaurant did pluck the vegetables we opted for in Menu, and cooked them right away. The taste of the fresh vegetables is what I still can't forget. 

Fresh Farm Veggies

It was 4pm and we were too tired to think straight, after all we were awake from past more than 20 hours. We needed a bed badly to crash and we had no hotel booking (that what happens when it is all boys gang trip). 

Tired Us, Look at Our Faces

We didn't know if we will get any hotels or not, then someone suggested that we can go to Nainital as well which was around 60 Kms from there. As I said, we were not thinking straight, we agreed to him and instead of searching hotel in Mukteshwar (which any sensible person would do) we left for Nainital.