Katarmal, a small village in the Almora region of Uttrakhand, was on our minds for some time now. The reason was the relatively rare sun temple built in the 13thcentury by the Raja Katarmal of the Katyuri dynasty which ruled Kumaon. At its peak their kingdom spread from Nepal to Afghanistan- a vast extent indeed! Having been mesmerized by the grand sun temple at Konarksome years ago, we decided to plan a visit this hidden sun temple in a short holiday combining our love for hill driving, winter weather and Indian history.
Driving off from Dehradun our first halt was at Kaladhungi, Jim Corbett’s village. This village was established by Jim Corbett about 100 years ago and now the villagers own the land and run an excellent eco-tourism organization called Corbett Gram VikasSamiti (CGVS). We enjoyed the warm hospitality of the villagers. Charmed by the beauty of the village we drove off the next day with a happy start to our holiday.
We drove up to Nainital but speeded past the lake with a promise to visit again, and soon reached Katarmal near Almora, the site of the Sun temple. A short walk through a typical mountain village- complete with children reciting their tables in the school under the bright sun- and we were at this lovely, isolated, awe inspiring site. The effort of building this complex of 45 (yes-45!!) temples, stone by stone, at this height, will remain a mystery. The temple is so sited that on two particular days of the year the first rays of the sun fall at the feet of the idol inside the sanctum. We marveled at the perfect engineering and symmetry and imagined those long dead craftsmen and labourers toiling away…Finally, after an obligatory selfie, we were off.
Our next halt was Ranikhet, a historical British era town dominated by the army cantonment. After dropping off our luggage we drove down toDwarahat, 38 Km away,and the site of more temples of the Katyuri dynasty. The temples are scattered around the town and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll in the sun, through the narrow lanes. Some of the small wooden houses with pots of flowers in the windows were so pretty! It was really enjoyable and the topping was a nice lunch of masala dosa and pastry at a local café. We returned to Ranikhet, stopping for a while at the FRH at Kalika, to our nice room and settled down for the night, tired but eager to begin afresh the next day.
Our wish to see the majestic Nanda Devi peak was also granted, as the winter clouds parted in the morning and we scrambled out of our warm beds to the Forest Rest House which offers the best views of the GarwhalHimalyas. The British always sited their Forest Rest Houses in the best locations and these usually remote gems in the wilderness usually offer simple hospitality and amazing experiences of wildlife, old jungle tales and sometimes, an old ‘bungalow chowkidar’ right out of a Bollywood thriller, complete with a wollen cap!
From Ranikhet we had a long and mesmerizing drive to Kausani through a series of valleys and picture perfect villages. The roads at this time of the year were smooth and free of traffic. We stopped ever so often for pictures as the mountains constantly revealed their glory at every turn. Finally we drove into Someshwar, an important town before Kausani. Relieved at finding a petrol pump, we tanked up on fuel for the car and for ourselves, a hearty dhaba meal of hot rotis and veg before driving on.
Kausani, also called Switzerland of India, is a small town with a rich history. Anashakti ashram where Gandhiji had stayed is wortha visit and people stay here to meditate and pray- perhaps the pure air helps. Sarlabehen, Gandhiji’s disciple had set up an ashram here which is also much visited. The famous poet SumitraNandan Pant was born here.We also visited an amazing resort ‘the Buransh’ (Rhododendron) which has a wonderful art gallery and local produce on offer. Kausani was cold and we relished the crisp mountain air with a strong scent of pine and wood smoke as the sun went down.
Though we were closer to Nanda Devi, the Goddess refused to allow us a glimpse as clouds covered the entire range from Trishul to Devikot in the evening and later the next morning also.
The next day we had a long drive back to Dehradun-324 Kms and chose an exciting, winding route across the Kumaon-Garhwal sectors. The route sounds so interesting, just try these names:Kausani-Gwaldam-Tharali-Narainbagar-Karanprayag-Gauchar-Rudraprayag-Srinagar-Rishikesh-Dehradun. There were stretches of road under repair which tested both, our car and ourdriving skills. The labourers working on these roads were from Bihar, Tamil Nadu etc, and I reflected on how much people have to struggle for their daily bread. Otherwise, the road was a delight. The AlaknandaRiver joined us at Karan Prayag and the river changed colourand character from shades of deep aquamarine blue when calm and wide to amazing greens and muddy brown when violently crashing through the rocks. All along, NH 58 was a pleasure to drive on – twisting and winding with tight curves challenging our driving skills to the hilt.
We finally returned to civilization and chaos at Rishikesh after almost eight hours on the road. The stretch to Dehradun was straightforward and we made good time. Our short three day trip left us with memories to last a lifetime and we will always cherish our time in the hills-till our next holiday!
