About Lansdowne

Country: India | State: Uttarakhand

Ideal Trip Duration: 2 Full Days

Nearest City to Lansdowne: Dehradun (158 Kms), Delhi City (247 Kms)

Best Time to Visit Lansdowne: March to October

Peak Season: December to January & May to June

At a distance of 40 km from Kotdwar, 131 km from Rishikesh, 106 km from Haridwar, 158 km from Dehradun and 247 km from Delhi, Lansdowne is a small hill town in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. It lies at an elevation of 1706 m above sea level and is surrounded by thick oak and pine forests. It is one of the best hill stations in Uttarakhand state and also among wonderful hill stations for a 2 day trip from Delhi. This is also one of the popular places to experince Uttarakhand tourism and also among the top places to visit near Delhi.

Lansdowne was a popular hill resort for the British and they built a cantonment here. Lansdowne is named after its founder Lord Lansdowne, the Viceroy of India between 1888 and 1894. Currently, the command office of the legendary Garhwal Rifles of the Indian Army is situated in Lansdowne.

Lansdowne is known for its natural beauty and its tranquil environment. The Garhwal Rifles Regimental War Memorial, Regimental Museum, St. Mary's Church, St. John's Church, Durga Devi Temple, Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple, Bhim Pakora, Bhulla Tal, Tip-in-Top or Hawagarh, Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple and Bhairav Garhi Temple are the important tourist places in Lansdowne. It is famous for its eco-friendly tourism involving mountaineering, trekking, and jungle safaris.

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport (117 km), in Dehradun. The nearest railhead is at Kotdwar, at a distance of 40 km. Kotdwar is well connected by train with Delhi, Najibabad, Howrah, Haridwar and Dehradun. Lansdowne is also well connected to nearby regions like Kotdwar, Haridwar, Dehradun, Mussoorie and Delhi by bus.

There are plenty of accommodation options in Lansdowne but very few hotels offer best facilities in terms of food and facilities. The best time to visit Lansdowne is from March to October when the weather is cool and pleasant for visitors to trek around and explore the place. Snowfall is common during the winter season and the quaint town is covered with a blanket of white snow. For those who want to experience the snowfall, Lansdowne is an ideal place to visit during winter. The annual festival Shardotsav, celebrated during the season of autumn attracts large number of tourists.

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Other Info
Internet Availability: Average
STD Code: 01386
Languages Spoken: Hindi and English
Major Festivals: Shardotsav (around March)
Notes/Tips:
None

How to Reach Lansdowne

By Air

Nearest Airport: Dehradun - Jolly Grant Airport (117 Kms)

By Train

Nearest Train Station: Kotdwar Railway Station (40 Kms)

By Bus

Nearest Bus Station: Lansdowne Bus Stand (0 Kms)

Top 10 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

Nature

#1 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 2.5 km from Lansdowne Market, Tip-In-Top also known as Tiffin Top is situated in the ridge near St. Mary's Church in Lansdowne. This is a popular spot among tourists visiting Lansdowne.

Tiffin Top is a beautiful picnic spot located at a height of 2000 m above sea level and it provides an awesome view of the Chaukhamba and Trishul peaks of the Garhwal Himalayas. The sunset view from here is truly memorable. It is an ideal place to spend some quality time with family and friends amidst this beautiful location. This place needs a short walk of about 200 meters from the motorable road.

Snow View or Sunset View Point lies on the way to Tiffin Top. The point provides an awesome view of sunset and also the snow covered peaks of the surrounding Garhwal mountain peaks.

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Museum

#2 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 500 m from Lansdowne Market near Parade Ground, Darwan Singh Regimental Museum is one of the top Lansdowne tourist places. The Museum houses numerous antique artifacts belonging to the Garhwal Rifles.

Regimental Museum is a historical defense museum named after the famous Victoria Cross holder Darwan Singh Negi. This museum was inaugurated in the year 1983 to preserve the elements used by the Garhwal Regiment. Darwan Singh was the Naik in 1st Battalion, 39th Garhwal Rifles, in British Indian Army during First World War. He fearlessly fought and impressed everyone with his performance and was awarded with Victoria Cross.

This beautiful two storey building exhibits Battle scenes of Pre-Independence and Post-Independence periods, portraits of the brave soldiers, achievements, customs, traditions, rich certificates and documents of world war I and II, war trophies, antiques, old dresses, medals, appreciations. .....

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Pilgrimage

#3 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 37 km from Lansdowne and 69 km from Kotdwar, Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple is an ancient temple situated in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Located atop a hill at an elevation of 2092 m, Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple is believed to be one of the ancient holy sites known as Siddha Piths dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the famous temples of Uttarakhand state.

According to the legend, Tarkasur was a demon who meditated and worshiped Lord Shiva at this location for a boon. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva gave him a boon of immortality as per Tarkasur request except from Lord Shiva's son. Tarkasur started being evil by killing saints and threatening gods. Sages asked for help from Lord Shiva. Disturbed by wrong doings of Tarkasur, Lord Shiva married Parvati and Kartikeya is born. Kartikeya soon killed Tarkasur but at the time of death Tarkasur makes prayer to Lord Shiva and asked for pardon. Mahadev then attached his name to the temple where Tarkasur meditated .....

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Backwaters

#4 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 2 km from Lansdowne Market, Bhulla Tal is a small artificial lake situated in the town of Lansdowne. Created and maintained by Indian Army, Bhulla Lake, also known as Bhulla Tal, is one of the top places to visit in Lansdowne.

Bhulla Tal is dedicated to the young Garhwali youth of Garhwal Rifles, who helped in the construction of this lake. This tourist attraction gets its name from the Garhwali word, Bhulla which means younger brother. Bhulla Lake is a famous place and a perfect picnic spot in Lansdowne.

Bhulla Lake is a well maintained lake with clean environment. The lake offers boating facilities with beautiful duck shaped boats. A children park, bamboo machan and fountains have been erected as part of beautification of pristine surroundings. One can also find small souvenir shop, a cafe, herbal plants nursery, enclosure for rabbits near the Bhulla Lake. A small over bridge on the lake attracts visitors .....

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Museum

#5 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 2.5 km from Lansdowne Market, St. Mary's Church is an Anglican church situated near the Tip-In-Top hill point of Lansdowne.

St. Mary's Church is a popular tourist attraction of Lansdowne and was built by Col. A.H.B Hume of the Royal Engineers. Construction of this Church began in 1895 and was completed in 1896. This church was closed after 1947 and was later converted into a museum by the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Centre.

This Church is a beautiful structure with its Victorian style architecture. It attracts a significant number of visitors because of its beautiful stained glass windows. It has a picture gallery and a short 10 minute documentary on history of Lansdowne and Garhwal Rifles is played. It is open only on the weekends.

Entry Fee: Rs. 10 per person.
Timings of Audio-Visual Presentation: 8 AM
Timings: 8 AM - 5 PM on Saturday and Sunday

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Pilgrimage

#6 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 2 km from Lansdowne Market, St. John's Church is a Roman Catholic Church located at the Mall Road near St. Mary's Church in Lansdowne.

St. John's Church is the only running Church in Lansdowne and was established in 1936 under the supervision of Agra Diocese. The beautiful interiors and beautiful surroundings of the church attract pilgrims and tourists. The construction of this church was completed in the year 1937.

After 1947, St John's Church was kept abandoned for years and it was eventually handed over to the Government of India in 1951. In 1977, Rev. Gratian Mundadan wished to start a new mission station at Lansdowne and entrusted the responsibility to Fr. John Chakkanattu. It was in 1980, that the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, granted permission to handover the church to the diocese. The re-erected St. John's Catholic Church was blessed by Rt. Rev. Dr. Paulinus Jeerakath CMI, Bishop .....

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Pilgrimage

#7 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 28 km from Lansdowne and 12 km from Kotdwar, Durga Devi Temple is an ancient temple situated on the bank of River Khoh at Dugadda in Pauri Garhwal district of Himachal Pradesh.

This temple is located inside a cave and is dedicated to Goddesses Durga and is considered to be one of the oldest Siddh Piths. The temple is situated on the slope of a hill near the road to Pauri. Visitors from far away come here to this small temple to take blessings of Goddess Durga. Devotees believe that here Goddess Durga makes all their wishes fulfilled. People also tie red cloth as per their belief. A small cave having a Shivling is located near the main temple.

A small seasonal stream flowing below the temple is a special attraction of serene place. Several small waterfalls make this place a spectacular sight.

Timings: 6 AM to 8 PM

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Heritage

#8 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 1 km from Lansdowne Market, Garhwali Mess is one of the oldest and well maintained heritage buildings of Lansdowne.

This Garhwali Mess building was constructed by the British in January 1888. The mess kept alive the rich heritage of the hilly town. The mess is considered as a museum combining of wild animal skins, furnishings and trophies. There is a dial consisting of arrow symbols that direct the route for Nandadevi, Chaukhamba, Kamet and other peaks of the Himalayan Range.

Timings: 9 AM to 7 PM.

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Pilgrimage

#9 of 9 Places to Visit in Lansdowne

At a distance of 1.5 km from Lansdowne Market, Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple is an ancient temple situated in Lansdowne. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is maintained by the army.

Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple is a major place of worship for the people of Lansdowne. Most of the people from the brave Garhwal regiment visit here to offer their prayers. Kaleshwar Mahadev temple has the Shivlinga which is Swayambhu (Self-formed). As per the legend, on a Mahashivratri day, locals found that their cows are missing and they later found them milking on their own in the cave upon a Shivlinga. People also believe that about 5000 years ago, Sage Kalun meditated here and this place was earlier known as Kaludanda after the Sage Kalun.

It is the oldest temple in Lansdowne and is believed to be 500 years old. When the Garhwal Rifles reached Lansdowne in 1887, the site only had the idol of Lord Shiva. In 1901, present structure of the temple .....

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