Ranikhet

Ranikhet is a hill station and cantonment town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is the home for the Military Hospital, Kumaon Regiment (KRC) & Naga Regiment and is maintained by the Indian Army. Ranikhet is at an altitude of 1869 metres above sea level and within sight of the western peaks of the Himalayas.

History

Ranikhet, which means Queen's meadow in Hindi, gets its name from a local legend, which states that it was here, that Raja Sudhardev won the heart of his queen, Rani Padmini, who subsequently chose the area for her residence, giving it the name, Ranikhet, though no palace exists in the area.

In 1869, the British established the headquarters of the Kumaon Regiment here and used the station as a retreat from the heat of the Indian summer. At one time during British Raj, it was also proposed as the summer headquarters of Government of India, in lieu of Shimla. In 1900, it had a summer population of 7,705, and its corresponding winter population was measured in 1901 as 3,153

Ranikhet previously was under the Nepalese Rule, and the Kumaonese(people of Kumaon Region) won it under the leadership of their able General Kashi Nath Adhikari--after whom a small town of Kashipur named which at one point of time was the gateway to the hills and is now an educational /institutional hub--with the help of Britishers at around 1816 and is a part of India now.

Geography 

Ranikhet has an average elevation of 1,869 m (6,132 ft).The climate of the village is very cool. The cantonment is spread across two ridges, the first, called the Ranikhet ridge, is situated at an elevation of 5,983 ft (1,824 m) and the second, the Chaubattia ridge, is at an elevation of 6,942 ft (2,116 m).

Climate

Ranikhet becomes very cold in the winters and remains moderate in summers, and is best enjoyed from March to October. Ranikhet gets snowfall in the winter season, mainly in the months of December, January and February. But in the rest of the months the weather of Ranikhet remains pleasant.

Flora and fauna

The pine, oak, and deodar forests host an array of wildlife including leopard, leopard cat, mountain goat, barking deer, sambar, pine marten, Indian hare, red-faced monkey, jackal, langur, red fox, and porcupine.

Demographics

As of 2001 India Ranikhet had a population of 19,049. Males constitute 61% of the population and females 39%. Ranikhet has an average literacy rate of 83%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 87%, and female literacy is 76%. In Ranikhet, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The local languages are Hindi and Kumaoni.

Transport

Ranikhet is situated at a distance of 279 km from Delhi, well connected by road and railway. The nearest railway station is Kathgodam, approximately 115 km from Ranikhet.Pantnagar Airport is the nearest airport. Nearest hill stations are Almora - 50 km, Nainital - 60 km. There are some more places nearby which can be visited like Chaubatia, Dwarahat, Chaukhutia, Majhkhali, Naina Gaon, Jalali, Doonagiri, Naithna, Masi and Pali.

a view of himalaya from ranikhet