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Kotdwar : Gateway to Char Dham Yatra
A Serene Place in the Himalayan foothold
A Tehsil of District Pauri Garhwal in Uttarachal, Kotdwar is known as a gateway to the abode of God—Uttarakhand and it is believed that the aura of spirituality becomes visible as you proceed towards Kotdwar from Najibabad tehsil of district Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh.
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A small non-descript town, Kotdwar is a rich place in its heritage lineages. It is said that Kotdwar had been an strategic place under Mauryan dynasty rule, and Ashoka, the Great had much reverence for the Kotdwar. Later, the Estate was ruled by the Katyuri and Pawar royal clans of Garhwal.
Temples and Places to Visit
Pilgrims to the famous temples of Kedarnath (Lord Shiva) and Badrinath (Lord Vishnu) begins from Kotdwar. The place is known for a number of saints and persons who meditated in the dense jungles and remote hills of the town.
Sidhbali Temple of Kotdwar, situated on the edge of a hill, two kms away from the main town is currently a famous place for the devotees. People of the region and far flug areas hold enormous religious faith in the deity Lord Hanuman. Long queues of visitors could be seen of devotees on Sunday and the other auspicious days to seek blessings of the God.
Dedicated to Godess Durga, Durga Devi Temple is located at about 15 kms away from Kotdwar. The place is known for its calm and quaint environment. A small river also flows near the temple.
Kanv Ashram of Rishi Kanv is also situated at a distance of about 12 kms from the city near the Malini river. It is the same place where Shakuntla, the daughter of Kanv Rishi lost the ring given by King Dushyant. Kalidas has mentioned the place in his Abhigyan Shakuntlam.
Situated at a height of 395 meter above sea level, the climate is usually temperate. It is hot in summers and cold in winters. Nearby hilly terrains experience snowfall occasionally, but the temperature of Kotdwar is never known to go below freezing point. In monsoon, excessive rains can be predicted here.
How to Reach
Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun (91 kms) is the nearest airport and the Indira Gandhi International airport at New Delhi (240 kms) is the other important airport which connect Kotdwar with rest of the world.
A few trains from Delhi and Lucknow terminates at Kotdwar railway station. Mussorie Express leaves Delhi at 22.15 PM to reach Kotdwar at 6.00 AM and return at 9.45 PM daily from Kotdwar to cover its 243 kms journey to terminate at Delhi’s Rohilla Railway Station at 8.30 AM. Doon Express also leaves at 9.45 PM from Kotdwar to reach at Lucknow railway station. It returns at 6.30 PM from NR Lucknow Statation to reach Kotdwar at 06.00 AM.
A lot of buses from New Delhi ISBT, Noida ISBT, Meerut, Bijnor and other places are available during day time.
Road route via Najibabad is excellent, with serene surroundings after Najibabad. Dense forest and natural environment seems pleasing to everyone. Lansdowne, another beautiful hill station of Uttaranchal is nearby, about 25 kms away.
Places of Stay
A lot of budget hotels, some rest houses and makeshift arrangements for stay could be arranged in the town. Upvan, Ambience Garden, Rajhans, Gaurav Plaza, Ambey, Bharat Bhoomi and Deepak etc. are few hotels there which provide comfortable stay and food to the guests. These are also approved by the Uttaranchal Tourism Department.
Hope you liked our article on Kotdwar. If you have any queries or feedback, you may leave your comments below.
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