Mussoorie - India HillTop Trips - Splendid hills and Majestic retreats

Mussoorie, Popularly known as the Queen of Hills, this charming hill station, 34 kms from Dehradun is situated at an altitude of 2003 mts in the Garhwal hills. above sea-level. Mussoorie is one the beautiful hill stations in India and the most frequently visited. It provides excellent respite to people who want relief from the hot sultry conditions of the plains, especially since it is close enough to the capital to make just weekend trip. Also, major Hindu pilgrimage sites like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Haridwar, Rishikesh are not far from this place.

Hill Resort | Elevation | Travel | Season | Tourist places | Accommodation | Location | Mussoorie Map

The Hill Resort

Mussoorie, with its green hills & varied flora & fauna, is a facinating hill resort. Commanding a wonderful view of extensive Himalyan snow ranges to the northeast, & glittering views of the Doon Valley, Roorkee, Saharanpur & Haridwar to the South, the town presents a fairyland atmosphere to the tourists. Its history dates back to 1827 when Captain Young, an adventurous military officer, explored the present site & laid the foundation of this holiday resort which now has few rivals. Mussoorie is famous for its scenic beauty & hectic social life. It provides all kinds of amusement & every facility for domestic & foreign tourists. - Mussooorie is conveniently connected by road to Delhi & by rail to other major Cities & is the "Gateway" to Yamunotri & Gangotri shrines of Northern India which are very important pilgrimage places for the Hindus of India".

In 1820, Captain Young of the British army was influenced by the beauty of this place and made it his residence. The name, Mussoorie is derived from plants of 'Mussoorie' which were found in abundance here. After its discovery, this hill station gradually developed as a centre of education, business, tourism and beauty.

History

Mussoorie, like other hill resorts in India, came into existence in the 1820s or thereabouts, when the families of British colonials began making for the hills in order to escape the scorching heat of the plains. Small settlements grew into large stations and were soon vying with each other for the title of queen of the hills. Mussoorie's name derives from the Mansur shrub (Cororiana nepalensis), common in the Himalayan foothills; but many of the house names derive from the native places of those who first built and lived in them. Today, the old houses and estates are owned by well-to-do Indians, many of whom follow the lifestyle of their former colonial rulers. In most cases, the old names have been retained.

Take, for instance, the Mullingar. This is not one of the better-preserved buildings, having been under litigation for some years; but it was a fine mansion once, and it has the distinction of being the oldest building in Mussoorie. It was the home of an Irishman, Captain Young, who commanded the first Gurkha battalion when it was in its infancy. As you have probably guessed, he came form Mullingar, in old Ireland, and it was to Ireland that he finally returned, when he gave up his sword and saddle. There is a story that on moonlit nights a ghostly rider can be seen on the Mullingar flat and that this is Captain Young revisiting old haunts.

There must have been a number of Irishmen settling and building with names such as Tipperary, Killarney, Shamrock Cottage and Tara Hall. The harp that was once in Tara's Halls must have sounded in Shimla too, for there is also a Tara Hall in the old summer capital of India.

As everywhere, the Scots were great pioneers in Mussoorie too, and were quick to identify Himalayan hills and meadows with their own glens and braes. There are over a dozen house names prefixed with Glen.

The English, of course, went in for castles-there's Connaught Castle and Grey Castle and Castle Hill, home for a time to the young Sikh prince, Dalip Singh before he went to England to become a prot�g� of Queen Victoria.

Sir Walter Scott must have been a very popular writer with the British in exile, for there are many houses in Mussoorie that are named after his novels and romances-Kenilworth, Ivanhoe, Woodstock (later an American mission school), Rokeby, Waverly, The Monastery. And there is also Abbotsford named after Scott's own home.

Dickens lovers must have felt frustrated because they could hardly name their houses Nicholas Nickleby or Martin Chuzzlewit but one Dickens fan did come up with Bleak House for a name, and bleak it is even to this day.

Mussoorie did have a Dickens connection in the 1850s when Charles Dickens was publishing his magazine Household Words. His correspondent in India was John Lang, a popular novelist and newspaper proprietor, who spent the last years of his life in Mussoorie. His diverting account of a typical Mussoorie season, called The Himalaya Club, appeared in Household Words in the issue of March 21, 1857.

It is well over 50 years since a person lived in the parsonage and its owner today is Victor Banerjee, the actor, who received an Academy Award nomination for his role in David Lean's A Passage to India. Victor doesn't mind his friends calling him the vicar.

This naming of places is never as simple as it may seem. Let's take Mossy Falls, a small waterfall on the outskirts of the hill station. You might think it was named after the moss that is so plentiful around it, but you'd be wrong. It was really named after Mr. Moss, the owner of the Alliance Bank, who was affectionately known as Mossy to his friends. When, at the turn of the century, the Alliance Bank collapsed, Mr. Moss also fell from grace.Poor old Mossy, said his friends, and promptly named the falls after him.

Institution

Rich in history and beauty, Mussoorie has given birth to many institutions that are known virtually all over the country. Since 1959, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration has been training and molding batch after batch of raw probationers into the country's finest bureaucrats, foreign service officers, and police officers.

Today, the Academy, situated at Charleville, continues to train officers for the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service. A fire broke out in the Academy some years ago and destroyed, among other buildings and papers, its precious library rated amongst the best in the country. While many of the books destroyed in the fire are difficult to replace, a new beginning has already been made by acquiring a fine collection of books.

While the Academy belongs to the post-Independence period, most of Mussoorie's institutions date back more than a century. The Waverley Convent, a school for girls, was established in 1845 and has commemorated 150 years of distinguished existence. While some of its buildings were destroyed in an earthquake in the early years of this century, then by a fire, and then again in the recent earthquake, Waverley still retains much of the old-world architectural charm.

Wynberg Allen School was founded in 1888. Saint George's, Woodstock, Hampton Court - all these schools have traditions hallowed by time. They belong to a different genre, of course, but the creeper festooned Savoy Hotel, Hakman's Grand Hotel with its wood flooring, and Mullingar Hotel - the oldest only extant building built in 1829, have become institutions by themselves over the years.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police Academy is of relatively recent vintage, but of strategic importance, as is the Defense Institute of Work Studies.

Spooky Stories

Like most old places, Mussoorie has a very special set of ethereal denizens. At Mount Pleasant School, just above Wynberg Allen School, there resides a ghost who likes to make merry at night on the swings in the school playground. According to the school Principal, a number of people have seen this playful ghost. On still nights, when not even a leaf stirs, many people have been nonplussed and finally unnerved by the sight of empty swings swaying wildly.

A dilapidated building called the Oaks has a lovely lady in white waiting forlornly at the gate on moonless nights. Nobody knows who she was, or whom she waits for. Camel's Back Road, too, has a fair sprinkling of ghosts, as does the road leading to Cloud End. A ruined old house on Vincent Hill is said to be haunted by an old man with along flowing beard.

Travel Information

There are regular flights from Delhi to Doon Valley (Jolly Grant). From the Jolly Grant airport, taxis and buses ply to Dehradun, from where they go up to Mussoorie (2 1/4 hours, 60 km).

The overnight Mussoorie Express links Delhi to Dehradun, the railhead for Mussoorie.

Delhi to Mussoorie is 290 km by road. Dehradun to Mussoorie is 35 km. There are direct buses from Delhi to Mussoorie, along with private taxis. Buses ply every half hour from Dehradun to Mussoorie. Private taxis and shared taxis are favored by a majority of visitors.

Miscellaneous

For more information, contact the Tourist Bureau, Uttar Pradesh Tourism, The Mall, Mussoorie (Ph: 2863).

Elevation

Mussoorie - 7000 ft.

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Location Details

Mussoorie, located some 250 miles north of Delhi, capital of India, is among the most popular hill stations of India, and is considered the Queen of hill stations. It overlooks the sprawling Doon valley and the city of Dehradun, the gateway to Mussoorie and infact to the entire Garhwal. Mussoorie, a hill resort at a height of around 7000 ft above the sea level, straddles a ridge in the Garhwal Himalayas - a region that is developing into a major tourism destination. The holy and mighty river Ganga is visible from one end of the ridge and another famous river Jamuna from the other, a stretch of around twelve miles in all, from Cloud's end in the west to Jabarkhet in the east.

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How to Reach There and Distances

By Air

There are regular, daily Vayudoot and Jagson flights from New Delhi to the Doon Valley (50 minutes). From the Jolly Grant airport.

By Rail

The overnight Mussoorie Express links Delhi to Dehradun, the railhead for Mussoorie.

Delhi to Mussoorie is 290 km by road. Dehradun to Mussoorie is 35 km. There are direct buses from Delhi to Mussoorie, along with private taxis. Buses ply every half hour from Dehradun to Mussoorie. Private taxis and shared taxis are favored by a majority of visitors. taxis and buses ply to Dehradun, from where they go up to Mussoorie (2 1/4 hours, 60 km).

Local Transport

Hand pulled rickshaws, taxis and cars are not allowed on the Mall, but can move in other motorable parts of Mussoorie.

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Best Season to Visit/Weather

Mussoorie is a hill station which has pleasant climate around the year. It is a very cool place with greenery at its full bloom during September to November. The best seasons to visit Mussoorie is between April to June and again during September to November. When the plains of North India experience heat waves, Mussoorie provides a welcome break. It is better to avoid monsoons as the roads to Mussoorie are in bad shape. Same thing applies for the winter when roads are blocked due to snowfall In summer, light woolens are advisable while heavy woolens are a necessity during winter. The summer season extends from April to June. The winter season is from September to December.

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Tourist places near Mussoorie

Places of the order of, Kempty falls, Lal Tibba coupled with the activities of the genre of Dehradun-Mussoorie Trekking and Gun Hill Trekking which is the second most highest place of this Hill Station in India, add up to the beauty of Mussoorie.

Gun Hill

Enjoy a Ropeway ride to the second highest peak of Mussoorie. It can also be negotiated by bridles path which forks-off from Mall Road near Kutchery and to reach takes about twenty minutes. The Ropeway distance is only 400 mtrs. And the sheer thrill of the ride is memorable.

Gun Hill offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges namely Bunderpunch, Srikantha, Pithwara and Gangotri group etc. and a bird's eye view of Mussoorie town and Doon Valley. During pre-independence days a gun mounted on this top used to be fired heralding mid-day to enable people to adjust their watches and hence this name.

The High Ride

Most people ascend the 400 meters or so from the fashionable Mall to the historical Gun Hill with bated breath. For them, there is the thrill and excitement of reaching Gun Hill in a cable car, coupled with the promise of rare, mesmeric views of the great Himalayan peaks and a bird's eye view of Mussoorie and its environs. But not many people are aware that both Gun Hill and the ropeway and its two cable cars have a chequered history.

More than 160 years ago, after the Gurkha War in 1823, a shooting box was set up atop a hill-143 meters above sea level. Thereafter, a gun boomed everyday from the hill at 12 o'clock to keep time, and the hill became known as Gun Hill. Today, ironically and yet appropriately perhaps, the gun which once marked time for Mussoorie has itself been whisked away by the marching times, but Gun Hill lives on.

Once accessible by a steep, narrow bridle path, Gun Hill can now be reached in just about four minutes by a ropeway set up in 1970. On a bright sunny afternoon in October 1978, a handful of people lazing on the terrace of the Hill Queen Hotel were astounded when there was a loud cracking sound and the cable car going up to Gun Hill landed with a resounding thud a foot or two away from them.

After a year's lay off, the cable cars were back in business swinging their way up to Gun Hill, now dotted with mock ornate photo studios, welcoming chai (tea) shops and a couple of telescope shops-with load after load of starry-eyed passengers. Today, during the peak summer season, the cable cars swing between the Hall and Gun Hill more than 100 times a day.

The products on offer in such a visit brokered by India Travel destinations are of a varied array. They include ceramic ware, Tibetan revolving wheels or the Thangkas, carved walking sticks and the Ladhaki shawls. The novel shopping experience takes Mussorie into a totally different class in comparison with other Hill Stations in India and adds to the beauty of Mussoorie.

Municipal Garden A picnic spot having a beautiful garden and an artificial mini lake with boating facilities. It is located at a distance of 4kms by cycle rickshaw, pony or by car and only 2 kms on foot via Waverly Convent Road.

Childer's Lodge

Highest Peak of Mussoorie near Lal Tibba. It is about 5 kms from the Tourist Office and one can go on horse back or on foot. Snow view from this spot is exhilarating.

Camel's Back Road

It starts from Kulri Bazar near Rink Hall and ends at Library Bazar covering a total distance of about 3 kms. The main charm of this froad is horse riding and wlking. Sunset view of the Himalayas is superb. Camel's Rock with a life like resemblace can be seen from the spot near Mussoorie Public school.

Walk-Ways

Often described as the piece de resistance of walks in Mussoorie, Camel's Back Road rivals the Mall in popularity. About three kilometers long, Camel's Back Road was so christened, it is said, because of a rock that resembles the back of a camel. This distinctively shaped rock can be seen from a point near the gate of Mussoorie Public School. Curving round a mountainside, the road itself looks like the back of a camel. The Hawa Ghar is the most inviting of the resting places along Camel's Back Road.

The two-kilometer walk from Library Chowk to the colorful Municipal Garden, still known by its old colonial name of Company Bagh, is yet another favored walk in Mussoorie. Beyond the garden with its artificial lake, the walk can be continued, if one is so inclined, towards Cloud End. In the vicinity can be seen the estate of the first Surveyor General of India, Colonel George Everest (later sir George Everest), after whom the world's highest mountain is named. A Bibi Khana-outhouses for the Indian consorts of Englishmen-is an interesting feature of the time-ravaged estate, which, according to land revenue records of 1839, belonged to Colonel Everest.The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department has now acquired the sprawling 192-acre estate and plans to convert it into a holiday resort.

For many cricket fans, the walk towards Cloud End offers a landmark of more recent times. On a road branching off before Cloud End, is a house that belongs to the father-in-law of Sunil Gavaskar, the cricketing legend.

Camel's Back Road, the walk to the Municipal Garden or Company Bagh, and on towards Cloud End are gentle, leisurely walks blessed with superb views. Quite obviously, scenic beauty is a feature shared by all walks in Mussoorie. Even the walk towards Charleville and the Tibetan settlement of Happy Valley is a rewarding experience. However, for the more intrepid tourist there are challenging walks as well such as the ones to Benog Hill (7,000 feet high, seven kilometers from Library Bazaar, it boasted once of an observatory), and to Lal Tibba, the highest peak (8,000 feet) at Mussoorie. About four kilometers from Picture Palace, Lal Tibba is an ideal location for a picnic. Near Lal Tibba is Childer's Lodge, where a powerful 'coin-operated' binocular is available for surveying the mountains around. In the distance can be seen peak after peak of snow-capped mountains.

Jharipani Fall

8.5 kms from Mussoorie on Mussoorie- Jharipani Road. Visitors can go by bus or by car upto 7 kms to Jharipani from where the fall is 1.5 kms, on foot.

Bhatta Fall

7 kms from Mussoorie on Mussoorie-Dehradun road. Access by car or bus upto Balta village from where the fall is 3kms by car or foot. An ideal spot for bathing anf picnics.

Kempty Fall

15 kms from Mussoorie on the Yamunotri Road having an altitude of 4500 ft. It has the distinction of being the biggest and prettiest waterfall located in a beautiful valley and is surrounded by high mountains. Bath at the foot of the falls is refresshing and enjoyabled for children and adults alike.

Nag Devta Temple

An ancient temple situated on Cart Mackenjie Road and is about 6 kms from Mussoorie. Vehicles can go right upto the spot. It Provies a charming view of Doon Valley as well as of Mussoorie.

Mussoorie Lake

A newly developed picnic spot, situated on Mussoorie- Dehradun road and is about 6 kms from Mussoorie. It is a delightful spot. Pedal boats are availble. It commands an enchanting view of Doon Valley and nearby villages.

Van Chetna Kendra

At a distance of about 2 kms on Tehri bye pass road, this place is developed as a picnic spot and has a park surrounded with pine forest and flowering shrubs, and is approachable by foot or taxi/car. The main attraction is the wildilife of the park like Ghurar, Kanankar, Himalayan Peacock, Monal etc.

Sir George Everest House

6 kms The Park Estate of sir George Everest, First Surveyor General of India, Who had his offce and residence here, is approachable by road. The highest peak in the world, Mount Everest, is named after him.

Jwalaji Temple (Benog Hill)

9 kms 6to the west of Mussoorie and at an altitude of 2104 mtrs. Is the Jwalaji Temple. It is situated on the top of the Benog Hill and has an idol of Mata Durga in it. The temple is surrounded by thick forests and offers a panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks, Doon valley and Yamuna valley.

Clous End

The bungalow built in 1838 by a British Major was one of the First Four buildings of Mussoorie. The bungalow has since then been converted into a hotel called Clouds End, and is situated at the extreme west of Mussoorie Hill, 8 kms from Library. The resort is surrounded by thick forest, offers a wide variety of flora and fauna besides a panoramic view of snow clad Himalayas, and Yamuna river. The most ideally suited resort for fireigners and honeymoon couples.

Surkhanda Devi

Surkhanda Devi Temple at 10,000 feet, 35 km down the Mussoorie - Tehri road. Perched on a peak, the temple demands a stiff two-km climb form devotees. The temple, goes the legend, was built on the site where the head of Shiva's consort (Shiva is the destroyer in the Hindu trinity) fell after it was chopped off to stop Shiva's terrifying dance of death that was shaking the universe to its very core.

Lakha Mandal

80 km away on the Mussoorie-Yamunotri Road. Linked with the Mahabharata with idols of archaeological importance.

Kempty Falls

This picturesque waterfall adds to the beauty of Mussoorie as the Queen of Hill Stations in India. This breathtakingly beautiful waterfall is the prime attraction of this Hill Station in India. It leads to an increment in the beauty of Mussoorie in its pristine form.

The waterfall involves the fall of water from a height of 4,500 feet leading up to the diversion of the flow into five different water streams accompanied by the sounds of hollering and shouting tourists in a rain dance.

The Mall

The Mall would be lifeless without people and people would find Mussoorie lifeless without the Mall. The main artery of Mussoorie, the Mall certainly responds to the influx of visitors in the same manner as a person fighting for life-sustaining breath revives after receiving oxygen.

Shops closed for the winter spring to life when summer approaches. Soon, the trickle of visitors swells to a steady, heartening stream. Happy laughter and the gay chitter-chatter of a cosmopolitan band of people from the plains flows from one open end of the Mall to the other. Forming a fascinating fashion parade with a potpourri of fashions from different parts of the country, visitors glide up and down the Mall, gulping the fresh mountain air, gazing at the assortment of goods in the shops that line the Mall.

There is no noisy traffic here. Only the occasional, measured clatter of hooves as a horse-riding tourist goes past. And every now and then, pedestrians move to the sides as two sturdy hillmen pulling hand rickshaws occupied by people reluctant to walk, signal their approach with the spirited ringing of a bicycle bell mounted on the handle of the quaint rickshaw.

Running through Kulri Bazaar, on towards Library Chowk, the Mall, like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, offers an amazing variety of pastimes. Haggling, bargaining with rosy-cheeked Tibetans over the prices of 'imported' goods and Tibetan metalware; browsing through a bookshop; searching for antiques in the curio-shops; choosing hand-carved walking sticks or handmade cane baskets and other wares. There are embroidered wall hangings, dry pinecones, hill jewelry, garments and a dozen knick-knacks besides.

If tired of shopping or window-shopping, there is the cable car that starts from the Mall and goes up to Gun Hill. There is a revolving restaurant and scores of fancifully named eating-places. City-bred children are torn between trying to run up and down every steep path they can spot, and video parlors, a tiny park with swings and see-saws, candy floss wallahs, balloon wallahs.

From the Mall, there is a feast of views of the surrounding hills and the Doon Valley below. As evening falls, there is the prospect of watching a glorious sunset, and in the deepening darkness, twinkling light appear one by one in the valley below. Simultaneously, the Mall transforms itself into long, glittering rows of shops. As the shopkeepers on the Mall bring down their shutters on yet another day, the mood changes again. Visitors spill onto the Mall. The shopkeepers have left, the hardworking rickshaw wallahs have earned a rest and the shaggy mountain horses too have gone. The soft mountain nigh, the coolness, the sudden, complete silence that descends on the Mall act like a salve. Couples walk peacefully hand in hand, talking, perhaps, of the good times that were and will be. The Mall is Mussoorie's main artery, certainly. It is also a catalyst of dreams.

Around Mussoorie

The highest point that one can visit around Mussoorie is the famous Surkhanda Devi Temple at 10,000 feet-35 km down the Mussoorie-Tehri road. Perched on a peak, the temple demands a stiff two-km climb form devotees. The temple, goes the legend, was built on the site where the head of Shiva's consort (Shiva is the destroyer in the Hindu trinity) fell after it was chopped off to stop Shiva's terrifying dance of death that was shaking the universe to its very core.

Nag Tibba, 41 km from Mussoorie, also soars to an altitude of 10,000 feet, and entails a fairly long, taxing but exhilarating trek, and therefore more time. Thick pine forests, mountain brooks and slate-roofed villages keep one company for the greater part of the trek to Nag Tibba peak. The nearest accommodation is a forest rest house at Deolsari, about five hours of trekking below Nag Tibba.

Most people looking for a few quiet days prefer to sojourn amongst the picturesque pine-clad slopes of Dhanaulti, 24 km from Mussoorie, 11 km before the Surkhanda Devi temple. A comfortable Tourist Bungalow and a private hotel, the Dhanaulti Breeze, make Dhanaulti an ideal getaway from the milling season crowds at Mussoorie.

Thirty-one kilometers form Dhanaulti, along the Tehri road, is Chamba-the home of apples. A tourist bungalow has been built atop a mountain, and with the approach of the monsoon, fluffy clouds come in low, enter through the windows, move across the room, and float out through the door.

Closer to Mussoorie, at an altitude of 4,500 feet, Kempty Fall is perhaps the biggest attraction. The highest (over 40 feet) and most beautiful (the fall splits into five distinct cascades) of the waterfalls around Mussoorie, Kempty Fall is 15 km from Mussoorie, on the road to Chakrata.

Past Kempty Fall, 12 km downhill, you cross the Aglar River and reach the legendary Yamuna River. Trout are in abundance here, and fishing permits can be obtained form the Divisional Forest Officer, Mussoorie.

The latest addition to man-made attractions around Mussoorie (six km away, on the road winding down to Dehradun) is a small, artificial lake, complete with pedal boats.

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