Nainital (Hindi: नैनीताल) is a popular hill station in the Indian state of Uttarakhand and headquarters of Nainital district in the Kumaon foothills of the outer Himalayas. Situated at an altitude of 1,938 metres (6,358 ft) above sea level, Nainital is set in a valley containing a pear-shaped lake, approximately two miles in circumference, and surrounded by mountains, of which the highest are Naina (2,615 m (8,579 ft)) on the north, Deopatha (2,438 m (7,999 ft)) on the west, and Ayarpatha (2,278 m (7,474 ft)) on the south. From the tops of the higher peaks, "magnificent views can be obtained of the vast plain to the south, or of the mass of tangled ridges lying north, bounded by the great snowy range which forms the central axis of the Himalayas."
Nainital in Mythology
It is believed that Nainital figures in some ancient myths of India. In the Manas Khand of the Skand Puranas, Nainital Lake is called Tri-Rishi-Sarovar,hinting at the story of three sages (or rishis), Atri, Pulastya and Pulaha, who, upon finding no water in Nainital, dug a large hole at the location of the present day lake (sarovar = lake) and filled it with water from the holy lake Manasarovar in Tibet. According to lore, a dip in Naini Lake, "the lesser Manasarovar," earns merit equal to a dip in the great lake.
It is also believed that The Naini Lake is one of the 64 Shakti Peeths, or religious sites where parts of the charred body of Sati (Parvati) fell on earth while being carried by Lord Shiva. The spot where Sati's eyes (or Nain) fell, came to be called Nain-tal or lake of the eye. The goddess Shakti is worshipped at the Naina Devi Temple on the north shore of the present day lake.
My long pending dream to visit Nainital came true when I made a phone call to Fr. Marian Pinto, my minor seminary companion, presently working at Dhamola about 85 Kms away from Nainital in the diocese of Bareilly. On Friday the 10th Feb. 2012, I set out from Anand Vihar ISBT, Delhi to Haldwani at 9.00 PM by Volvo luxury bus. It was a sweet meeting at Haldwani, after almost 27 years, but we took some time to recognize each other as age had taken its toll on both of us. Marian looked stouter and stronger, with his base voice- a lot more confident than was back in 1985 at Dilkush, Lucknow.
On his elegant looking Skoda Pabia car, it was indeed going to be a luxury tour. My joy was double indeed: meeting my long separated chum and the tour of Nainital first time in life. With a quick wash at Suchetana, Bareilly diocese social service centre and a South Indian Cuisine treat of Uppama and Idli at Udupiwala for breakfast at Kathgodam, we set out on our journey upward to Nainital. The whole day was spent visiting different places at Nainital: we began from St. Francis Church and taking the motor cycle from the parish priest we set on a pleasure ride: took a round of Nainital lake, went to the topmost hill to have a view of the Himalayan mountain peaks covered with snow (Trishul parvat, Nanda devi peak, etc.), then proceeded to the Governor’s Palace and had a stroll, came down to Nainital for a Pure Vegetarian lunch. Leaving the bike at the parish we proceeded to see the rest of the lakes: Satal (seven lakes), Bhimtal, Naokuchiatal, etc. and taking another route we came down to Kathgodam at around 6.00 PM for evening tea and onion dosa at Udupiwalla Restaurant, reminding me of my hometown in Mangalore.
We were at Dhamola by 7.30 PM and after a quick shower went to the nearby parish for the dinner hosted by Fr. Ashok Masih. At 11.30 PM I could hit the bed for a deep sleep until the morning bhajan woke me up at 6.00 AM on Sunday. After the holy Mass at 9.30 AM, where I was introduced with my famous pre-fix, ‘the kidnapped Father’! I had to share for one more time my ‘experience’ in the jungle. As pre-planned, Marian drove me to Kashipur, Fr. Harry D’Cunha’s place for a late lunch. On the way our one more minor seminary pal, Fr. Roman joined us at Doraah. It was wonderful indeed to narrate our ‘silly points’ of minor seminary in the car. At 5.30 PM, it was time to bid good bye to Harry, and proceed back to Delhi. We dropped Roman at Rudrapur (his parish) and after the dinner at Suchetana, I boarded the Volvo at Haldwani at 9.00 PM.
It was difficult to say bye to Marian. Words were difficult to come by to express my gratitude. Marian was kind, generous and hospitable. I find him the same as a person: warm and affectionate. I thank God for having made this meeting possible.
Some memorable pictures are in this link herebelow:
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