Naini Lake

Naini Lake is a natural freshwater lake at about 1,940 metres in the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand, and the town of Nainital is built around its shores and up the slopes on either side. Naini Lake is shaped roughly like a kidney, and its name comes from the Naina Devi temple at its northern end, one of the Shakti Peethas, where the eyes of the goddess Sati are said to have fallen.

Nainital grew up after 1841, when a British sugar trader named P. Barron built a house by the lake, and it became the summer capital of the United Provinces. A landslide in 1880 killed over 150 people and buried part of the town; the Flats, the open ground at the northern end, were formed from it. The two ends of the lake are known as Mallital, the upper end, and Tallital, the lower end, linked by the Mall Road along the eastern shore. The Nainital Boat Club, founded in 1910, still sails yachts on Naini Lake, and hand-rowed boats and pedal boats go out all day.

What to see

• Boat rides on Naini Lake from the Mallital and Tallital jetties
• Naina Devi Temple on the northern shore
• The Mall Road walk along the eastern bank
• The ropeway up to Snow View for the high Himalayan peaks
• Tiffin Top and Naina Peak for views over the lake
• The Flats, used for football and festivals

What to wear

Nainital is cool in summer and cold in winter, with occasional snow from December to February, so bring layers and a warm jacket; the monsoon from July to September brings heavy rain and landslide warnings. Wear comfortable walking shoes for the steep lanes. Cover shoulders and remove shoes at Naina Devi Temple. Kumaoni women traditionally wear the pichhora, a yellow and red stole, at festivals, with a large nath nose ring; men wear the Kumaoni topi.

Local food to try

Kumaoni dishes to try include bhatt ki churkani, a black soybean curry, aloo ke gutke, spiced potatoes, and ras, a mixed lentil soup. For sweets, look for bal mithai, brown fudge coated in white sugar balls, and singori, a milk sweet wrapped in a leaf, both from nearby Almora. The Mall Road has bakeries, momo stalls and restaurants.

Good to know

• Best time: March to June and October to November
• Hours: boating roughly 6am to 6pm; the lake promenade is open all day
• Entry: free to walk; boat rides and the ropeway are paid
• Allow a day, or two with the viewpoints
• Getting there: about 35 km from Kathgodam railway station and 70 km from Pantnagar airport
• Summer holiday weekends are very crowded; book hotels ahead

Nearby places

Rishikesh is about 270 km west, and Kedarnath Temple lies deeper in the Garhwal Himalaya, about 250 km north-west. Most visitors from Singapore reach Nainital from Delhi airport, about 300 km away.