About Ranikhet

*ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW   ABOUT RANIKHET

If one were to ask, “Where do we find a sprawling township blessed with a verdant canopy of Deodar, Oak, Walnut, Chestnut, Cypress and Pine trees; dotted with exquisite bungalows connected with a well planned grid of roads, gorgeous churches and above all, a place sans any crime or disorder?

”The answer would invariably be: - RANIKHET. A hill station which stands out in stark contrast to its peers, Ranikhet is free of all din and bustle, bereft of fast food caterers and vendors peddling imported wares, and with miles of parking space.

In short, a hermit’s delight. It is difficult to say whether it is a city within a forest or a forest within a city.The breathtaking view of the majestic Himalayan range from any corner of the town is unparalleled.

​

Two legacies of British rule for which we ought to be grateful to them are the hill stations and the cantonments. Ranikhet, which was built by the British from the scratch, is fortunate enough to be both.

The antiquity of Ranikhet is shrouded in a jumble of myths. A legend says, centuries ago it served as a recreational ground for some nondescript Katyuri queen and hence the eponym Ranikhet. But there is not corroborative evidence to this effect.

However, when the East India Company engaged Nepal into a war, Ranikhet was bound to come into prominence as the Gorkhas had two outposts here – one at Kumpur (present Lal Kurti)overlooking the western slope and the other at Chaubatia at a vantage position.

According to well chronicled war diaries the British troops led by Lt. Col. Gardiner, and using their six –pounder heavy artillery to good effect, trounced the Gorkhas in the battle at Kapina Ka Danda (The ridge of Kapina on the western slope).

In 1815 both the garrisons fell to the British. However, with the subsequent development of Almora, Mussorie, Shimla and Nainital as summer stations, Ranikhet didn’t figure in the larger scheme of colonization, notwithstanding some adventurous Englishmen who purchased land from the locals anticipating a British settlement sooner or later.

Like one Norman Troup who set up two estates - Auckland and Holm Farm to introduce tea plantations. Things began to change after the insurrection of 1857 as an alternative to Nainital was considered prudent.

In 1868 the Commander in chief detailed one Major Lang of XXIII Royal Welsh Fusiliers to select a suitable site which could serve as a sanitorium as well as summer station for the troops and their families.

The topography of Ranikhet with its flat ridges and gentle slopes coupled with its balmy weather perfectly suited the bill. Accordingly the vast terrain was acquired by defraying a compensation of Rs.13,204.00 to the residents of surrounding three villages Sarna, Tana and Kotli. Norman Troup’s possessions, except Holm Farm, were also acquired.

​

Broadly speaking Ranikhet is made up of three major ridges--The Alma Ridge on the west which includes Kumpur and The KRC; the Dulikhet ridge on the East which includes the Golf Course; and Chaubatia on the South.

On the northern side are the undulating hills capped up by the mighty Himalayas. All the three ridges are inter-connected by the Upper and Lower Mall Roads.

​

To begin with, a Royal Treasury was opened on 1 April 1869; in 1870 an advance party was dispatched to build log huts before forests could be cleared to construct roads and barracks.

Rev. James Kennedy, sent to Ranikhet in 1869 by the London Mission Society wrote in his book, Life and Work in Benares and Kumaon – “When we went to Raneekhet (sic.) There was not a single house.

The only Europeans were two engineers and a sergeant and they were living in the cook houses… Towards the end of 1869 two companies of English soldiers were sent and as soon as tolerable accommodation was provided, a regiment was stationed at Raneekhet.”

Rev. Kennedy founded the St. Peter’s Church and an Anglo-Vernacular Mission School (now called Ranikhet Intermediate College).

​

Viceroy Lord Mayo who stayed at Chaubatia sometime in 1872 was so much bowled over by the beauty of the place that he ordered a survey for the construction of a railway line up to Ranikhet, but the project remained a non-starter.

​

The first barrack -- Alma-Barrack was completed in 1876 where every year about 2000 soldiers from Lucknow and Meerut military districts camped from March to November. Officers live in spacious bungalows in the upper reaches, also known as the Upper Mall. Most of these bungalows still carry English names like Holm Farm, Hermitage , Ridgeway, Knockfierna, St.Albans, The Priory, to name a few.

Many Victorian style motels also came up and some were run by enterprising ladies like Lady Dorothy Clark, Lady Norton, Miss Murphy, and Miss Frapoli.

​

The Mall Road here is a sort of misnomer. Far from being a ritzy-glitzy bazaar with shops choca-bloc and huge crowd milling around - it is a quiet place with just a handful of small shops catering to the basic requirements.

​

Growth of Ranikhet can be likened to that of any typical cantonment. Ancillary facilities soon developed: - Royal Military Hospital, Military Dairy, elaborate water supply system, mule sheds etc. This was followed by a procession of people from different walks of life - teachers, lawyers, clerks, masons, carpenters, butchers, and even nautch girls, all flocked to this newly developing town and settled down for good, making it a truly cosmopolitan town.

​

Two most discernible land marks of Ranikhet are the Kumaon Regimental Center (set up in 1948) and the Chaubatia Garden which is one of the oldest horticulture research centers in Asia, dating back to 1869. It was very well developed by Norman Gill who had trained in the famous Kew Garden of London. An eminent horticulturist Mr. Satyanand Stokes introduced the famous Red Delicious variety of apple here. Around the same time tea plantations were also introduced, the traces of which are still visible.

​

Ranikhet’s serenity allured many artists and litterateur to spend time here -Famous painter Frank Brewster, eminent Hindi writers Agyeya, Nirmal Verma ,Rahul Sankrityayan, Upendra Nath Ashk ,noted publisher Ravi Dayal all were in love with the place. Currently noted writer/ publisher Rukun Advani (Permanent Black) and his writer wife Anuradha Roy are based here. Some years back Booker Prize winning novelist Amitav Ghosh was also on a sabbatical here.

Unlike most of the hill stations, it has not yet been converted into a concrete forest, thanks to strict cantonment regulations which forbid building activities. Population is not burgeoning and tourist influx is just about manageable. The town has been able to undertake sustainable development against heavy odds, and preserve its natural beauty to some extent* ........