Bungalow 20, Lansdowne

An Ode to Lansdowne

To the hills we go, to scale some heights,
The sun comes up, the hills approach, the
Wind sings true, the roads hiss past, for all
I know, you live to see, the trees speed past
As you move along, to see new sights.

The sun comes up, the hills approach and

All our cares we leave behind, the wind sings

True, and life goes on, the roads hiss past and

We move along. For all I know you live to see

The hills that rise to touch the sky!

I know, you live to see, the trees speed past,

And to smell the scent of Pine resin to freshen

Up the senses. To see new sights and the sun to

Rise. If the setting of the sun is magical, then

Can its rise be less spectacular?

The trip to Lansdowne was a much awaited trip for my family and my sister's family especially after almost two years of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns resulting from it. Initially we had thought about visiting Jim Corbett National Park but then decided that it was too hot and that we needed to visit a new hill station in the North. The name that came to our minds was Lansdowne, a town known for being a Cantonment area and the home of the Garhwal regiment. Upon reaching a consensus, we decided to book rooms in a homestay resort in Jai Hari, a spot five kilometers away from Lansdowne.

We started from Gurgaon one fine Friday morning on the 3rd of June at about 4:45 in the morning on a full tank and after making a few pit-stops, reached jai Hari Khal at about 2:00 in the afternoon. The kilometer reading on the odometer was 284. The weather was quite warm initially, but then it started to cool down as the day advanced. The first day of our two day tour was spent exploring the resort and the area surrounding it. The sunset viewed from the balcony was simply stunning.

On the second day, we decided to explore Lansdowne and we booked a cab to take us sightseeing because we did not want to take the hassle of driving around in our cars asking for directions. We left for Lansdowne at 9:30 in the morning and our first stop was at the St. John's Church, A Roman Catholic Church that has been a must-visit place in Lansdowne since the nineteen thirties. It had been in a dilapidated state before being restored. The St. John's Church in Lansdowne is the oldest church in the Cantonment area.

The second place we stopped at was the St. Mary's Protestant Church which was constructed in 1896. The church fell into a state of disrepair after 1947 but then has now been restored into its original form by the Garwhal Rifle's regiment and is now fully functional. There is, incidentally a lot of history associated with both of these churches which is intertwined with the historical background of the Garhwal Regiment.

The third place we visited was the Tiffin-Top or the Tip-In Top Point, 2.5 kilometers from Lansdowne and at a height of 2000 meters above sea level. During the winter months one can see snow-covered mountains in the distance.

The fourth place we visited was the Santoshi Mata Temple. This temple is a much place of worship and tourists make it a point to visit it while visiting Lansdowne. The temple is maintained by the Garhwal regiment. Though most tourist brochures claim Tip-In-Top to be the highest point in the town, the fact is that the temple is accessed from a road that climbs up from Tip-In-Top making it located at a higher point than Tip-In-Top point.

The fifth place we visited in Lansdowne was the Bhulla Taal, a man-made lake built by the Garhwal Regiment. This is a popular spot in the tourists' itinerary for Lansdowne. One can gain entry to the lake by paying Rs. 150/- per head (the amount includes fees for hiring a paddle boat). The area before the lake has swings, a restaurant and a Souvenir shop. The proceeds from the money collected is added to funds for widows of fallen heroes of the Garhwal Regiment.

The sixth and last place visited by us while on a visit to Lansdowne was the Darwan Singh Museum.It is named after the famous Victoria Cross awardee, Darwan Singh Negi. The museum is a repository of important war artifacts, weapons and official records of the Garhwal Rifles regiment starting from the First World War. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to take photographs inside the Museum. One can also spot static displays of a Naval Harrier Fighter Jet, and an Armoured Personnel Carrier.

Lansdowne is a historically significant town, especially because of its association with the British during the colonial era. The architecture of the buildings is significantly British in nature, whether it is the fire places, the chimneys or the over all interior designs. One mysterious ruins of a building dating from the British raj was labelled simply as Bungalow No. 20. When we enquired about the building from some of the locals, the only answer we got was that it had always been like that and that they had not memories of its ever being occupied. A rich food for imagination, Bungalow No. 20 revived my creative and imaginative juices pouring in, making me wonder about its origins, the people who had once lived in it and most significantly, why it had been abandoned while the other Bungalows still house officials from the regiment.

Apart from the official sites that we visited, there were a few things that were most surprising. The first was that the resort that we were staying in was supplied with spring water, water that was literally pouring from the depths of the mountains. The second thing was that while on a trek to the bottom of the resort I was head-butted in the backside by an overenthusiastic mountain goat. The third thing was that the crows in the mountains are persistent naggers. The pheasant calls out to its mate in a cry that can persist for minutes on end. Lastly but not least, I was able to photograph an insect that looked like a pink Alpenliebe Toffee!