About Lansdowne, the cute little hill station Part 3, Valour and a Ghost

A big reason for Lansdowne's aesthetic appeal lies in the fact that it is a cantonment. By and large, Indian cantonments are civically more appealing than their municipal counterparts.

While on our way to Lansdowne from Kotdwar, we came across many army vehicles and we came to know that Lansdowne is also the headquarters of Garwhal Regiment. Apparently we did little research on Lansdowne before embarking upon our honeymoon, in fact a non-mention of this place in the usual tourist circuit was a reason enough to form an opinion and arrange a vacation.

Not doing any research is not a perfect way of travelling, but nevertheless, its one of the most serendipitous. I have travelled extensively this way and have discovered unmentioned jewels- I wanted to go to Leh and took a wrong turn beyond the Rohtang (literally, that is) to reach Spiti !!! Similarly after trekking along the Konkans for twelve days, I just wanted to somehow get out of the place and reach Pune or Mumbai and I stumbled upon the beautiful Amboli.

So reaching Lansdowne and getting to know the tradition of valour and service, which Garwhal Regiment stands for was a sheer unanticipated delight.

The next morning, we woke up early- and tried finding our way to Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple. Local traditions say that the temple predates Lansdowne and because of this temple, Kaludanda- Lansdowne's earlier avtaar came into being. Then came the British and found the salubrious climate of the place to their liking, and Lansdowne was born. Its also said that the "Shivalinga" of the temple is swayambhu (self-formed) and was accidentally discovered by local cowherds, when their cows went missing and were found milking upon the Linga on a Mahashivratri.

The way to the temple is through the Sadar Bazar, in an early morning one can also catch up with the laidback activity of the bazar- having its own charm. And then walk his way down to Kaleshwar Mahadev. The setting of this temple is serene, but a dharamshala was being built bang opposite the temple, in a very unaesthetic manner. I am yet to see the end result.

While trying to find our way out of the place, and trying to avoid going to the Sadar Bazar again- we took another path and strayed into the cantonment area. A beautiful Regment's Durga Mandir is a must visit, and so is the Parade Maidan. In an early morning and around dusk, one can see the jawans doing parade in the Maidan.

Walking along the winding roads from the durga mandir to the parade grounds, you can see the jawans engaged in various activities, but the most interesting of them all is to see them practising music with the help of two wooden sticks and a wooden slab. Despite my curiosity, I was unable to find out the whys and hows of that interesting ritual.

Near the parade grounds is the Garwhal Regiment memorial and a museum, entry to the memorial is regulated, though the guards let you in on request, especially when its not very crowded. The memorial has a bronze (I am not very sure about that, though guard told me it was bronze) statue of a jawan engaged in a gun-battle. The statue is resting on a raised platform and therefore towers everything else in the vicinity, and is surrounded by a small garden.

But the Garwhal Regiment museum right infront of the memorial is absolutely wonderful, you can learn about the entire history of the regiment, its exploits in the world wars and more recently for our country- and see a lot of arms and armaments of yesteryears- its a must for anybody who is interested in weaponry, military history- and a delight for anybody who is not.

Nearby is a garden maintained by the regiment, run of the mill type. A small walk from the garden leads you to the Garwhal Mess, often considered to be the most well kept mess in Indian Army . The entry here, again is regulated but a request can get you an access to their display gallery. You can see a very good collection of armoury, weapons, trophies, awards and can also hear the story of a regimental ghost. A soldier of the regiment, who is still though to be serving the Army. The story instills patriotism and not fear

A couple of hundred metres brings you to the St.John's Church. Validating my theory on the size of Lansdowne

It was a long day, but very absorbing.