11 Top Tourist Places to Visit in Almora

At a distance of 20 km from Almora and 30 km from Ranikhet, Katarmal Sun Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated at Katarmal village in Almora district of Uttarakhand.

Katarmal Temple is dedicated to Lord Burhadita or Vriddhaditya (the old Sun God) and is one of the famous historical places of Kumaon hills in Uttarakhand. The present image of Surya in the temple dates back to 12th century. Built in the 9th century by Katarmalla, a Katyuri king, this temple is perched at an altitude of 2116 m.

The Sun Temple is noted for its magnificent architecture and is a monument of historical importance. The temple complex has one main temple surrounded by 45 smaller exquisitely carved temples. The idols of Shiva-Parvati and Lakshmi-Narayana can also be spotted in this temple. The building faces the east in a way such that the first rays of the sun fall on the Shiva Lingam. Stone-built walls, intricate figures, beautiful pillar carvings and exquisitely cut out wooden doors are among .....

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At a distance of 37 km from Almora, Jageshwar is a Hindu pilgrimage town in Almora district of Uttarakhand. It is located at an altitude of 1870 m on the banks of Jataganga River.

Jageshwar was once the center of Lakulish Shaivism (Lakulish is 28th Avatar of Shiva). Origin and history of Lakulish (Shiva with a wooden stick) traverse back to Gujarat region of current India. The temple city comprises a cluster of 124 large and small temples with many preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India, which include Dandeshwar Temple, Chandi Temple, Jageshwar Temple, Kuber Temple, Mritunjaya Temple, Nanda Devi or Nava Durga, Nava-grah temple, a Pyramidal shrine, and Surya Temple, amongst which the oldest shrine is the Mrityunjaya Temple and the biggest shrine is the Dandeshwar Temple.

There is no definite dating of the construction of Jageshwar group of temples but according to the ASI, they belong to the post-Gupta and pre-medieval eras. These temples range in the period from the .....

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At a distance of 10 km from Almora, Chitai Temple is a sacred temple situated near Falsima in Almora district of Uttarakhand.

Chitai Temple is devoted to the mythological and historical God of the Kumaon region, Golu Devata or Lord Golu. Perched on a hilltop, this temple was constructed in the 12th century by a general belonging to the Chand dynasty. Golu Devta is famously regarded as God of Justice.

According to the legend, once a king went into the forest for hunting, when the king became thirsty he ordered one of his servants to fetch water for him. In turn the servant disturbed a female saint deep in meditation. The woman, in a fit of anger, insulted the king. The king got fond of the lady and married her. As the other queens of the king became jealous of the new queen they stole the newborn child of the queen and replaced it with a stone and threw the kid in a lake where a fisherman found him. Later when the boy realized about his true identity he decided to seek on the .....

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At a distance of 500 m from Almora Bus Stand, Nanda Devi Temple is situated above the Mall Road in Almora. It is one of the most famous and sacred temples in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Nanda Devi, the patron goddess of the Chand Dynasty. She is believed to be the destroyer of evil. Nanda Devi temple dates back to 11th century and is built in Kumaoni-style architecture within the premises of a Shiva temple. The idol of the goddess Nanda is a huge monument with a stone crown encircled by a wooden roof. The surrounding walls are graced by intricate stone carvings of several life size statues.

Nanda Devi temple is quite famous not just in Kumauni people but whole of Uttarakhand. There are numerous temples of Nanda Devi in Kumaon hills and the hills of far-western Nepal dedicated to goddess Parvati as the daughter of Himalayas. The temple is most famous for the Nanda Devi Fair that is hosted every year in the month of September. Tourists .....

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At a distance of 26 km from Almora, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the foothills of Himalayas in Almora district of Uttarakhand. It is one of the must visit places as part of wildlife tours in India.

Binsar wildlife sanctuary was declared in the year 1988. This reserve forest is located at an altitude of 2270 m and it covers an area of 47.04 sq. km. The peak point known as Jhandi Dhar is at an elevation of 2412 m. Apart from protecting wildlife, the sanctuary was established with an aim to conserve the broad leaf oak forests, mainly located in the Central Himalayan region.

Binsar was the summer capital of the Chand Kings, who ruled Kumaon from the 11th to 18th centuries. During British rule there was a base at Almora and during summer Binsar was used as official summer capital. There are 5 villages inside the sanctuary and 30 villages on the boundary of the sanctuary.

This sanctuary is rich in diversified .....

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At a distance of 700 m from Almora Bus Stand, Sri Govind Ballabh Pant Government Museum is situated at Central Lodge and is one of the popular places to visit in Almora city.

Govind Ballabh Pant Government Museum was established in the year 1980. It was built in honor to Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant's contribution as a freedom fighter as well as his efforts to develop Uttarakhand. The museum is known for possessing a varied and good collection of ancient antiques which date back to the Katyuri and Chand dynasties that ruled Uttarakhand for several centuries.

The museum has an interesting collection of art and crafts. It includes folk arts, textiles, Boshi Sen's personal collection, miniature paintings, woodworks. The museum also has an assortment of sculptures, terracotta, coins, bronzes, musical instruments, ivory copper plates, beads, manuscripts and many other things. There is a good collection of Kumauni ancient style painting called Aspen in the museum. These painting are .....

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At a distance of 10 km from Almora Bus Stand, Kasar Devi Temple is a famous Hindu shrine at Kasar Devi village in Almora district of Uttarakhand. It is one of the oldest Hindu temples of the region.

Kasar Devi Temple is believed to be built in 2nd century AD and is dedicated to Kasar Devi. The temple is adorned on a hillock at an altitude of 2116 m overlooking the town of Almora. In 1890's Swami Vivekananda came to this temple for meditation. Alfred Sorensen who is also known as the Sunyata Baba stayed here for many years in 1930s. Several saints reported the presence of a divine power in these areas. It is said that this place is exposed to Van Allan belt, that's why a special natural powers are felt among people who come here.

Many foreigners came here in search of spiritualism with the effect of Sunyata Baba. The constant presence of foreigners conforming to the Hippie culture of the late 70s and early 80s led to the naming of this place as Hippie Land.

Kasar Devi .....

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At a distance of 3 km from Almora Bus Stand, Bright End Corner is a vantage point situated at the end of Almora ridge. The place offers some of the most picturesque views of the sunrise and sunset amidst the mighty Himalayas. The point marks the beginning of the Mall Road at Almora and is named after Mr. Brighton.

It is also known for its various meditational centers like Sri Ramakrishna Kutir Ashram and the famous Swami Vivekananda Library. Tourists from across the world travel to this place during April to June and September to October seeking to take up meditation classes. A little away is the Vivekananda Memorial where Swami Vivekananda had spent some time on his journey to the Himalayas.

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At a distance of 6 km from Almora Bus Stand, Deer Park is situated in Narayan Tiwari Dewai in Almora Town.

Deer Park is one of the major attractions of Almora and it features tall pine trees which add to the rich natural beauty of the place. This park preserves a huge collection of deer, furious Himalayan bears and wild leopards, which can be seen wandering around freely in the park. Besides, the place is an ideal place to take a leisure walk during the evening time.

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At a distance of 34 km from Ranikhet & 77 km from Almora, Dwarahat is an ancient town situated in Almora district of Uttarakhand. It is famous for its ancient temples which were constructed mainly by the Katyuri kings and are maintained by ASI.

Dwarahat, which means Way to Heaven, was once the principal seat of the Katyuri kings whose empire was stretched from the Sutlez River in the west to river Gandak in the east, and from the Himalayas to the plains, including the whole of Rohelkhand. Later it came under the rule of the Chand Rajas of Kumaon in the sixteenth century.

Dwarahat has 55 ancient temples of exquisite architectural excellence, divided into 8 groups. Some temples now have great archaeological value. These were constructed in the Indo-Aryan, Maru-Pratihara or Nagara type. The temples are constructed mainly of masonry blocks of Pre-Cambrian granite available in the nearby area. Instead of mortar, iron clamps and dowels have been used to tie adjoining blocks.


Distance (From Almora): 77 Kms
Trip Duration (From Almora - Including Travel): 6-8 Hours
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At a distance of 14 km from Dwarahat, 48 km from Ranikhet, and 78 km from Almora, Dunagiri Temple or Doonagiri Temple is the most famous temple situated at Dunagiri in Almora district of Uttarakhand.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga in the form of Goddess Vaishnavi Devi and is located on a small hillock of Kumaon Hills. According to the legend, when Hanuman was carrying the rock laden with Sanjiwani to rescue Laxman injured in the battle of Ramayana, a piece of the hill fell here. This incident gave this place its name Doonagiri.

The temple is popularly known as Mangalikhan among locals. The Temple is one of the two Vaishnavi Shakti Peeths in India other one being Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu Kashmir. It is believed that the bronze plate inside the temple dates back to 1181 AD. Considered to be one of the powerful Shakti Peeths, the temple offers a panoramic view of the Gogas Valley. Visitors need to climb a stairway of 500 steps to reach the temple. The temple attracts .....

Distance (From Almora): 78 Kms
Trip Duration (From Dwarahat (14 Km) - Including Travel): 2 Hours
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