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About
Binsar |
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Binsar is a thickly wooded mid-altitude forest which is
located at an elevation of about 2412 m (7900 ft.) on top of
the Jhandi Devi Hills, 32 kms from Almora town. The altitude
and forest cover land Binsar is a natural beauty and a climate
extremely pleasant during summers. It is believed that the
rulers of the Chand dynasty who ruled over Kumaon enjoyed
their summers in Binsar.
On a clear day, from Jhandi Dhar (also called Zero Point)
inside the sanctuary one can have a 300 kms unhindered views
of the Himalayan peaks that include Trishul and Nanda Devi.
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Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary |
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Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Himalayas on top of
the Jhandi Dhar hills. It is about 33 km north of the Almora
town in Uttarakhand, India. From a place called Zero Point in
Binsar one can see the Himalayan peaks like Kedarnath Peak,
Trisul, Shivling and Nanda Devi.
Binsar was the summer capital of the Chand Kings, who ruled over
Kumaon from the 11th to 18th centuries AD. Binsar was founded in
1988 for the conservation and protection of the shrinking broad
leaf oak (Quercus) forests of the Central Himalayan region, and
it has over 200 bird species. |
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Geography |
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The
sanctuary is spread over 45.59 km˛ and situated at an elevation
varying from 900 to 2500 metres with an average altitude of 2412
metres. It is located about 35 kms from Almora in the state of
Uttarakhand.
Flora
The sanctuary has pine forest at the lower level and oak and
rhododendron at the higher elevation. It also has alpine flora,
hanging mosses, pteridophytes and bryophytes. Other plants
include Pinus roxburghii, kaphal (Myrica esculenta),
Engelhardtia spiicata, Macaranga pustulata, Quercus incana,
Quercus gloca, Quercus leucotricophora (banjh), Quercus
semicarpifolia,Quercus dilatata, Cedrus deodara, Aesculus indica,
Pinus wallichiana, Quercus floribunda, Alnus napalensis and
Quercus lanuginosa.
Fauna
Binsar has a museum about the flora and fauna of the region.The
fauna include Chital (Axis axis), Nemorhaedus goral (goral),
leopard (Panthera Pardus), serow (Capricornis sumatiensis),
jungle cat(Felis chaus), Sus scrofa, black bear, pine marten,
fox (Vulpes vulpes), langur ((Presbytis entellus), musk deer,
monkey (Macaca mulatta), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), and
porcupine, flying squirrel (Petaurista petaurista). It has over
200 species of birds including nuthatches, blackbirds, tits,
magpies, forktail, parakeets, laughingthrush, Kalij pheasant (Lophuraleucomelana),
Eurasian jays, eagles, monal, koklas, and woodpeckers. Binsar is
also home to many reptiles and a wide range of butterflies. |
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Tourist Attractions in Binsar |
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Binsar Mahadev Temple
The Bineshwar Mahadev temple is a holy destination for
Hindus. Binsar was named after the temple, which is
dedicated to the God Shiva. The Binsar Mahadev is located
in a jungle which is about 20 km from Ranikhet and about
70 kms from Almora. It is famous for the temple of Lord
Shiva. Every June "Yagya" is organised in which thousand
of devotees visit there.
Kasar Devi temple
Kasar Devi temple is located about 9 km from Binsar. It
housed Dutch monks from 1970 to early 1980s. It gained
recognition in 1920 when Swami Vivekananda meditated
there.
Mary Budden estate
The Mary Budden estate is located at 8000 feet, it is a
restored colonial home with two cottages and a temple to
Shiva.
Khali estate
The Khali estate was once the home of Sir Henry Ramsay,
who was the commissioner of Kumaun from 1856 to 1884 and
called by British authors the King of Kumaun. He also
built his bungalow at Binsar. Vijay Laxmi Pandit, the
sister of Jawahar Lal Nehru, also lived here.
Places Nearby Binsar
Chitai
Chitai is a village on the Almora-Pithoragarh highway
about 6 kilometres from Almora in Uttarakhand state,
India. It is known for the temple of Golu Devata.
Kausani
Kausani is a hill station which is situated in the
Bageshwar district of the Uttarakhand state of India.
Ranikhet
Ranikhet is a hill station and cantonment town in Almora
district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Almora
Almora is a municipal board and a cantonment town in the
Almora district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. Almora
was founded in 1568. |
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Things to Do in Binsar |
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Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest reserve which sprawls over
an area of about 47 sq km. The sanctuary extends tourists a wide
variety of floral species, fauna as well as avi-fauna. With so
much to explore, Binsar truly makes way to be one of the ideal
destinations in the Uttaranchal. Miles away from the clatter and
clamor of city life, an adventure to the wilds would be a truly
enthralling as well as refreshing experience to beckon.
Enjoy Bird-Watching
Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary is nothing but a paradise. There are
innumerable varieties of birds that extend a colorful plumage to
the whole area. There are a total of about 200 species of birds,
some of which are forktail, nuthatches, tits, magpies,
blackbirds, parakeets, laughingthrush, woodpeckers, kalij
pheasant (lophura leucomelana), koklas and monal.
Explore the Heritage
Binsar extends tourists not just a wildlife sanctuary, but some
mesmerizing archeological sites. The Binsar Sanctuary Museum is
one of the archeological sites in place, forwarding tourist
detailed information about the flora and fauna of the region.
Apart from this, there is a long stone with cup-marks near
Dinapani on the Almora-Binsar road. According to historians,
these cup-shaped marks belong to Megalithic Age.
Go for Trekking
Located in the middle Himalaya region.in the Almora District of
Uttarakhand, Binsar is the best sites to go for trekking. The
trekking tracks in the region forwards tourist a wonderful
opportunity to have an enthralling experience.
See the Wildlife
In Binsar the first and foremost thing to do would be to explore
the tranquil nature. Binsar is a haven for nature lovers and
adventure freaks which extends them a large stretch of pristine
surrounding. The scenic mid-altitude broadleaf temperate forest
harbors a wide array of wildlife, including spectacular
pheasants. Tourist can explore the amazing wildlife of the area
and experience a fascinating sojourn. |
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How to Reach Binsar |
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By
Rail
Trains to the town of Binsar are not available, as the town of
Binsar does not have a proper railway station. The nearest
railway station is located in Kathgodam which is at a distance
of 85 kilometres from Binsar. The railway station at Kathgodam
will have trains from various stations, including trains from
the capital city of New Delhi.
By Road
Local as well as State transport buses are available from
Kathgodam, Chandigarh, Delhi and other parts of the region.
By Air
Flights from Delhi will occasionally be available to the airport
in Pantnagar. This is a developing airport in the state of
Uttarakhand and flight services here are not so regular.
However, you can try for flights to this airport in order to
reach Binsar easily from here. |
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