Bhulla Tal, Lansdowne — the small lake the Garhwal Rifles' young soldiers built
Bhulla Tal, the small man-made lake a kilometre from Lansdowne town, built with the help of the Garhwal Rifles' young soldiers: what it is and how to visit.
Uttarakhand⛰ 1,700 m2 itineraries
Lansdowne
Lansdowne, the Garhwal Rifles' cantonment town at about 1,700 m: Bhulla Tal, Tip-n-Top, St Mary's Church and Tarkeshwar Mahadev, 258 km from Delhi.
Lansdowne is the quiet one. It is a small cantonment town in Pauri Garhwal at about 1,700 m, founded in 1887 and named after Lord Lansdowne, then Viceroy, and it is still the home of the Garhwal Rifles' regimental centre. Because the army's cantonment board runs the town, it has stayed small, green and uncrowded. From Delhi it is about 258 km by road. Free-flow routing says 4.5 hours, and traffic usually adds more; the last hill stretch climbs from the railhead at Kotdwar.
The town is for slow walking. Start at Bhulla Tal, a small lake the regiment's young soldiers helped to build. Climb to the ridge for St Mary's Church and the view from Tip-n-Top, then the Santoshi Mata temple at the top of the town. The regiment's own sights, the war memorial on the parade ground and the Darwan Singh museum, need the army's permission.
Out of town, deep in deodar forest, is the temple of Tarkeshwar Mahadev. Copy the one-day town walk or the weekend from Delhi, and read how to reach Lansdowne, the best time to go and things to do in Lansdowne.
Photos: Golu dand (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Navdeep Gusain (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Mr. Guide07 (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
Plans that include this
All Lansdowne itineraries →
One day in Lansdowne — Bhulla Tal, St Mary's Church, Tip-n-Top and the temple on top
Day plan · couples and families · slow hill-town day
A slow one-day plan for Lansdowne: Bhulla Tal in the morning, St Mary's Church and the Tip-n-Top view on the ridge, and the Santoshi Mata temple at the top.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →
A weekend in Lansdowne from Delhi — the town, then Tarkeshwar Mahadev in the forest
1 night · 2 days · weekend travellers from Delhi · hill weekend
A two-day Lansdowne weekend from Delhi: the drive up, Bhulla Tal, St Mary's Church and Tip-n-Top, then the forest temple of Tarkeshwar Mahadev before home.
Best Mar–May · Oct–Nov
See the plan →Going together
No one has started a group going to Lansdowne yet. Start one and other travellers can ask to come along.
Places worth the drive
Tarkeshwar Mahadev Temple near Lansdowne — Shiva's shrine in the deodar forest
Tarkeshwar Mahadev, the Shiva temple at about 1,800 m in deodar and pine forest east of Lansdowne: Tarkasur's story, Shivratri, and the road from Lansdowne.
St Mary's Church, Lansdowne — the old stone church on the ridge by Tip-n-Top
St Mary's Church, Lansdowne: one of the town's two churches from before independence, now cared for by the army, on the ridge near the Tip-n-Top viewpoint.
On the map
Open the Lansdowne map →The places a Lansdowne day reaches, with the road time from town. Each opens on the map with its plans and pages beside it.
Before you go
All articles →Things to do in Lansdowne — the lake, the ridge, the regiment and a forest temple
Things to do in Lansdowne: Bhulla Tal, St Mary's Church and Tip-n-Top, the Garhwal Rifles' war memorial and museum, Tarkeshwar Mahadev, Kanvashram.
How to reach Lansdowne — from Delhi by road, by train to Kotdwar, and from Dehradun
How to reach Lansdowne: 258 km from Delhi by road, the train to Kotdwar 41 km below, Dehradun airport 148 km, Haridwar and Rishikesh, with measured times.
The best time to visit Lansdowne — clear autumns, mild springs, snowy winters and the crowded weeks
When to visit Lansdowne: clear October and November for the snow peaks, mild spring, crowded May and June, a wet foggy monsoon, and snow in the winter months.
Nearby destinations
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Questions people ask
How far is Lansdowne from Delhi?
About 258 km by road on our routing, free-flow about 4.5 hours; Wikipedia gives about 250 km and Wikivoyage about 240 km and 6 hours with traffic. The road runs by way of Meerut to Kotdwar, the railhead, then climbs about 41 km and 84 minutes to the town.
What is Lansdowne known for?
Quiet. It is a small army cantonment, founded in 1887 and home to the Garhwal Rifles' regimental centre, so it has stayed uncrowded and green. Visitors come for Bhulla Tal, the view from Tip-n-Top, the old church of St Mary, the forests and the temple of Tarkeshwar Mahadev.
Which is the nearest railway station to Lansdowne?
Kotdwar. On our routing it is about 41 km and 84 minutes by road from Kotdwar station to Lansdowne; Wikipedia gives 44 km and Wikivoyage 40 km. Wikivoyage says buses and shared taxis run from the station up to the Lansdowne market. Dehradun's Jolly Grant is the nearest airport, about 148 km away.
Can you visit the Garhwal Rifles war memorial?
Yes, with permission. Wikipedia says prior permission from the military authority is needed for the war memorial on the parade ground of the Garhwal Rifles centre. The regiment's museum, the Darwan Singh Sanghralaya, shows photographs, arms, captured weapons and medals. Ask locally how to apply before you go.
Photographs by Wikimedia Commons contributors (CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA), resized; each picture is credited on its own page.