“There are many places in Kumaon where a fortnight’s holiday could be pleasantly spent. Mukteshwar is the most beautiful & picturesque place in Kumaon”. – Jim Corbett
Etymology: The town’s name derives from two Sanskrit word. ‘Mukti’ means eternal life and ‘ishwar’ another term for God, and refers to an ancient legend in which a demon battle with Shiva, though the demon is defeated, he attains immortality.
Birth of the town: Mukteshwar itself was put on the map by the establishment of the IVRI (Indian Vertinary Research Institute, by Britishers in 1893. which owns most of the land around the town, including acres of dense virgin forest.
Nature around: Mukteshwar is surrounded by beautiful and dense reserve forest of Deodar, Banj, Kharsu, Tilonj, Kafal, Pine, Utis and Mehal. Beside these trees there are wild fruit berries (Kilmora, Ghingary and Hisalu).
Its evergreen vistas of exquisite beauty and the sapphire of encircling hill blend with deep blues cloudless skies. These have a charm of their own against the background of great Himalayan peaks glittering in the distance.
An exquisite, elaborate and mind blowing panoramic view (340km.) of the great Himalayan peaks is visible from Mukteshwar. The range starts somewhere from Bandar Pooch in Garhwal to somewhere ahead of Mt. Api & Nampa in Nepal. Their changing colorful beauty catches their fascination at dawn these are golden which fades out with the rising sun, turning them to fresh cotton in noon, during sunset they are and silvery white in moonlight.
At this place Gagar ranges meet Lohakot ranges which makes it paradise in perfection. When one roams in and around Mukteshwar, one gets a feeling that the God’s creation is at its best. This town is located on a ridge; on one side of a ridge you can see a panoramic view of the Himalaya and on the other side deep valleys and typically cultivated terraced fields.
