Kumaon Yatra

Highlights & Route

Kumaon is our own home region, and this short yatra takes you to two of its most sacred places that lie off the usual Nainital tourist track. The first is Devidhura, a ridge-top village in Champawat district at around 1,850 metres, where Maa Varahi is worshipped as a Shakti Peeth and where the famous Bagwal fair is held every Raksha Bandhan. The temple stands among giant boulders and old oaks, and the Goddess is kept in a copper casket that is never shown to the public.

From Devidhura we drop down and climb again to Jageshwar Dham, a valley of more than a hundred stone temples set in a grove of towering deodars beside the Jataganga stream. Built between roughly the 7th and 12th centuries by the Katyuri and Chand rulers, Jageshwar is counted by many as one of the twelve Jyotirlingas (Nagesh) and is one of the quietest, most atmospheric Shiva sites in the Himalaya. On the way to Almora we stop at the Chitai Golu Devta temple, hung with thousands of brass bells and letters of petition.

The yatra begins and ends at Pantnagar airport or Lalkuan railway station, so yatris from Delhi, Dehradun and beyond can join easily. You travel in a private vehicle on hill roads with an experienced local driver, stay one night each at Devidhura and Almora, and have vegetarian breakfast and dinner included. Everything is managed by our Dehradun team, with a coordinator on call.

Route

Pantnagar / Lalkuan → Haldwani → Devidhura (Varahi Devi Shakti Peeth) → Jageshwar Dham → Chitai Golu Devta → Almora → Haldwani → Pantnagar / Lalkuan

Good to know before you book

• Pantnagar airport has limited flights (mainly from Delhi); Kathgodam and Lalkuan stations are served by trains from Delhi and Dehradun, and we can also start the yatra from Haldwani or Kathgodam at no extra cost.
• Hill roads are winding; Day 1 is about 140 km (roughly 5 hours), Day 2 about 115 km including Jageshwar and Chitai, Day 3 about 115 km back to the plains.
• The Bagwal (stone-throwing fair, now largely with fruit and flowers) is held at Devidhura on Raksha Bandhan in August; it is spectacular but crowded and rooms are scarce, so book months ahead for that date.
• Hotels at Devidhura are simple guest houses and homestays; for more comfort we can halt at Lohaghat or Champawat instead.
• Jageshwar temples open from early morning to evening and are busiest during Shravan; the deodar grove is cold in winter and can see snow in January.
• Best seasons are March–June and September–November; the monsoon brings landslides and the roads are slow.