Ranikhet

A cantonment set up in 1869, Ranikhet or Queen’s Meadow, as it was known, is situated at an altitude of 1829 metres above sea level in the Almora district of Uttarakhand. Local legend has it that it was here that Raja Sudhardev won the heart of her queen Rani Padmini and chose it as her residence, though there is no palace here.

Ranikhet is home to the Kumaon Regiment. As you drive into town, a huge signboard saying- ‘Home of the Kumaon Regiment’ welcomes you. The Naga regiment too was raised here. The British used the station as a retreat from the heat of the Indian summer. At one time, it was also proposed as the summer capital of the British Raj instead of Shimla. The beautiful spots of Ranikhet have formed the location of many a Bollywood film.