Rabindranath Tagore spent six years at Ramgarh and wrote ‘Gitanjali’ that won him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Hindi poet Mahadevi Verma built her home Meera Kutir here in 1937, now a memorial and library. Steve Jobs visited Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram at Kainchi Dham nearby in the 1970s and was inspired to start Apple. Imagine the pressure it put on humble travel writers like us when we visited the little hill resort of Ramgarh, an hour’s ascent from Nainital!
Nazim, our driver, halted at Chhoti Haldwani for chai-pakoda near Jim Corbett Museum, former home of the legendary conservationist after whom India’s premier tiger reserve is named. “We were originally banjara ghodawalas (nomadic horsemen). My grandfather Haji Maula Baksh served the British, transporting rations and goods uphill on horseback. The advent of motorised transport made us switch from horses to taxis, though a few continue to offer joy rides on horses at tourist spots.”
We stopped briefly at Khurpatal Lake, which changes colour with the movement of the sun — from emerald green, blue to silver. Pointing out to Bhowali Sanatorium, he mentioned how prisoners used influence or ploy to move to a jail in the hills in summer and shift to lower altitudes in winter! Soon, we trundled down a sharp slope to a stunning boutique resort, Amaraya, set amidst kiwi and apple orchards. It offered unhindered views of the majestic Himalayas — Nanda Ghunti (6309 m), Trishul (7120 m), Mrigthuni (6855 m), Nanda Devi (7817 m) and Nanda Kot (6861 m). The following morning, we set off on the 3.5 km trail to Tagore Top. Starting near Ramgarh market, we wound past a government apple orchard through misty woods, halting at the bust of Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941). Smitten by the Himalayan views on his first visit to Ramgarh in 1903, Tagore decided to live at the summit of this hill with his daughter. Only scattered stones, derelict walls and an old fireplace remain of his old bungalow. He spent six years here, penning Gitanjali (Song Offerings), a collection of 157 poems, which earned him the Nobel for Literature in 1913; the first non-European to receive the honour.
We spent a while gazing at the vistas among the pines, hoping its literary magic would rub off on us but only got pine needles and brambles instead. Continuing our literary trail, we visited Meera Kutir, Mahadevi Verma’s summer home. The Hindi poet wrote Deepshikha here and later received the Padma Vibhushan. Back at the resort, we savoured a Kumaoni thali with bhatt ki churkani (black soybean curry), kappa (spinach curry), aloo gutuk, pahadi chicken curry, maduwa (ragi) roti, red rice and Kumaoni raita.
Ramgarh boasts several nature trails and we hiked the next morning to Jhandidhar. Starting from the Gagar Mahadev shrine, the climb winds past Gargeshwar Mahadev temple and further up to Jhandidhar temple. A stunning panorama unfolded with snowcapped Himalayan peaks on one side and the lofty reaches of Nainital on the other. A pair of furtive mongooses darted across the hillside. “A tiger frequently visits the devi shrine,” our guide Tarun said nonchalantly. Ironically, her divine mount is a tiger. Sure enough, we spotted pugmarks in the ashes of the dhuni (firepit)! The same evening we hiked past Kulethi village to Sunset Point where the mountains were bathed in ethereal amber light.
On the way back to Delhi, we stopped at Kainchi Dham 19 km away. Steve Jobs visited the ashram of revered guru Neem Karoli Baba as a teenager on a spiritual quest to India in 1974.
Although Baba had died the previous year, Steve stayed and meditated here. Mark Zuckerberg too came here on Steve’s advice and found success with Facebook. While struggling with his lack of form, Virat Kohli visited the shrine with Anushka in 2022 and saw a turn of fortune. We’re still awaiting the transformational effects of our trip… You never know what a little Ramgarh can do for you.