KAUSANI ( SWITZERLAND OF INDIA )

Kausani is located 52 km north of Almora. The altitude of this place is about 1890 m and offers a 350 km view of the There are very few places in the Himalayas which can compare with the beauty of Kausani - a picturesque hill station famous for its scenic splendour and its spectacular 300 km-wide panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like Trisul, Nanda Devi and Panchchuli. Kausani lies atop the ridge at an altitude of around 1890 m amidst dense pine trees overlooking Someshwar valley on one side and Garur and Baijnath Katyuri valley on the other on Almora-Bageshwar-Didihat Highway. Mahatma Gandhi called this place the 'Switzerland of India', due to similarity in landscape. Anasakti Ashram: It is also known as Gandhi Ashram. Anasakti Ashram was built to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi who visited this place in 1929 and described it as the ‘Switzerland of India’ after falling in love with its pristine beauty. It is here that he wrote his treatise Anasakti (‘detachment’) Yoga. The ashram is well stocked with books and photographs of Gandhi’s life. There is a small prayer room in this ashram where prayers are held every morning and evening.

Lakshmi Ashram: It is also known as Sarla Ashram. Catherine Hillman, a disciple of Gandhi who came to be known as Sarlaben founded this ashram in 1964 which overlooks the beautiful Kosi Valley. Several skills like growing vegetables, cooking, caring for the animals and cleaning are taught to over 70 orphaned poor girls and woman who live in the ashram. Lakshmi ashram is located in a quiet place up the hills which lends a serene atmosphere to the ashram.

Sumitranandan Pant Gallery: The renowned hindi poet Sumitranandan Pant was born in Kausani. Sumitranandan Pant Gallery was built to commemorate Sumitranandan Pant. The gallery houses hundred of English and Hindi books in glass cabinets. A poetry symposium is organized here every year to mark the poet’s birth anniversary.

Kausani Tea Estate: Kausani is also famous for its several tea gardens and pear orchards. Girias Uttaranchal tea is produced in 208 hectares of tea planta­tions near Kausani. You can have somebody guide you through the factory showing you how tea is manufactured in the estate. This high-flavored tea is exported to Australia, Germany, Korea and the US.