31. BHIMTAL LAKE (UTTARAKHAND), INDIA

(This is the  second of the five blogs covering this delightful trip.)

12th December, 2011: Today was the second day of our  Delhi-Bhimtal-Naukuchiatal-Nainital-Jim Corbett Park tour. 

We checked out of Country Inn Hotel at Bhimtal after a lavish and leisurely breakfast of spicy chhole, hot pooris and moong dal halwa and drove downwards for about 6 km to reach Bhimtal, one of the biggest lakes in the hill state of Uttarakhand which is dotted with an unusually large number of lakes, viz., Bhimtal, Naukuchia Tal, Saat Tal, Talli Tal, Malli Tal, Nainital etc the last being the most well-known. It is surprising that there are so many natural water bodies at this height, Bhimtal being at a height of 1370 metres above the sea level. 

Lake Bhimtal (Uttarakhand)

Well, it was time to recall my geography lessons of class VII. Himalayan hills were created due to pushing of Indian Peninsula northwards. The scientists have also found fossils of marine life in this area. Could it be possible that these lakes got created at that time?  I shared this brilliant idea with hubby only to be snubbed, “Stop applying your mind to mundane things and enjoy the natural beauty of this place.” He was right. The lake was absolutely awesome with a huge crystal clear mass of water surrounded by high Himalayan mountains with dense green trees all around. Wow! What a scene!

He parked the car on the lake-side and I stood there totally mesmerised admiring the beauty and bliss of the place. Hubby went to find out about the facilities and purchased tickets for boating. When we approached the boat,  we realised that the boat was very small. There was a young teenager boy, maybe 14-15 years old, who was going to row the boat for us. My heart missed a beat as I don’t know swimming. Moreover, a long time back, a friend who was a self-styled astrologer, had predicted that I will die of drowning in water at the age of 45 years. Since then I actually feel a bit scared of water bodies. Now who knows? He might have miscalculated the age. Could there be a plus minus 10 to 15 years. No, no. I’m not going to get into this small dingy boat. I sure will drown, I thought.

By this time, hubby had stepped on to the boat and was waving at me to hurry up. Suppressing my unexpressed fears, I pre-decided to embrace a watery grave in the next one hour and stepped in. The boat shook and I gave out a shriek but somehow managed to balance myself. 

The Boat-Boy showed us the life jackets, which could be used in case of an emergency which he was sure, will not come.  I promptly suggested that I’ll prefer to wear it right now and would not like to wait for the boat to overturn. He laughed and said, “In the last  twenty years at least, nothing of this sort has happened.”

“Never mind, I can’t take any chances. I love my life,” saying this, I put on the jacket and insisted that hubby also wear it.  And then breathing a sigh of relief, I looked around. The lake once again looked awesome. We have been to Nainital so many times but why did we not think of coming here earlier. It was so serene and so peaceful. There were migratory birds in the sky and the sun rays were merrily dancing on the lake.

The Boat-Boy was not only rowing the boat, he was our lifeguard as well as guide. He told us that the lake was created by Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers from Mahabharat when they had come to this part of the land during their exile from Indraprastha, now known as  Delhi. He showed us Bhima's temple and also told us very excitedly about the house on the hilltop where a famous Bollywood movie was shot.

The Boat-Boy cum Lifeguard cum Guide who is studying to become an
Engineer one day

On being asked by hubby, our young Boat-Boy shared that he was studying in the school and wanted to become an engineer one day. On Sundays and holidays, he comes for rowing the boat to earn some money to help his poor parents who were financing his studies.  Listening to his personal struggles, my heart started melting and I looked at my husband. Seeing his expressions, I knew that the boy is going to get much more than he had bargained for.

The dilapidated building of Bhimtal Aquarium put us off.

By this time, we had reached the centre of the lake where there was an island with a small dilapidated building. A board displayed there indicated that it was an aquarium. Our Boat-Boy cum Guide asked whether we wanted to go in there. As the external condition of the so-called aquarium was not very inviting, we preferred to enjoy the scenic beauty surrounding the lake in that limited time available to us.

Soon an hour was over and we returned to the shore. It was then only that I realised how I had forgotten all my fears when entrenched in the pristine beauty of Bhimtal lake. 

In my next blog, I plan to cover the next leg of the journey and take you to Nainital via Naukuchiatal.

*****