The new year eve brought snows with it though only the highest peak visible from Dehradun (Surkanda, Atltitude 10000 feet approx, taking its name from the Surkanda devi temple on the peak) was covered with snows. This is the most handsome of all peaks visible from Dehradun, looks just like the Himalayas we read about in school books!
Surkanda peak is somewhere in the middle of the Himalayan range visible from Dehradun. The image below has tried to capture the whole north view from Dehradun by stitching together several images, this was taken during a rare clear day in the monsoons (the water storage tank under construction spoils the whole view - there should be a law against building such tanks!)
Happy New Year Friends!
Surkanda Devi Temple
The Surkanda peak lying at an altitude of 2,750 m. in the western part of tahsil Tehri, and is famous for the temple of Surkanda Devi. It is about 8 km. from Dhanolti on the motor road running from Mussoorie to Chamba and is connected with Narendra Nagar which is about 61 km. and with Tehri which is about 41 km. by motor roads. To reach the temple one has to leave the Mussoorie-Chamba road at Kadu Khal and climb a steep ascent of about 1.5 km. on foot. The legend is that Sati, the wife of Siva, gave up her life in the yajna started by her father. Siva passed through this place on his way back to Kailash with the dead body of Sati whose head fell at the spot where the temple of Surkhanda Devi stands. It commands a beautiful view of Dehra Dun, Rishikesh, Chandrabadni, Pratapnagar and Chakrata. Flowers of varied kinds and colours and indigenous herbs grown in abundance here and some of the beautiful birds of the western Himalayas are also found in the neighbourhood. A local fair is held on the occasion of Ganga Dasahra in Jyaistha when hundreds of devout pilgrims visit this place.
(description courtesy http://tehri.nic.in/tourist/surkanda1.htm, images picked up from commons.wikimedia.org and photos.igougo.com, hey guys don't sue me, you won't get even lawyer's fees out of me! )
Some lovely photographs of the temple and surrounding areas can be seen at
http://surkandadevi.fotopic.net/c962492.html
