Oak Grove School in Mussoorie

Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School Mussoorie(GNFCS) is one of the well known schools in Mussoorie and one of the best boarding schools in India like many other Mussoorie schools. Founded in the sacred memory of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, on the occasion of His 500th birth anniversary, celebrated in November 1969. The girls are housed at Shangri La situated at 6,750 feet (2,057 m) above sea level on an 11-acre (45,000 m²) plot, wooded with cypress, cedar and oak, on the south and west, facing the snow clad Himalayan peaks, to the north. The boys are at Vincent Hill, it is situated 3 km from the Library Chowk. Surrounded by picturesque scenery, Vincent Hill comprises a campus spread over 45 acres (180,000 m²). The GNFCS prepares students in accordance with the 10+2 formula for school education, for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (10 year course) examination and the Indian School Certificate (12 year course) examination. Oak Grove School stands out from the other notable institutions of Mussoorie because of two reasons – first of all, it is affiliated to the CBSE, New Delhi, which is rarity amongst the residential schools of Mussoorie. Secondly, it is a secular government aided school, run by Northern Railway. The school was founded in 1888 by East Indian Railway (EIR), and passed to the Indian Railways when railways were nationalised after Independence. It has got three separate semi independent wings, and is situated on two hills in Jharipani, 8 km from Mussoorie town, near the famous Jharipani fal

The Magic of Mussoorie

My romance with Mussoorie started about 10 years back ,when my family moved to Dehradun . Every morning i’d go to my roof and savour that brilliant strech of mountains .One could easily make out the houses (read hotels) sprinkled between the thick dense green forest .At Night it would look like a million little stars .

<–Spiral Mussoorie road.

It took me some time to muster the courage to go all the way to the top ,on my own .When one moves from the Rajpur Road ,the path bifurcates .Most travellers like to use the first bend but if you leave it and go from the Rajpur village ,it feels like heaven as you can see the beautiful banglows, the Sai temple and the famous rajpur’s pakore waali shop which has seen generations growing up.A 100 years back ,people used to stay overnight at Rajpur before moving to Mussoorie.

People often ask me what’s so special about Mussoorie and how it’s different from Shimla ,Nainital or any other hill station in India and I say at the risk of sounding cliched ,it is the journey and not the destination. The Mussoorie -Dehradun road (pic) is unarguably the best indian mountain road and you’ll always find a lot of people infact (around 60% traffic) in 2-wheelers.Driving at 2000 feet amidst clouds ,gives you a real high.I heard in Delhi and Mumbai we have clubs ,where one can pay upto 500 bucks to breathe Pure Oxygen and i say ,come with me buddy and we can have more oxygen then our lungs could hold. Pure ,unadultered,pristine air.

It takes about 1.5 hour to reach Mussoorie from Dehradun bus station , a cab would take around 1 hr , a personal 2-wheeler would take around 50 minutes and my best time is 35 minutes.There are certain rules that you need to follow, while driving in mountains, the most important being,Never leave your side and horn at every bend.you can spot Malsi deer park on route to mussoorie , where you can easily spot deers and a caged cheetah. On the way up you find beautiful places like bhatta fall ,ITBP academy which has a nice halipad at about 4000 feet.

Mussoorie for a first timer would appear very very chaotic ,claustrophobic and a complete mess.You will find hotels and taxis everywhere.I think it was a failure on government’s part to stop those from mushrooming .It is not even good for them as most of them have to wait ,till snow season to find the clients and then they get a chance to charge exorbitant to make up the losses.(A popular hotel– left pic).This place ranks really high among honeymooners

Places I’ve seen so far.

Gunhill – Don’t go by the name , it has no gun.But you can take a cable car to reach at the top of mussoorie’s 2nd highest peak.There used to be a gun there prior to independence ,which used to fired at 12noon so that people could adjust their time.Be adventorous and take the moutains by feet .A 40 minute walk would take you to the top where you can find a beauiful view of snow capped mountains ,on a clear day ( in winters) and a skating rink which is the largest in India

Mall Road – if you like to walk , a walk in this road is must .you can view some beautiful old building a lot of tourist in and around that area .you can find all kind of eatables at road side nuts, corn (right pic) roasted and boiled at Rs 10 which comes from surrounding villages .One can buy local made shawls and woolens at cheap prices along the roadside .It has a history too ,During British time, Indians and dogs were not allowed on the mall road. Motilal Nehru, father of Jawahar Lal Nehru, used to break this law every day, whenever he was in Mussoorie, and would pay the fine.

Kempty Fall- this is a overtly crowded but pretty waterfall.There’s a stream that flows through the valley and gains maximum intesnity during the monsoons.13 kms from heart of city

Camel’s Back road- I don’t know the logic behind the name ,it is a saying that it resembles a camel’s hump.well never made sense to me but it is a beautiful walking trek and one can find people walking all seasons .
(<- Coniferous trees –right pic)

The british legacy has left mussoorie with India’s best schools. Oak Grove,St. George’s College,Wynberg Allen,Woodstock School are among the best schools in the world and their alumni are all over the world and successful.So next time you want a break from the scroching heat of Delhi,move to the Delhi’s favourite weekend hangout. Did i tell you ,it is home to children’s favourite author.Who knows,a little lazy walk at landour and you might stumble into this old man who happens to be the bond.Ruskin Bond.

and finally ..can a tree be named Majnu or weeping willow , I found it out there this is Salix babylonica .(right pic)I googled the word and found these willows are generally troublesome trees attacked by a variety of insects, have invasive roots and are poor neighbors .makes sense now.Poor majnu

Mussoorie Travel Guide And Attractions

Mussoorie is situated in the Garhwal hills. For its huge natural beauty, Mussoorie is recognized as the queen of hill stations. In the year 1820, a young captain from the British army was inclined by the attractiveness of this place and made this place his residence. This marked the base of a hill station called Mussoorie. The name, Mussoorie, is originated from plants of Mussoorie that was found in Mussoorie abundantly. After its discovery, this hill place slowly developed as a center of edification, business, tourism and beauty. Mussoorie is situated at an altitude of 2,500 meters in the green Himalayan range. For its site and beauty Mussoorie is considered as the best hill location in the northern region. The modern bungalows, malls and well built gardens that are located on the small hills around the area are enough to draw any tourist. Mussoorie is an outstanding break for tourists and people who want release from the hot humid conditions of the plains. Nature has gifted Mussoorie all which makes a place attractive. With the start of summers tourists start visiting here. As heat raises in the plains, many of tourist inflow also increases evenly. Mussoorie is extremely close to Delhi, its overnight journey and one can come back in one day. Few people come here to spend their week ends. The major Hindu pilgrimages like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Haridwar, and Rishikesh are not far away from this place.

Primary attraction in Mussoorie:

1. Tibetan Temple:

This temple is situated in happy valley area of Mussoorie. Both of them, like Company gardens and Tibetan temple can be seen in one day. They are situated one kilometer from Lal Bahadur Shastri National Administrative Academy. The Tibetan temple is support to rich Tibetan cultural tradition. This temple is definite to draw attention of tourists.

2. Lakes in Mussoorie:

Lake mist is the place that is seven kilometers on way to Kempty. Lake mist presents an ideal inactive place for tired and exhausted tourists. One has to pay Rs. 25 to go into the Lake mist. There are good lodging facilities here.

Mussoorie Lake is positioned around seven kilometers on the main road to Dehradun. The entry of this lake makes visible for the warm tourists from Dehradun. The entry charge to this lake is Rs 5 to System Tray. Tourists feel relaxed sitting on the lake and viewing the greenery of the lake.

Places of Interest in and around Mussoorie

Mussoorie has a beautiful nature walk known as “Camel’s Back Road“. This road takes its name from mountain outcrop in the shape of a camel’s hump. Along the camel back, a beautiful cemetery is located about mid-way on the loop. There is also “Gun Hill” where cannons were kept for the defense of Mussoorie. Gun Hill is accessible by the cable car on the Mall road. The oldest Christian church in the Himalayas, St Mary’s, is situated above Mall Road, and is currently undergoing restoration. Kempty falls is a nice picnic spot. Company Garden is popular tourist destination. During season, the Company Garden has beautiful collection of flowers and plants. Happy Valley has a small Tibetan temple. This was the first Tibetan temple built in India. The temple was constructed in 1960 by the Tibetan refugees. Lal Tibba is another tourist spot of Mussoorie. Beautiful Dhanaulti is about 24 kilometers from Mussorie. Mussoorie also had India’s largest roller skating rink. lake mist

About 5 km before kempty fall on Mussoorie-Kempty road it is a newly developed good picnic spot with accommodation and restaurant facilities, boating is also available.

Municipal garden

It is picnic spot having a beautiful garden and an artificial mini lake with paddled boating facility. It is located at a distance of 4 km by rickshaw cycles, pony or by a car and 2 km via Waverly Convent School road on foot.

A newly developed picnic spot build by City Board & Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority, is situated at 6 km on Mussoorie-Dehradun road having a facility of pedaled boats. It offers a enchanting view of Doon Valley and nearby villages. View during Night is marvelous.

Children lodge

Highest peak of Mussoorie near Lal Tibba, it is situated at 5 km from the Tourist Office and one can go on horse back or on foot. The view of snow-clad mountains is exhilarating.

Bhatta Falls

7 km from Mussoorie on Mussoorie-Dehradun Road near Bhatta Village. Accessible by car or bus up to Bhatta from where the fall is 3 km by foot. A fall with different ponds for bathing and water amusements, ideal place for picnic.

Jharipani Fall

Located at 8.5 km from Mussoorie on Mussoorie-Jharipani road. One can go by local bus or car up to Jharipani from where the fall is about 1.5 km on foot.

Mosey Fall

The fall is surrounded by a dense forest and is 7 km from Mussoorie. One can go there via Barlowganj or Balahisar.

Sir George Everest House

The place called Park Estate where building and laboratory of first Surveyor General of India Sir George Everest after whom world’s highest peak Mt. Everest is named stills stands. It is 6 km from Gandhi Chowk and vehicle can go right up to the place. The place provides an enchanting view of Doon Valley on one side and view of Yamuna Valley and snowbound himalayan ranges on the other. An ideal place for picnic and trekking.

Nag Devta Temple

An ancient temple dedicated to Snake God Lord Shiva and is situated on Cart Mackenjee road is about 6 km from Mussoorie on way to Dehradun. Vehicles can go right up to the temple. This place provies a enchanting view of Mussoorie and Doon valley.

Jwalaji Temple (Benog Hill)

Situated at an altitude of 2104 m is 9 km west of Mussoorie. It is situated on the top of the Benog Hill surrounded by thick forest having an old ideal of Goddess Durga provides a marvelous view of Yamuna Valley.

Cloud End

The resort is surrounded by thick deodar forest. The bungalow built in 1838 by a British major was one of the first four buildings of Mussoorie has now been converted into a hotel. The place provides peace and calm and is full of flora and fauna.

Van chetna kendra

At a distance of about 2 km on Tehri bypass road, this place is developed as picnic spot and has a park surrounded with pine forest and flowering shrubs, and is approachable by foot or taxi/car. The main attraction is the wildlife of the park like Ghurar, Kakar, Himalayan peacock, Monal etc.

Benog Mountain quail sanctuary

11 km to the south of library point lies an old sanctuary established in 1993 and covering an area of 339 hectares. It is famous for the extinct bird species Mountain Quail (Pahari Bater), which was last spotted in 1876.

History of Mussoorie

The history of Mussoorie dates back to 1825 when Captain Young, an adventurous British military officer, together with a Mr. Shore, the resident Superintendent of Revenues at Dehradun explored the present site and jointly constructed a shooting lodge. This laid the foundation of this holiday resort which now has few rivals.

The name Mussoorie is often attributed to a derivation of ‘mansoor’, a shrub which is indigenous to the area. The town is in fact often referred to as ‘Mansoori‘ by locals.

The main promenade in Mussoorie is called, as in other hill stations, the Mall. In Mussoorie, the Mall stretches from Picture Palace at its eastern end to the Public Library (shortened to ‘Library’) at its western end. During the British Raj, signs on the Mall expressly stated: “Indians and Dogs Not Allowed“; racist signs of this type were commonplace in hill stations, which were founded ‘by and for’ the British. Motilal Nehru, the father of , deliberately broke this rule every day whenever he was in Mussoorie, and would pay the fine. The Nehru family, including Nehru’s daughter Indira (later Indira Gandhi) were frequent visitors to Mussoorie in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. They also spent much time in nearby Dehradun, where Nehru’s sister Vijayalakshmi Pandit ultimately settled full-time.

In April 1959, after fleeing Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Dalai Lama established the Tibetan Government of Exile in Mussoorie. The Government of Tibet in exile eventually moved to Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. The first Tibetan school was established in Mussoorie in 1960. Tibetans settled mainly in Happy Valley in Mussoorie. Today, some 5,000 Tibetans live in Mussoorie.