The Best Winter Holiday - Van Serai, Jageshwar

As the drop in temperatures by December, the voice in my head made me yearn for a trip to a snowy hill station perhaps spend Christmas in the hills. Luckily, I had to look no further. Living in Noida the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand is just a drive way. The hills have always been my favourite holiday destination. The joy of exploring scenic places, forest walks and temple visits.

This winter, my husband and I thought of exploring a different destination in Uttarakhand. Since we have travelled to Pangot, Ranikhet,and Champawat plenty of times in the past, there were a lot of yet unseen places to visit in Kumaon region that we could go to. We thought it would be a nice idea, to begin with, lesser travelled places in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand like Jageshwar, Munsiyari, Mukteshwar etc.

My Chirstmas at Van Serai in Jageshwar, a Hotel in Almora.

While searching for places to visit in Kumaon, I bumped into a few handy blogs written on the Van Serai website. I got to know that they could help us book a Uttarakhand package and being a wellness lodge it had a meditation room and a cafe as well, which is rare in cottages elsewhere and were of my interest. I filled up a booking form, and soon enough a Asian Adventures representative reached out to me and helped me design a perfect hoilday to Jageshwar.

The Van Serai hotel in Jageshwar turned out to be a perfect choice. The manager Bhuvan was gem of a person full of interesting stories. He assisted us to the ancient temples and helped us with local places to visit, the spots for the best sunsets and made arrangements for barbeques and bonfires. We were treated with endless hot snacks- Pakoras and Kachoris and hot cups of tea.

The highlight of my winter holiday was witnessing the snowfall it was a slice of heaven! Jageshwar was not at all taxing to the body, not too crowded either, and the weather was perfect for a winter experience in the hills.


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My Solo Travel in the Himalayas - Jageshwar

After capturing the grandeur of the Western Ghats in my a small canvas, my journey to know more about this incredible country brought me to one of the ancient villages of Uttarakhand.

Earlier Jageshwar was used as the en-route halting point for the pilgrims who headed towards the strenuous pathways of Kailash Mansarovar. But for several years the place disappeared into the world of seclusion before people started exploring new destinations.

I booked my stay at Van Serai Wellness Lodge that is situated just a kilometer before the start of this picturesque hamlet. The lodge is a reflection of the unique culture and traditions of the Kumaon people. I was impressed by the way local resources and the masonry of the villagers were employed from creating small artifacts to the beautifully carved doors and windows.

Mornings were the best part about the lodge because that's the time when I could feel the fresh mountain breeze and the smell of flowers that would fill the room with their sweet fragrance. Interestingly during my stay, I never required to set the alarm, the shaft of the lights entering through the windows was enough to wake me up. 

Living in an attic room has its many advantages, I could enjoy watching the frolic activities of the Red-billed blue magpies around the sky kissing deodar trees. In Jageshwar, one can also take pleasure in listening to the symphony of the Himalayan birds echoing in the entire village. While making my way to the lodge's cafe named 'Cafe Swayambhu,' I would always make a quick stop at the yoga and meditation room situated in the corner.

 Every day with the break of dawn I would take my camera and embark on an adventurous journey exploring this hidden valley of Uttarakhand. It is incredible to see how this the place has successfully preserved the ancient old Shiva temple that dates back to the seventh or eighth-century.

According to the locals and the temple pundits, the sanctum centrum of the place carries powerful vibrations that have been felt by many of them. I also loved the way women are given the highest status in every household. These women are like pillars who not only take care of homes they also don't shy away from providing financial support to their families at the time of crises. It shows how modern their values are despite their loose connection with the modern world. Whole new respect arose in me after noticing the people's sensitivity towards animals. Every household has adopted one animal whom they look after. Before the sunrise, the women leave their home especially to gather food for these innocent creatures. At the time of natural calamity safeguarding their cattle is of utmost importance for the villagers. I believe for the animal rights organization, this village displays a perfect example to educate people about the significance of birds and animals living on this planet.

Although my stay was brief in Jageshwar, its rich culture and values had a strong impact on me. I am looking forward to revisiting this beautiful place once again

Devyani Leo

Asian Adventures
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In the lap of Adi Yogi

When it comes to hill stations or the snow-capped mountains, people often reach to Himachal Pradesh. But what many people fail to understand is there are numbers of hidden gems spread all over the state of Uttarakhand, It has unexplored villages to find, mind-numbing peace and ancient temples.

Jageshwar Temple is one such treasure this nature is hiding. It is situated at an altitude of 1,870 mt above sea level and situated at a distance of 37 Km from Almora in Kumoun Region. The mystical setting of Jageshwar makes it the perfect stop to rejuvenate once mind and soul. Many years ago Jageshwar temple is used to be a halt in the popular Kailash- Mansarovar yatra but now is an off-beaten destination for the pilgrims. The dense deodar forest cover and the Jata Ganga which flows in the backyard are a treat for every tourist.

There are around 124 temples and numbers of statues spread over the deodar forest. The main temple complex is surrounded by a little market for eating and resting places serving local food. The entire area is perfect for meditation due to its ambiance and natural environment.

 Two best festivals are celebrated in the town of Jageshwar and which are the Jageshwar Monsoon Festival which is held in the month of August and the Shivarathri Mela(fair) which is held in the springtime. The weather of Jageshwar can be classified as subtropical.

This place gets a good amount of rainfall during the monsoon season. Summers are warm and temperatures are always comfortable. The winters are generally cold and temperatures can fall during the peak winter period.

Things to do:-

Morning and Evening Prayer at Jageshwar.

Peaceful stay in beautiful lodges.

Visit Dandeshwar.

Photography.

Yoga and meditation.

Trekking in jungles.

Patal Bhuvaneshwar.(120 km from

Best Hotel in Jageshwar Van Serai


By Ashish

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