Uttaranchal Online

Ranikhet is a hill station and cantonment town in Almora district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Ranikhet is at an altitude of 1829 metres above sea level and within sight of the western peaks of the Himalayas.

Ranikhet gets its name, which mean Queen's meadow in English, from a legend that an Indian queen visited the site and built herself a palace here, though no palace exists in the area. In 1869, the British established the headquarters of the Kumaon regiment here and used the station as a retreat from the heat of the Indian summer. Ranikhet is a cantonment town and is the home for the Kumaon (KRC)& Naga regement and is maintained by the Indian Army.

Ranikhet becomes very cold in the winters and is moderate in summers. One can enjoy the Himalayan view from October to March. Ranikhet gets snowfall in the winter season, maily in the months of December, January and February. It offers a vast diversity of flora and fauna with vast forests of Pine and Deodar. One can see leopards in Ranikhet as well[citation needed].Ranikhet - North of Naini Tal at an altitude of 1829 m, Ranikhet is a peaceful hill station offering excellent views of the snow-capped Himalayas, including Nanda Devi.