Naini Tal Town
Naini Tal Town,1908
Head-quarters of Nairn Tal District, United Provinces, with cantonment, situated in 29° 24" N. and 79° 28' E., in a valley of the Gagar range of the Outer Himalayas. Population, 15,164 in September, 1900, and 7,609 in March, 1901, including that of the small cantonment. Up to 1839 the place was resorted to only by the herdsmen of surrounding villages, and though it was mentioned by the Commissioner in official reports, he does not appear to have visited it. It was then discovered by a European, and from 1842 it increased rapidly in size and prosperity. At the time of the Mutiny, NainI Tal formed a refuge for the fugitives from the neighbouring Districts in Rohilkhand. Soon afterwards it became the summer head-quarters of Government, and it is now also the head-quarters of the Commissioner of Kumaun and of a Conservator of Forests. In September, 1880, after three days' continuous rain, a landslip occurred, which caused the death of forty-three Europeans and 108 natives, besides damage to property amounting to about 2 lakhs. Since this disastrous occurrence a complete system of drainage has been carried out at great expense. The valley contains a pear-shaped lake, a little more than two miles in circumference, with a depth of 93 feet. On the north and south rise steep hill-sides clothed with fine forest trees, among which oaks predominate. On the western bank is situated a considerable area of more gently sloping land, from which a level recreation-ground has been excavated. The upper bazar stands above this, and the houses occupied by the European residents are scattered about on the sides of the valley. East of the lake the lower bazar is built on the outer edge of the range. The surface of the lake is 6,350 feet above sea-level ; and the highest peaks are China (8,568) on the north, Deopatha (7,987) on the west, and Ayarpatha (7,461) on the south. The residence of the Lieutenant-Governor, completed in 1900, is a handsome building standing in spacious grounds. The principal public buildings include the Government Secretariat, the District offices, the Ramsay Hospital for Europeans, and male and female dispensaries for natives. There is also an important station of the American Methodist Mission. NainI Tal has been a municipality since 1845. During the ten years ending 1901 the income and expenditure averaged 1 ½ lakhs, including loan funds. The income in 1903-4 was 1-7 lakhs, including house tax (Rs. 34,000), tolls (Rs. 93,000), water-rate (Rs. 23,000), and conservancy tax (Rs. 21,000); and the expenditure was 1-4 lakhs, including repayment of loans and interest (Rs. 23,000), maintenance of water-supply and drainage (Rs. 34,000), and conservancy (Rs. 26,000). Drinking-water is derived from springs, and is pumped up to reservoirs at the top of hills and distributed by gravitation. More than 4 lakhs has been spent on water-supply and drainage, and the introduction of a scheme of electric light is con- templated. The trade of the town chiefly consists in the supply of the wants of the summer visitors ; but there is some through traffic with the hills. Three schools for natives have 220 pupils, and five European schools for boys have 350 pupils and four for girls 250.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
