Lansdowne is a town in the district of Pauri garhwal and is a cantonment area. It is located in the state of Uttarakhand.

It was originally called as Kaludanda, which means, Kalun (Black) while Danda (Hill) as per the local language. It was found and got its name after Lord Lansdowne, the then Viceroy of India in 1887. Lansdowne was an important place for freedom fighters activities from the British Garhwal during the period of British. At present, the well known Garhwal Rifles belonging to Indian army have their command office here. It is one of the peaceful hill stations of the country and is famous since British came to India. This place is unlike any other hill stations because it has a well connected road network but is remote in its way. It is found at a height of 1,700m above the sea level.

On 5th November 1887, the Garhwal Rifles’ premier battalion had their migration from Almora -Lansdowne. It was the only city in the 70’s after Almora. There inhabitants of different states and culture who turned up here for doing business in Lansdowne when it became famous. At present, one can find people following different religions here at Lansdowne.

The pleasant weather as well as the calm environment of Lansdowne makes an amazing impact on tourists. It is the ideal place for meditation and rejuvenating ones soul. There are adventure activities such as trekking, boating, bird watching, paddling etc. which can be done when visiting to Lansdowne. It is one of the most well known hill station of region of Garhwal.

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Local Attractions

The War Memorial- it is found at the garhwal Rifles Parade Ground and is one of the major attractions for the tourists. Places which catch the fancy of tourists are Tip n Top Viewing, a place that provides beautiful views of the surroundings. There is a temple of Santoshi Mata, a Regimental Museum also known as Darwan Singh Sanghralaya, there is church of St. Mary, Bhulla Taal, Lover's lane etc.

Reaching Lansdowne                                                                                                       

By Train- there are 2 trains running from Delhi to Kotdwara, the Mussorie express as well as the Garhwal express which can take the passengers to the beautiful Lansdowne. One has to take a private taxi from Kotdwara which costs around Rs. 600.

One can start from any place in the country for reaching Haridwar. From Haridwar, there is a bus to Kotdwara. It would take around an hour. From the petrol pump of Kotdwara near the bus stand, one can go for the shared or the private cab for Lansdowne. The charges for the shared cab are

Rs. 60/person. One can prefer shared cabs as they are good and not much crowded as usually found.

Geography

Lansdowne has a mean elevation of 1,706 m. It is located on the route of Kotdwara and Pauri road, NH 119. One should take a right hand turn from the highway, NH 119 where Garhwal Rifles have put a large signboard on rock. It is 81 km distant from Pauri and around 250 kms from the capital of India, New Delhi. It is the closest hill station from Delhi and one can arrive either by road or train. The closest railway station from here is Kotdwara found 41 km away and has an average elevation of about 370 m.

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Demographics

According to 2001 census of India, Lansdowne has a population where males form 64% of total population while females constitute 36%. It has a mean literacy rate of 86%, which is above the national literacy rate, the male literacy being 91%, while female literacy rate being 79%. In Lansdowne, there is 9% population found below age of 6 years.

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