Where to eat at Auli - 4

Because of Auli's proximity to the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, building and development is thankfully restricted to the GMVN complex and Cliff Top Club Resort. With no dosa / paratha / chowmein dhabas littering the slopes, be content with the fare at the two hotels. There are no bars in the vicinity so if you fancy a hot rum by the nonfire in the evening, carry your own bottle - with some discretion lest you offend the religious sensibilities of the many yatris around.

Around Auli:

Rudraprayag:

Jim Corbett may have put Rudraprayag's name on the world map for man-eating leopards, but it's difficult to imagine anything wilder than a tabby cat prowling around in the thin scrub covering the surrounding hills. What is of breathtaking magnificence though is the swirling confluence of the Alanknanda and Mandakini rivers, around which the town has grown.

A must-visit is the Koteshwar Mahadev Temple on the banks of the Alaknanda. Less temple than cave and adorned by ferns and moss, the devout can observe hundreds of spontaneously generated Shivlings cared out of rock by the patient dripping of water. It is a charming spot even for non-believers. Equally charming are the Rudranathji and Chamunda Devi mandirs, overlooking the confluence of the two rivers just across the bridge at Rudraprayag. Shri Rudranathji is famed to be the meditation place of the great mediator and troublemaker Narad Muni. Just below, the goddess watches over the union of the rivers from her modest temple. She is taken care of by a delightful old mataji - Prem Giri, of the Juna Akhara - who, if she is in the mood, can prove to be a veritable library of myth and folkore.

Rudraprayag is a food place to break your journey if you are driving up from Delhi, as it will limit the next day's driving to Auli to just 4 1/2 hours. Just off the Joshimath Road, 3 km after Rudraprayag Hotel Monal Resort (Tel. : 01364-233901-05; Tariff: Rs. 1,600 - 4, 000) is a new, large and pleasant hotel. Probably the best of its kind along the entire rishikesh-Auli NH58 route, it offers a children's playground, machan, and a restaurant.

The GMVN Resort (Tel.: 233347; Tariff: Rs. 110-1,100) is, at best, quite disappointing. A pity, since Uttaranchal is trying hard to attract tourists.

Getting at Auli:

Rail: Nearest railhead: Haridwar (320 km/ 7 hrs). Hire a Sumo (Rs. 250-350) from Haridwar. Bargain hard for Rs. 250.

Road: Auli is just 16 km off NH58 that connects Delhi to Badrinath. The highway is good, but it's a long drive. Break journey at Rudraprayag on the way up and at Rishikesh on the way down.

Time to Visit at Auli:

It is best between December and March when Auli is carpeted with snow, even if winter sees below zero temperatures.

Tourist Offices:

01. GMVN Skiing & Tourist Resort, Auli, Tel.: 01389-223208, 223305
02. GMVN, 102, Indraprakash Building, 21, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, Tel.: 011-23350481; Fax: 23327713

Related Links :

01. Museums and Art Gallaries of India : A Survey - 1
02. Museums of Jammu and Kashmir : Sri Pratap Singh Museum Srinagar - 2
03. Art Gallery Jammu :Dogra Art Gallery - 3
04. Himachal Pradesh : The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives Dharmshala - 4
05. Himachal Pradesh : Bhuri Singh Museum, Shimla - 5
06. Shimla State Museum - 6
07. The Nicholas Roerich Gallery, Shimla - 7
08. Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Summerhil, Shimla - 8
09. Uruswati Himalayan Folk Art Museum, Naggar - 9
10. Punjab and Haryana : Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum, Amritsar - 10
11. Government Museum and Art Callery, Chandigarh - 11
12. The Chandigarh Architecture Museum - 12
13. The Natural History Museum, Chandigarh - 13
14. Anglo Sikh War Memorial Ferozeshah - 14
15. Art Gallery, Patiala - 15
16. Sanghol Museum, Chandigarh - 16
17. New Delhi : The National Museum - 17
18. The National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi - 18
19. The Rail Museum - 19
20. The Nehru Memorial Museum, New Delhi - 20
21. The Gandhi Memorial Museum (Rajghat) and the Gandhi Smriti Museum (Tees January Marg) - 21
22. Tibet House Museum, New Delhi - 22
23. The Archaeological Museum at the Red Fort, New Delhi - 23
24. International Dolls Museum, New Delhi - 24
25. The Crafts Museum at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi - 25
26. Museum of Natural History, New Delhi - 26
27. Allahabad Museum, Uttar Pradesh - 27
28. Sarnath Archaeological Museum, Varansi, Uttar Pradesh - 28
29. Government Museum Mathura, Uttar Pradesh - 29
30. Bharat Kala Bhawan, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - 30
31. Lucknow State Museum - 31
32. Rajasthan Government Museum, Ajmer, Rajasthan - 32
33. Government Museum, Alwar, Rajasthan - 33
34. Archaeological Museum, Ajmer, Rajasthan - 34
35. Virat Nagar Museum, Bairat - 35
36. Ganga Golden Jubilee Museum, Bikaner - 36
37. Government Museum, Bharatpur - 37
38. Fort Museum, Bikaner - 38
39. Fateh Prakash Palace Museum, Chittorgarh - 39
40. The Maharaj Sawai Madho Singh Museum, Jaipur - 40
41. Government Central Museum, Jaipur - 41
42. Juneja Art Gallery, Jaipur - 42
43. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (II) Museum, Jaipur (1) - 43
44. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh (II) Museum, Jaipur (2) - 44
45. Museum of Indology, Jaipur - 45
46. Hawa Mahal Museum, Jaipur - 46
47. Folklore Museum, Jaisalmer - 47
48. Government Museum, Jaisalmer - 48
49. Government Museum, Jhalawar - 49
50. Government Museum, Jodhpur - 50
51. Umaid Bhawan Palace Museum, Jodhpur - 51
52. Government Museum, Kota - 52
53. Mehrangarh Fort Museum, Jodhpur - 53
54. City Palace Museum, Udaipur - 54
55. Shilp Gram, Udaipur - 55
56. Bhartiya Lok Kala Museum, Udaipur - 56
57. Calico Museum of Textile, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (1) - 57
58. Calico Museum of Textile, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (2) - 58
59. Archaeological Museum, Lothal - 59
60. Utensil Museum, Ahmedabad - 60
61. Vadodara Museum and Picture Gallery - 61
62. Government Archaeological Museum, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh - 62
63. The Gujari Mahal Museum, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh - 63
64. Central Museum, Indore, Madhya Pradesh - 64
65. Sarod Ghar, Gwalior - 65
66. Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai, Maharashtra - 66
67. National Gallery of Modern art, Mumbai - 67
68. Chhaptrapati Shivaji Vastu Sanghralaya, Mumbai - 68
69. Mani Bhawan Gandhi Sangralaya, Mumbai - 69
70. Bhau Daji Lad Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum), Mumbai - 70
71. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Mumbai - 71
72. Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, Pune - 72
73. Sculpture Gallery, Goa - 73
74. Christian Art Gallery, Goa - 74
75. Banerji Art Gallery, Goa - 75
76. Religious Expression Gallery - 76
77. Cultural Anthropology Gallery, Goa - 77
78. Contemporary Art Gallery and Western Bronze Gallery, Goa - 78
79. Jalan Museum, Patna, Bihar - 79
80. Nalanda Archaeological Museum - 80
81. Patna Museum - 81
82. Assam State Museum, Gauhati - 82
83. Indian Museum, Kolkata, West Bengal - 83
84. Ashutosh Museum of Indian Art, Kolkata - 84
85. Victoria Memorial Museum, Kolkata - 85
86. Bangiya Sahita Parishad Chitrasala, Kolkata - 86
87. Birla Academy of Art and Culture Museum, Kolkata - 87
88. Crafts Museum, Kolkata - 88
89. Nehru Children’s Museum, Kolkata - 89
90. Rabindra Bharati Museum, Kolkata - 90
91. Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Kolkata - 91
92. Asiatic Society Museum, Kolkata - 92
93. Kolkata Panorama at Town Hall - 93
94. Orissa State Museum, Bhubaneshwar - 94
95. Archaeological Museum, Konark - 95
96. Archaeological Museum, Amaravathi - 96
97. Bhagavan Mahavir Government Museum, Cuddapah - 97
98. Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad - 98
99. State Archaeological Museum, Hyderabad - 99
100. Kolanupaka Site Museum - 100
101. Nagarjunakonda Museum - 101
102. Victoria Jubilee Regional Museum, Vijaywada - 102
103. Sri Venketeswara Museum, Tirupati, Chittoor - 103
104. Archaeological Museum Badami and Aihole, Karnataka - 104
105. Archaeological Museum Halebid - 105
106. Karnataka Government Museum and Venkatappa Art Gallery, Bangalore - 106
107. Technical Museum (Vishweshwaraiah Museum), Bangalore - 107
108. Gandhi Bhavan, (Kumara Krupa Road), Bangalore - 108
109. Hal Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, Bangalore - 109
110. Archaeological Museum, Bijapur - 110
111. The Tipu Sultan Museum - 111
112. The Government Museum Ooty, Tamil Nadu - 112
113. The Government Museum, Vellore - 113
114. Silappathikara Art Gallery - 114
115. Government State Museum, Chennai - 115
116. Fort St. George Museum, Chennai - 116
117. Dakshinachitra, Chennai - 117
118. Sri Meenakshi Sundaresvara Temple Museum, Madurai - 118
119. Palace and Museum, Padmanabhapuram - 119
120. Pondicherry Museum - 120
121. The Government Museum, Padukkottai - 121
122. The Government Museum, Salem - 122
123. Hill Palace Museum, Kerala - 123
124. Priyadarshini Planetarium - 124
125. Science and Technology Museum - 125
126. Art Gallery and Krishna Menon Musuem, Calicut - 126
127. Kuthiramalika Palace Museum, Thiruvananthapuram - 127
128. Museum of Kerala History, Erunakulam - 128
129. Napier Museum, Thiruvananthapuram - 129
130. Sree Chitra Art Gallery, Thiruvananthapuram - 130
131. Anthropological Museum at Andaman and Nicobar Islands - 131
132. Samudrika (National Marine Museum) - 132
133. Forest Museum at Andman and Nicobar Island - 133
134. The Hills of Lansdowne : A Honeymoon Resort - 1
135. Things to see and do at Lansdowne : A Honeymoon Resort - 2
136. Where to stay and eat at Lansdowne : A Honeymoon Resort - 3
137. Pauri : An impressive welcome for Honeymoon Lovers - 1
138. Things to see and do at Pauri : A Honeymoon Place - 2
139. Where to stay and eat, Tourist Offices at Pauri : Honeymoon Place - 3
140. Auli : It is time to Ski - 1
141. Things to see and do at Auli - 2
142. Where to stay at Auli - 3