Muharram Procession in Nainital

<sup>The Mourning of Muharram, Remembrance of Muharram, or Muharram Observances, is a set of rituals associated with Shia Islam, which takes place in Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Many of the events associated with the ritual take place in congregation halls known as Hussainia.
Majlis in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The event marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala when Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and a Shia Imam, was killed by the forces of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I at Karbala. Family members, accompanying Hussein ibn Ali, were killed or subjected to humiliation. The commemoration of the event during yearly mourning season, from first of Muharram to twentieth of Safar with Ashura comprising the focal date, serves to define Shia communal identity. At present, Muharram Observances are carried out in countries with noteworthy Shia population, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Lebanon, India, and Bahrain.</sup>

Nainital's Oldest Pop Corn Maker

Nainital's Oldest Pop Corn Maker

Cinema Hall : Only name exists

Nainital Has 5 Cinema Hall once upon thime but now all are history... Ashok Cinema has turned into car parking now...

Rocksy Cinema

Khatarua Festival

Khatarua is essentially the special festival of pastoral- agricultural society and celebrated on the first day of the month of Ashwin in mid September, and signifies the beginning of the autumn. On this day people light bonfires, around which children dance, holding aloft colourful flags. 
People take special care of their animals and feed them fresh grass. Cucumbers are offered to the fire of Khatarua, which is said to destroy all evil influences. The victory of the king of Kumaon is also said to be one of the reasons for the celebration of Khatarua. 
 

Tallital Bazar

Lake Water Level Check

This machine stablished here in British time to check the water level of Naini Lake in rainy season. With the help of this people could see how much inches it rained the previous day and how many lake sluices are open and what is the lake water level...

They have an age old chart to determine what should be the level of the lake in different months and if it exceeds that level they open the sluices accordingly. Though no one could tell me how it works and how old this machine is ?

Durga Shah Municipal Public Library Nainital

The Durga Shah Municipal Public Library establshed before the Independence of India by late Shri Mohan Lal Shah in the year 1933 - 34 when there was no public library in Nainital...

Durga Shah Municipal Public Library was made by the money donated by late Shri Mohan Lal Shah and the name was kept after his father late Shri Durga Lal Shah as the Durga Lal Shah Public Library. After sometime this library was counted among the best libraries in Northen India with a collection of various priceless and different varieties of books...

Later the president of Municipal Board changed the name to Municipal Public Library by saying that the municipal board gives more money for the purchase of books every year than what Shri. Mohan Lal Shah had donated. Shri. Mohan Lal Shah did'nt cash the cheque and returned it to the municiple board. Later on 30th August 1946 the name of the library was renamed back as the Durga Lal Shah Municipal Public Library by the order of the U.P. government...

Thus the work of Shri Mohan Lal Shah brought true colours for the people 0f Nainital and they still avail the facilities of this Library and take it as the blessings of Shri Mohan Lal Shah. 

Front View of Library 

Back Side view

Inside Library

Outside Library

 Notice Boards

Film Madhumati Shoot in Nainital – 1956-57

 For the first time in the history of Nainital, a full-fledged film unit descended from Bombay with iconic figures like Bimal Roy, Dilip Kumar, Vyjayantimala, Johnny Walker and Pran.  The occasion was the shooting of the feature film Madhumati – the first ever film shot in the Kumaon hills in the year 1956-57. 

Two rare pictures of this movie shoot...

 Dilip Kumar with Local Women