Bhulla Tal Lake

Bhulla Tal is a small, serene man-made lake set among the deodar and blue-pine slopes of Lansdowne, the historic cantonment town of Pauri Garhwal district in Uttarakhand, at an altitude of roughly 1,700 metres.

• It was created and is lovingly maintained by the Garhwal Rifles, one of the Indian Army's most decorated regiments, and its name carries real emotional weight: "Bhulla" means "younger brother" in the Garhwali dialect, and the lake is dedicated as a tribute to the young jawans (soldiers) of the regiment.
• That dedication gives what is, on the surface, a simple boating pond an unexpected tenderness — a quiet civic memorial rather than a commercial attraction.
• The lake sits below Lansdowne's main bazaar at Gandhi Chowk and is compact enough to walk around in a few unhurried minutes.
• Well-clipped lawns, flower beds, shaded benches and a small children's play area ring the water, and gentle paddle-boating (self-pedalled pedal-boats and small rowing boats) is the headline activity — calm, shallow and well-suited to families with young children.
• Ornamental fish glide in the clear water, and the surrounding pines keep the air cool and resin-scented even in the warmer months.
• Because Lansdowne remains an army cantonment, the whole area is notably clean, orderly and safe, and the lake is a favourite weekend picnic and stroll spot for both local families and visitors escaping the plains.
• Bhulla Tal is best treated as one gentle stop on a slow Lansdowne itinerary rather than a full-day destination in itself.
• It pairs naturally with the town's other quiet draws — the War Memorial and the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Museum, and the pine-view points of Tip-in-Top and Snow View — all within a short drive or walk.
• The mood everywhere is unhurried, hushed and green; this is a place to sit with a cup of chai and watch the light move across the ridges, not to chase adventure.
• For vegetarian travellers, the lake has a small Garhwal Rifles-run refreshment kiosk on-site serving simple vegetarian snacks — tea, samosas, hot Maggi noodles and biscuits — the easiest reliable bite by the water.
• Lansdowne is a mixed cantonment town, so for a fuller meal it is worth walking up to Gandhi Chowk, where several small dhabas serve vegetarian North Indian thalis, chai and snacks; ask and confirm a kitchen is pure-vegetarian before ordering.
• Carry a bottle of water and a light layer even in summer, as evenings on the ridge turn cool quickly.