Forest fire in the Himalaya...

A raging forest fire burns in Nainital, during the hot and dry summer months of 2009. Forest fires mainly take place in the lower Himalayan regions of Garhwal and Kumaon during the months of April, May and June, and quickly spread thanks to the dry resinous leaves / needles of pine and deodar trees (and pine sap, resin or lisa / leesa), which catch fire like tinder on the dry forest floor.

This is the dry season, and many a forest fire is being lit and spreading in our hills of Uttarakhand. This year is better than previous ones from this perspective, but there still have been several fires. The impending rains should improve the situation and altogether put the fires to rest....

Nainital, also known as the lake city and lake district of Uttarakhand, is located around the Naini Lake. This place is named after the Goddess Naini Devi, the presiding idol of the area. It is situated at a height of 1,938 mts.

It is believed that Nainital figures in some ancient myths of India. In the Manas Khand of the Skand Puranas, Nainital Lake is called Tri-Rishi-Sarovar, hinting at the story of three sages (or rishis), Atri, Pulastya and Pulaha, who, upon finding no water in Nainital, dug a large hole at the location of the present day lake and filled it with water from the holy lake Manasarovar in Tibet. According to lore, a dip in Naini Lake, "the lesser Manasarovar," earns merit equal to a dip in the great lake.

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