Route library · Weekend · Mountains
Delhi to Devidhura
Devidhura, on a forested ridge between Almora and Lohaghat, is the seat of Varahi Devi (Barahi Dham) — a temple built around huge boulders, one of which the deity is said to sit under. Once a year, at Raksha Bandhan, four village clans (khams) fight the Bagwal: a few minutes of ritual stone-pelting until enough blood is shed to satisfy the goddess. The rest of the year it is a silent oak-and-pine ridge with a big view.
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At a glance
- Round trip
- About 850–950 km
- Riding time
- 9–10 hours each way — a long day, splittable at Bhowali or Almora
- Nights
- Two nights, three to add Abbott Mount or Jageshwar
- Start point
- Delhi (via Rampur, Kathgodam and Bhowali)
- Highest point
- About 2,000 m on the Devidhura ridge
- Difficulty
- Moderate. Good sealed hill roads throughout; some narrow, lightly-used ridge sections.
- Surface
- Sealed and in fair-to-good condition — the Bhowali–Dhari–Devidhura ridge road is quiet single-lane hill tar
- Best season
- March to June and September to November for the ride. The Bagwal itself is at Raksha Bandhan (August), in the monsoon — a different, wet, very crowded trip.
The ride
Delhi → Rampur → Kathgodam → Bhowali → Dhari → Devidhura, a quiet ridge road through oak and pine. The temple sits among its boulders with a KMVN alongside.
Devidhura links naturally with the rest of east Kumaon: Abbott Mount and Lohaghat are an hour or so on, and Jageshwar and Almora are close on the way back. If you time a trip for the Bagwal, expect a monsoon ride, a big crowd and a genuinely startling few minutes at the temple.
Day by day
Delhi to Devidhura
Delhi → Kathgodam → Bhowali → Dhari → Devidhura (9–10 hours). Split at Bhowali if the light is going. Settle on the ridge.
Devidhura and east Kumaon
The temple and the ridge in the morning, then a loop to Lohaghat, Abbott Mount or Jageshwar. Overnight there or back at Devidhura.
Devidhura to Delhi
Down through Bhowali and the long highway home. Start early.
Fuel & services
- Fuel is easy to Bhowali — Rampur, Haldwani, Kathgodam and Bhowali all have pumps.
- Fill up at Bhowali (or Dhari) before the ridge — Devidhura has no reliable pump.
- Devidhura has a KMVN and a couple of basic guesthouses; Lohaghat and Almora have more. Carry cash. For the Bagwal, book far ahead and expect basic, full rooms.
Road & conditions
Sealed and in fair-to-good shape. The plains run to Kathgodam is the busy part; the Bhowali–Dhari–Devidhura ridge road is a quiet, winding single-lane hill road. Nothing technical. Watch for Nainital weekend traffic around Bhowali and stray cattle on the bazaar stretches.
Bike, fuel & getting help
- Suggested bike
- Fine on a well-maintained 150–200cc commuter.
- Fuel gap
- One long stretch without a pump — fill up before it and top off where you can.
- Spare fuel
- Carry 3–5 litres of spare fuel.
- Emergency & logistics
- The nearest well-equipped hospital is the valley/district town, one to two hours off; signal is patchy above the bazaar; carry the group lead's number and an emergency card.
Best time to ride
March to June and mid-September to November for the ride itself — clear, mild, and quiet. The Bagwal is at Raksha Bandhan in August: a monsoon ride, big crowds, and the stone-fight lasting only a few minutes — go for the ritual, not the riding conditions, and treat the road with monsoon caution.
What to add to your kit
Beyond the standard ride kit: a warm layer for the ridge evenings, a rain shell (essential if you time the Bagwal), and cash. Nothing technical.
Ride this with a group
We run Devidhura as a quiet two- or three-night Kumaon ridge ride — the long day split at Bhowali, a loop to Abbott Mount or Jageshwar, and a temple-and-ridge clean-up as the service action; the Bagwal is a separate, deliberate monsoon trip.