Kumaon's god of justice keeps two great courts: Chitai near Almora, and Ghorakhal — "the horse's watering pool" — on a pine ridge above Bhowali in Nainital district. Here too the approach announces itself in metal: lakhs of brass bells in every size sheath the walkways and canopies, rung and left by petitioners whose cases Golu Devta has heard and answered.
The Shrine
The temple crowns a short stepped climb from the road, its red-and-white sanctum holding the white-horsed rider with his bow. Offerings are charmingly specific: bells for verdicts delivered, and letters — some on court stamp paper — for cases pending. Tuesdays, Saturdays and the Navratris bring the crowds; on quiet mornings the wind does the ringing.
Visiting
Ghorakhal sits ~3 km above Bhowali (Nainital 11 km, Kathgodam ~30 km), beside the famous Sainik School and its colonial-era tea gardens. Open daylight hours; the walk up through the pines takes ten minutes. Combine with a Bhowali fruit-market stop — the hills' best apricots and plums in season.
Best Time to Visit
Year-round. October–June for lake-country weather; winter mornings add frost-silvered pines and empty courtyards.
Pair It With
Kainchi Dham is twenty minutes up the Almora road, Naina Devi half an hour into Nainital, and Mukteshwar an hour along the orchard ridge — the perfect Nainital-side day of our Kumaon journeys.
Combining Ghorakhal with Kainchi?
The two shrines are twenty minutes apart — we run them as one morning on every Nainital-side circuit.
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