Nainital

Nainital is a mountain lake in the hills of Kumaon, enclosed by wooded ridges. Tradition tells that the eye of the goddess Sati fell here, giving the lake its name and making it a place sacred to the goddess. After the Katyuri dynasty declined, Khasiya chiefs held the surrounding country. Kirat Chand brought it under the Chand rulers of Kumaon during his reign of 1488–1503; a later attempt by the chiefs to regain independence was suppressed in 1560.