Almora was the capital of the Chand dynasty, which ruled Kumaon for more than one thousand years. One remarkable fact about Almora is that while almost all hill stations were discovered and developed by British, Raja Kalyan Chand founded Almora in the year 1568 when he transferred his capital from Champawat to Almora.

Legend has it that about 500 years ago Raja Kalyan Chand, then the ruler of Kumaon with its capital at Champawat, was riding hard in pursuit of prey on this horseshoe shaped spur. The hunted quarry saved itself by taking refuge in a thicket of Kilmora - a wild bush - and revealed to the royal hunter the site of his would-be capital. The origins of settlement in Almora may have been different but the story continues to hold sway in the minds of many of the locals. Bounded by the Kosi and Suyal rivers, the local of the new capital was well suited strategically. Till the Gurkha onslaught, in the last decade of the 19th century, Almora remained well protected naturally.

This ancient temple is one of the main attractions of Almora town. This temple is hundreds of year old and carries deep faith of many people from this area. The images and statues on walls of this temple are intricately and delicately carved. They are very attractive and almost true to life depiction has been done. Every year a fair is organized here. People from all over the place come and participate in this fair. Groups of young men & women dance on the pulsating music of the mountains.

The local people have much faith on this temple. The Chetai temple is located eight kms from Almora. This temple is surrounded by dense fur and pine tree forest. If you are a nature lover then you will certainly enjoy this place.

Bajinath situated on the banks of the Gomti (a local river) in Garur Valley, is an idyllic place. It is famous for its 13th century temples. Jageshwar has a group of Shiva temples and is on the Almora-Pithoragarh road and is situated in a densely wooded beautiful narrow valley. The temples were constructed in the 13th century. They are a marvel to see for their artistic beauty and craftsmanship. Jageshwar is among the 12-jyotir lingas in the country.

The nearest railway station is at Kathgodam situated around 90 KMs away. Kathgodam is connected by rail directly with Delhi, the capital of India, Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh and Calcutta.

Kathgodam local transport, private taxies as well as buses run by private operators, and buses run by the state government corporation - UPSRTC are available at all hours. By road Almora is connected conveniently and is merely 380 KMs away from Delhi and 466 KMs from Lucknow.