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"NAINITAL" was founded in the year 1841 by Mr. P. Barron, a European merchant and an enthusiastic hunter from Rosa, near Shahjahanpur. Mr.P.Barron was the first European who took great fancy to this land. Moved by the beauty of the sparkling lake he wrote: "It is by far the best site I have witnessed in the course of a 1,500 miles treak in the Himalayas."In due course it became the summer capital of then United Province dotted with lakes; Nainital has earned the epither of ' The Lake District of India’ It is very less is known about the history of Nainital. This region was called "Khasdesh" in ancient times and "Khasis" ruled this region before Christ was born.Once the Nainital area had many lakes and it was called the City of 60 lakes or 'Chakta' The Nainital Lake finds mention in the Manas Khand (chapter) of the Skanda Purana (scriptures) as the Tririshi Sarovar, i.e., the lake of the three sages (or rishis). Atri, Pulastya and Pulaha. Legend has it that in the course of their pilgrimage the three sages arrived here, only to find the place without water. Meditating on the sacred and bountiful sanctum lake of Tibet namely Manasarovar Lake, they dug a hole here. So great was the power of their tapasya (meditation) that the hole soon filled with water.

According to a legend King Daksha held a great 'Yajna' but did not invite Parvati and her consort Shiva. Parvati could not bear this direct insult, in her great fury Parvati gate-crashed into the 'Yajna' ground and leaped into the high flames of 'Yajna' fire to end her life and later Lord Shiva retrieved her half-charred corpse himself. His Chakra and cut the Sati’s body into fifty one pieces to save the earth from Shiva’s wrath. All the fifty one places - where parts of Sati's body fell, became known as Shakti Peeths. It is said that the shimmering green waters of the Naini Lake is a reflection of the emerald green eye of Sati. The majority of the local people believe that the eyes of Sati dropped in the lake while her body was being carried by Lord Shiva to Kailesh Parvat. Hence, the lake was given the name of 'Nainital' or Naini Lake. Later the spot became famous by this very name.