JHULAGHAR MARKET

As the name rightly suggests, Jhulaghar is the centre for fun and merry with a manually operated giant wheel and the cable car as the prime attraction. The acrobatic stunts performed by young lads spinning the giant wheel are awe inspiring. Jhulaghar is the true Chaupati of Mussoorie where tongue tingling Bhel-puri , sev-puri, tikki-chat, idli-dosa, chhole-bhature, rajma-chawal, kadi-chawal and coffee-cold drinks can be savoured. Jhulaghar is the terminal point, underneath the gorgeous Weeping Willow tree, for the cycle rickshaw coming from the Library bazaar. A bifurcation of roads leads through the upper and lower slopes of the ridge only to unite again near the State Bank of India. The lower slope is lined with stalls selling eatables and garments, the cable car station, the tourist information office, ready to order school uniform shops, railway out agency and general merchants.

The Allahabad bank premise on the lower slope is gardened with exotic flowering plants including the fragrant Magnolia. The upper catchment of Jhulaghar is flanked with shops of woollens, woodwork, antiques, tours and travel services, temptingly large samosa and gulab jamun, video games and a multi-racial version of the Tibetan market. The telephone exchange and the century old Grand Post Office demark the Jhulaghar market. Sadly though, the Jhulaghar hub has witnessed the mass killing of innocent locals by the Uttar Pradesh policemen on 2nd September 1994 during a protest for the demand of a separate Uttarakhand state. The area has been named as Shaheed Sthal (martyr ground) where a memorial stands.