page_title: Mukteshwar
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Mukteshwar / History
caption_attribution_description: English: View of Himalayas from the top of Mukteshwar, Uttarakhand.
context_page_description: Mukteshwar is a village and tourist destination in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand, India. It sits high in the Kumaon Hills at an altitude of 2171 meters, 51 km from Nainital, 72 km from Haldwani, and 343 km from Delhi.
context_section_description: Mukteshwar was previously known as Muktesar (as mentioned in Jim Corbett's book "The Temple Tiger"); the name changed after 1947. Many locals still call it Muktesar in their local language. Until 1893 the place was known for its shrines and temple before it was selected for serum production to protect animals from cattle plague. On the recommendation of the Cattle Plague Commission, the Imperial Bacteriological Laboratory had its genesis on 9 December 1889 at Pune and relocated to Mukteshwar in 1893 to facilitate segregation and quarantine of highly contagious organisms. Initially the laboratory at Mukteshwar was completed in 1898 but destroyed by fire in 1899. It was resurrected in 1901. Then annual expenditure on research was Rs. 50,000. Later it was developed into the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), which later moved its headquarters to Izatnagar. Still Mukteshwar serves as the hill campus of IVRI, including facilities such as an experimental goat farm.
  The noted Nobel winner scientist Robert Koch visited this place on the request of the government of India. The microscope used by him and other historical articles are kept in the museum maintained by IVRI. A hill carved cold room dating back to 1900 once used to store biological materials is now a tourist attraction.
  Jim Corbett, a well-known author and hunter of man-eating tigers and leopards visited Mukteshwar. He wrote about Mukteshwar in his book The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon. He wrote about the various adversities faced by the people inhabiting the villages in remote areas of the Northern hills.
caption: View of Himalayas from the top of Mukteshwar
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