About Rishikesh

Rishikesh is located in the foothills of the Himalayas in the North of India. It is also known as the Gateway to Garhwal Himalayas. Located 25 Kms North of Haridwar and about 43Kms South East of the state capital Dehradun, Rishikesh is the 7th largest city in the state of Uttrakhand. An excellent tourist hotspot, Rishikesh is situated at the Himalayan foothills some 250 Kms from Delhi. By road it takes 5-6 hours if you start early. By train one can travel over night from Old Delhi station till Haridwar and take a connecting train to Rishikesh which takes 45 minutes to cover the short distance between the spiritual grounds.

A pilgrimage center of the Hindus, Rishikesh has a good number of temples, ashrams and yoga centers. Rishikesh is a popular destination among foreigners and often referred to as the “yoga capital of the world”. Rishikesh caught the world’s imagination by storm after the Beatles visit in the 60s.

This sleepy town woke up to find itself as the epicenter of the universe and the crowd was flowing in. Among those were adventure enthusiasts who decided to test their nerves by River Rafting in the Ganges. The word spread out in the professional rafters community abroad and soon a steady trickle of tourists started coming in to experience the thrill of River Rafting in Rishikesh. The foreigners used to pitch their camps at the secluded beautiful beaches formed by the river side. In the 80s, a few local entrepreneurs decided to offer camping accommodation and added various facilities to make the stay convenient and comfortable. A few thrill seekers from local cities discovered these beach camps and the rest is history. The beach camps were a hit with youngsters and offered great value for money deals, making them immensely popular all across India. The business grew steadily till these beach camps were closed by the government. To know details, click here.

Rishikesh, the ancient city of temples and ashrams is well known for a variety of things. Be it the serene and majestic river Ganges, ghats, ritual prayers and ceremonies, yoga schools or bristling meditation centers, it is a place where one can easily loose self and experience totality.

So, how old is Rishikesh? According to Skanda Purana, this area was previously called Kubark because here Lord Vishnu was appeared to Rabhya Rishi under a mango tree. And the whole area with the surrounding area was then called Kedarkhand (now Garhwal). Rishikesh is also known as the “place of sagas”. It is believed that when Raibhya Rishi undertook rigorous penance, God appeared in the form of “Hrishikesh“ and henceforth this area came to be known as Rishikesh. It is the starting point for the Hindu Char Dham pilgrimage, including Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, to seek spiritual salvation.

It is known as the pilgrimage town and regarded as one of the holiest places for Hindus. Hindu sages and saints have visited Rishikesh since ancient times to meditate in search of higher knowledge. Lord Shiva is the main deity who is worshiped here in Rishikesh. You will notice several structures and idols of Shiva when exploring the city. Many temples have been denoted to Lord Shiva like Triambakeshwar Temple which can be seen from the famous Lakshman Jhula.

Legend has it that Rishikesh is one of the places where the Holy Nectar was hidden to save it from the demons and a drop of it fell on the ground. It is hard not to believe this when you experience marked calm and tranquility in this place.

Rishikesh Ghat

Rishikesh is famous for Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula, which are two suspension bridges linking the town with the highway over river Ganges. The bridges are about 500 meters away and a beautiful sight, yes. Walking over the bridge, you can feel it vibrate and sway to the winds. The locals and children sell wheat balls to travelers, to feed the fishes in the river. Its fun. You will be amazed to see a lot of fishes swishing in the water as you throw a wheat ball. In Hindu mythology, its considered good to feed the fishes.

Crossing over the bridge you will reach the holy grounds with colorful temples and small but abundant and gentle cows. A great place to eat is Chotiwala restaurant, which is famous for a Chotiwala sitting on the pedestal outside the restaurant.

Walking around Rishikesh is meditation in itself. You can’t help but feel at home. There are numerous river facing restaurants and roof top cafe’s which serve every cuisine you can think of. Israeli, Italian, continental, you name it, and its there. For those who wish to visit Neelkanth Shiv Temple, its convenient to take a shared taxi from the Neelkanth Taxi Stop. The distance is 12 Kms, mostly even till 4-5 kms and then gets steep till you reach dizzying heights to this beautiful temple.

Neelkanth Mahadev Temple Rishikesh