Rishikesh The holy town of Rishikesh has the eminence of being the International capital of Yoga and meditation. Located in the foothills of the Himalayas on the banks of the River Ganges, Rishikesh is dotted with a number of ancient temples, ashrams and world renowned yoga and meditation centres. Not only devotees, but travellers from all parts of the world flock to the sacred town for a deeper understanding of meditation.
At the ashrams in Rishikesh, visitors can attend lectures and courses offered by celebrated yoga and meditation experts. Apart from Hindu shrines, the town of Rishikesh also invites adventure lovers from all around. It is also the ideal gateway for a pilgrim chardham yatra, that includes travelling to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath.
one of the most visited, the Lakshmana Jhula is a suspended bridge, extending from one bank of the Ganges to the other. The bridge is mythological significant because it is where Lakshman crossed the Ganga through on jute-rope-made bridge.
Visitors can enjoy some impressive views of the Himalayan ranges from upon the bridge. Today, the Lakshmana Jhula connects two popular ashrams - Shivanand Ashram and Swarg Ashram.
Two kilometres away Rishikesh stands the beautiful iron suspension bridge called Ram Jhula at Muni-Ki-Reti. This significant landmark of Rishikesh was built in 1986 by PWD and is slightly bigger than Lakshman Jhula regarding length. Ram Jhula also offers a panoramic view of river Ganga and Rishikesh city having number of temples.
Visitors cannot afford to miss the enchanting evening prayer (which lasts for 30 minutes) at the Geeta Bhawan ghat. Food lovers can head straight to the 50-year-old and the very famous Chotiwala Restaurant, located in Ram Jhula.
Triveni is a spot where three rivers meet. TriveniGhat in Rishikesh is the holy confluence of river Ganga, river Yamuna and river Saraswati. Devotees take dip at the holy confluence to get rid of all sins committed and achieve salvation. Evening Aarati at TriveniGhat is popular among the people of Dehradun, Haridwar, whole of Uttarakhand, whole of India and the Hindu devotees outside India.
you will be enchanted with the floating diyas, flowers and the singing of sacred Mantras and bhajans at TriveniGhat. The huge statue of lord Shiva sitting in bull and the statue of Krishna-Arjun in chariot depicting the initiation of Mahabharata war captivate you.
Bharat temple in Rishikesh enshrines the statue of lord Vishnu with Shankha, Chakra, Gada and Padma in four different hands, made up of single saligram (the stone which is worshipped as form of lord Vishnu). Bharat is considered to be the incarnation of lord Vishnu and Bharat temple is mentioned in great Hindu holy epics Vishnu Puran, Mahabharata, Geeta, VamanPuran and NarsinghPuran.Every year in the day of BasantPanchami the Shaligram is taken to Mayakund and bathed. The return journey is a grand procession. People believe that if any devotee perform 108 pradakshina (rounds) of lord Hrishikesh Narayan on the day of AkshyaTritiya, the lord fulfills all her/his wishes
Geeta Bhawan is one of the oldest temple complexes situated by the side of Laxman Jhula on the banks of sacred Ganges in Rishikesh. Gita Bhavan is dedicated as a Museum for puranic and mythological awareness for the common public. Building consists of a very large complex comprising discourse halls and over 1000 rooms available free of charge for the stay of devotees.
For the convenience of the devotees, simple vegetarian food, kitchen and grocery items and Indian sweets are available at very moderate price.
Thousands of devotees visit Neelkanth Mahadev every month throughout the year. It is situated on the summit of the mountain across the sacred Ganga River. According to mythology this is the place where Lord Shiva drank the venom produced during agar Manthan which turned his throat blue and was thus the place was named as Neelkanth. Neelkanth and Mahadev are names of Lord Shiva.
The temple complex features a hot spring where devotees are seen taking a holy bath before visiting the temple. Also, there is a wish fulfilling banyan tree. Tourists who want to witness the fun and frolic side of the temple, one should visit here during the Maha Shivratri festival or Shravana, the fifth month of the Hindu calendar.
Across the Ramjhoola Bridge stands the mammoth Parmarth Niketan Ashram. The ashram has hundreds of rooms. It conducts many religious programmes. Foreigners can stay only with special permission. Parmarth Niketan is a true spiritual haven, lying on the holy banks of Mother Ganga in the lap of the lush Himalayas. It is the largest ashram in Rishikesh, providing its thousands of pilgrims who come from all corners of the Earth with a clean, pure and sacred atmosphere as well as abundant, beautiful gardens. With several hundred rooms, the facilities are a perfect blend of modern amenities and traditional, spiritual simplicity. Parmarth Niketan is located in Swargashram, on the main road, just on the banks of the sacred Ganges River.
The ashram was built in the memory of Swami Vishudhanand, the saint better known as Kali Kamli Wala (the saint with a black blanket). It is very popular among foreign tourists mainly because of the ethnic touch. It is located at Gangapar, Ram Jhula. There are lots of ashrams, and temples inside the Swarg Ashram. This place is very popular among foreign tourists as well as among locals, because of its ethnic touch. Several religious activities, like chanting, meditation, aarti take place inside the Swarg Ashram. Ashram is maintained by a trust called "Kali Kamliwala Kshetra". One of the oldest ashrams in Rishikesh, its founder Swami Vishudhanand was also known as the 'Kali Kamli Wala' (One with The Black Blanket). Today the Kali Kamliwala Kshetra is a mammoth organization embracing many activities.
Vashishta Gufa is a famous attraction for meditation, located at the bank of River Ganga, this gufa is situated at a distance of 16 km from Rishikesh. It takes about an hours drive on the Rishikesh Badrinath Highway to reach Vashishta Gufa. For the adventure seeker, this place provides with camping facility.
Vashishta Gufa, situated on the banks of the Ganga River, is a popular place for meditation lovers. This is the cave where great Sage Vashishta said to have meditated. He was also among the seven great sages (Saptarishis) and the guru of Lord Ram. According to Hindu mythology, after the death of his children, Sage Vashishta, he decided to commit suicide in River Ganga, but was refused by Goddess Ganga. Arundhati, Vashishta's wife, liked the location and decided to stay here. Sage Vashishta meditated here for long time in a cave.
Kunjapuri Devi Temple is located on a hillock around 15 km away from Rishikesh. This temple is dedicated to one of the thirteen most important goddesses of Shivalik range. The temple is well-known among the travellers as it gives a beautiful view of the sunrise and the sunset from the greater Himalayan peaks. Kunjapuri Devi Temple is sacred temple of immense importance in Hindu religion. Located at an height of 1676 mtrs on a hill, Kunjapuri Devi Temple is one of the 52 Shaktipeeth in Uttarakhand. Here at Kunjapuri Devi Temple, the chest of burned Sati had fallen. Kunjapuri Devi Temple also offers panoramic views of snow capped mountains and peaks such as Swarga Rohini, Gangotri, Banderpunch and Chaukhamba.
The aarti is a pleasant ritual of worshipping the Ganga. Around 50-100 people visit the aarti on any day. You have witnessed Ganga Aarati in other places like Haridwar and Varanasi too, but they are a crowded noisy ritual with loud screaming speakers, people troubling you to make donations or hawkers trying to sell something highly overpriced. The Aarti at Rishikesh is a contrast to it, held in a small place with a few people and is a relatively quite affair. You can sit quietly in a corner and witness the ritual or join the crowds singing Bhajans with them.
The Aarati happens at a very picturesque place on the banks of Ganga, in front of a Shiva statue built on the river. You see some activity beginning at the riverbank around 5pm. People start cleaning up the area, lay carpets in preparation for the aarati.
