A small pilgrim town, with scores of ashrams and yoga centres, Rishikesh is also famous for its adventure sports, along the Ganges, and trekking in the lower Himalayas.

The gateway and the start off point for journeys, to the 4 famous pilgrims centres of Garhwal - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri, the little town of Rishikesh is the destination for the young and the restless seeking renewal. A holiday destination for cleansing of the mind and the soul, Rishikesh is where the wise ones spent time in devotion, meditation and yoga.

Fast emerging as an exciting launch pad for adventure sports like trekking and White Water River rafting, it has ashrams or religious retreat centres, which offer lessons in meditation and treatment, for a variety of stress induced ailments, using the ancient medical techniques. Rishikesh is also home, to the annual International Yoga Festival, held in early February.

HISTORY

The Ganga, cut its passage, through the last foothills, and enters, a complex of 3 localities. First is the area around the spot where the famous Laxman Jhoola Bridge spans the river and lends its name to the locality; then comes Muni-ki-Reti (Sands of the Sages) where the wise ones spent time in devotion, meditation and yoga; and then comes the expanding township on the bank of the river. The whole complex is called Rishikesh.

CULTURE

Rishikesh, does not have a swinging lifestyle, as a pilgrimage centre, its entire life revolves around prayers and festivals. Being the gateway to the Char Dhams or the four famous pilgrims centres of Garhwal - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri, it is the destination for the young and the restless seeking renewal and cleansing of the mind and the soul.

Being a major centre, where the wise ones spent time in devotion, meditation and yoga, its ashrams or religious retreat centres offer lessons in meditation and treatment for a variety of stress induced ailments, using the ancient medical techniques. It is also the home to the annual International Yoga Festival held in early February.

FOOD

Check out Indrani at the Inderlok Hotel. You can get some great Chinese cuisine here, along with some north Indian dishes. The Chotiwala is simply the best restaurant in Rishikesh. It has some delicious thalis, and its multi-cuisine menu is worth giving a try. The Tripti at Hotel Suruchi is another option, where you can try the chocolate sundae!

SHOPPING

Rishikesh has scores of shops offering ayurvedic and herbal medicines. Shops in the Swarg Ashram area offer the same, along with devotional products like brassware, incense, prasad and Rudraksh beads. Rishikesh may not have big shops but it has a variety of handicrafts to offer — made of beads, shells, pearls and wood. Visit UP Handlooms (en route to Haridwar), Khadi Bhandar or the Garhwal wool and craft shop for rugs and sheets.

ENTERTAINMENT

Rishikesh is home to the annual International Yoga Festival held in early February.

LOCATION

25 km up the Ganges from Haridwar and 238 km from Delhi, at an altitude of 1,160 ft.

By Air

IA has five flights a week from Delhi. Airport: Jolly Grant Airport, near Dehra Dun, is about 17 km from Rishikesh.

By Rail

Trains connect Haridwar to several important cities in the region as well as other parts of the country. The Dehra Dun Shatabdi Express is the best way to get to Haridwar from Delhi. The Dehra Dun Mumbai Express and Dehra Dun Varanasi Express also service Haridwar. Calcutta and Allahabad are connected to Haridwar by the Doon Express and Dehra Dun-Allahabad Link Express. There is a regular shuttle service from Haridwar to Rishikesh, which is rather slow. Railway station: Located on Railway Road in the west end of the town.

By Road

Connected well by road, Rishikesh has buses plying to Haridwar, Agra, Chandigarh, Dehra Dun, Delhi and Nainital besides other places. Bus terminus: UP Roadways Bus Stand at the junction of Agarwal Road and Bengali Road. Yatra Bus Stand on the Dehra Dun Road.

CLIMATE

Winter lasts from November till mid-February. By June it starts getting warm. The rains begin in mid-July bringing relief from the heat.

Built when Rama's younger brother Lakshman, decided to cross the river on a jute rope. Today, a concrete one, by the same name, has replaced the rope bridge. Ram Jhula is the other suspended iron bridge, recently constructed between Shivanand Ashram and Swarg Ashram.

In the mornings, thousands come here to bathe and make offerings to the Lord. But at dusk, the arati on the Triveni Ghat makes for an unforgettable experience. Barefoot, scores of devotees sit in rows on the steps of the ghat. As the sun begins to stem plating the river with its golden orange hue, a row of religious Mahants hold plates of flaming clarified butter, moving them in circular salutation to the river Ganges. Bask in the serene and peaceful aarti ceremony, performed daily on the river bank, or release flower filled leaf boats carrying tiny oil lamps and let them float out on the river, it is a ceremony of worship, remembrance and faith and an experience in itself.

Founded in early 50s, Gita Bhavan is an ashram that runs an ayurvedic dispensary and has a branch of the famous Gita press, Gorakhpur. The place is also worth visiting for its collection of paintings and statues. While there are hundreds of rooms for visiting pilgrims, foreigners are not accommodated here.

BHARAT MANDIR - Reputedly the oldest structure in Rishikesh, the image installed here has a distinctly Himalayan cast of features.Though the temple is dedicated to lord Vishnu, it has several beautiful images associated with the worship of Lord Shiva NILKANTHA MAHADEV - According to mythology, when the cosmic ocean was being churned for amrit, what came out first was poison. This was the place where Shiva drank the venom, which turned his throat into a murky blue color, giving him the appellation Nilkantha, the one with blue neck. OMKARANANDA ASHRAM - Omkarananda Ashram, located above the Yoga Niketan meditation centre, runs a school, maintains several temples and conducts classes in various Indian languages and classical art. SIVANANDA ASHRAM - Established by Swami Sivananda, the ashram is an elaborate centre for meditation and yoga. Promoting society welfare, it runs a hospital and produces herbal medicines. Also known as the Divine Life Society, it has branches abroad as well.