Rishikesh

Rishikesh sits where the Ganges emerges from the Himalaya onto the plain, and it has been a place of ascetics and ashrams for centuries, which turned into an international yoga destination through the twentieth century, accelerated when the Beatles stayed at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in 1968 and wrote much of the White Album there; the abandoned ashram, now called Beatles Ashram, is open with its domed meditation huts and murals. Two suspension footbridges, Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula, cross the river between temple and ashram clusters, evening aarti is performed at the ghats, and the rapids upstream carry commercial rafting.

History

The name comes from Hrishikesha, "lord of the senses", a name of Vishnu, and commemorates his appearance to the sage Raibhya after long austerities; the Skanda Purana calls the area Kubjamraka. Legend says Rama did penance here after killing Ravana and that Lakshmana crossed the Ganges on two jute ropes where the Lakshman Jhula bridge now stands, and since 1999 the town has hosted the International Yoga Festival every March (Wikipedia, Rishikesh).

What's there

• The suspension bridges - Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula over the Ganges.
• The Beatles Ashram - abandoned meditation huts and murals in the forest.
• The evening aarti - lamp ceremonies at the riverside ghats.
• The rafting - commercial trips through the rapids upstream.

When to go

September to November and February to May; the monsoon closes rafting and brings landslides, and mid-winter is cold. Rafting season runs roughly late September to June depending on flow.

Before you go

The town is alcohol and meat free by law, which surprises some. Yoga schools vary enormously in quality and some make unfounded claims. Rafting operators differ widely in safety standards.

Nearby

Haridwar lies south; Dehradun is northwest.

Key facts