Hello Rishikesh!

I said hello to Rishikesh thrice. The following is a somewhat lengthy narrative of my first encounter with this holy town.

"Machalti hui hawa mein chham chham, hamare sang sang chale Ganga ki lehrein..."
The above mentioned popular Hindi song of the 60's comes to mind whenever I think of River Ganga.

the holy town of Rishikesh 

One beautiful sunny morning in the cold wintry month of January, I found myself taking a leisurely stroll on the banks of River Ganga in the holy town of Rishikesh. I knew I had to visit Rishikesh, but there was no inkling it was to happen so soon and so sudden. It just happened. Actually I had some other destination in mind for the solo trip, but eventually it turned out to be Rishikesh. No complains at all!

With my travel spirits high in the cold January month, I boarded the Uttarakhand Roadways Bus. I took my seat next to the window. Well I always made it a point to buy ticket for the window seat. 😃 Nothing beats the window seat. Don't you as well prefer the window seat? I am hundred percent sure you do. After sometime a guy came and sat on the empty seat next to me. It gave an overpowering sense of a flower garden being right next to me because the guy might have sprayed the entire contents of perfume onto himself and his clothes. The bus dutifully departed at the appointed time of 11:30 p.m. I dozed off with the flower garden blooming next to me.😁

Sometime after six hours or so the bus arrived at Rishikesh bus station. It was 6:00 a.m. It was still dark. It was quiet all around. Not a single soul in the street except for the few passengers from the bus. It was cold. I saw a small tea shop with the lights on, on the other side of the street opposite the bus station. I knew that small tea shop since I had previously stopped here for tea while I was on my way to Chopta. The guy manning the tea stall instantly recognised me. He is Manish. He smiled and remarked, "Are you not the girl who was going to Chopta to trek?" I nodded. Over a cup of hot milk tea, a conversation started between us. I decided to wait at the tea shop till the early morning sky lit up a bit. In the course of our conversation I asked Manish, "Could you please tell me how far the location of the guesthouse I am staying near Ram Jhula is from your tea shop?" He guided me. Before departing he also arranged an auto and reduced the fare for me. He directed the autowalla to the exact spot I should be dropped at. I thanked Manish and left in the auto towards Ram Jhula where the guesthouse is located.

breakfast at the guesthouse 

Omkarananda Sadan guesthouse where I stayed

The autowalla dropped me at OMKARANANDA GANGA SADAN guesthouse near Ram Jhula taxi stand. Much to my delight, the guesthouse is located on the banks of River Ganga. After the mandatory check-in at the guesthouse, I found the place neat and tidy. The rooms were clean. It has a small garden facing the ghats, too. Without wasting any minute, I immediately set out to explore the ghat near the guesthouse. It must be around 8:00 a.m. Since it was too early in the cold January morning, the ghat was empty barring a few people. I was mezmerized at the sight of River Ganga. It was my first time seeing River Ganga from close at hand. So naturally I was delighted. It felt magical. It felt ethereal. It felt peaceful. It felt blissful. The sun was yet to come from behind the hills and so the ghats were still half lit. Slowly and slowly as the sun revealed it's face from behind the hills, the placid waters of River Ganga simmered in the rays of the shining sun. During my three days stay I religiously took a leisurely stroll on the ghats. You will always find a few kids at the ghats trying to sell you puja materials; specially those little leave boats with a few flowers and diyas to be floated on River Ganga as an offering.

Omkarananda ghat in Rishikesh

shivling at Omkarananda ghat 

birds frolicking on River Ganga

Omkarananda ghat at night

LIFE at the GHATS is beautiful. One can witness a melange of life here at any time of the day, but specially early morning and evening. One can witness people strolling along the river banks on the ghats, some taking a dip in the holy waters of River Ganga, some performing ceremonial pujas, some jogging, some exercising, some deep in meditation, some simply sitting on the benches and the steps of the ghats. Life is beautifully slow at the ghats. Life here has the beauty to stop and to stare. You do not feel the moment of rush.

NEELKANTH MANDIR On the second day of my stay, I decided to go to Neelkanth Mandir. It is a good 22 kms away from Rishikesh. I woke up early. It was foggy. I made my way to Neelkanth Mandir taxi stand on the other side. The taxi/cab had fixed departure time. The price is both for the coming and going i.e. the same taxi/cab takes you to Neelkanth Mandir and then brings you back. The sumo that I boarded with other passengers were all devotees. As the sumo driver started the vehicle, the devotees all chanted in unison "Neelkanth baba ki jai, Mahadev ki jai, Bhole baba ki jai". It was an hours drive and the drive, I admit was scenic with green hills and mountains acting as a balm for the tired soul and the equally tired city eyes. There were some uncomfortable bumps here and there. We were in the mountains and so these road bumps were understandable.
Neelkanth Mandir is a sacred Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a major pilgrimage site for the Hindus. Lord Shiva is referred to as Neelkanth (the one with the blue throat). One has to stand in the queue before entering the temple. I stood in the queue with the other devotees, and on reaching the main shrine of the temple made an offering of flowers and fruits to God and received prasad in return.
Did I forget to mention you the many encounters with many monkeys on the way? Yes, lots of them. My fellow passengers offered fruits to these monkeys from the safety of the vehicle.

Neelkanth Mandir 

devotees queue at Neelkanth Mandir 

shops at Neelkanth Mandir 

GERMAN BAKERY I come to Rishikesh and give this café a miss? It cannot be. And there I find myself as I walked into the atmospheric café. It is simple in design and decor, but perfectly located. It offered amazing views of River Ganga, Laxman Jhula, and the 13-storey Trimbakeshwar Temple. The small eatery was buzzing with lots of travellers. I gave my order and sat on the stool facing the open window enjoying the early evening views.

at German Bakery in Rishikesh

LAXMAN JHULA and RAM JHULA is always buzzing with human activity. I never found the famed hanging bridges empty. It was always choc-a-bloc with people coming and going, cyclists and the motorists on their two wheelers trying to manoeuvre their scooty/bike in the tiny space with people jostling all around, the occasional monkeys doing acrobatics, the sight of interesting and colourful characters, and so on. I specially prefer the area around Laxman Jhula with it's many quirky cafés, restaurants, a few tattoo parlours, souvenir stores, and this and that stuff hole in the wall shops. I admit I enjoyed sitting on the steps on the banks of River Ganga near Laxman Jhula and observing life all around me. It felt peaceful. It felt serene. It was bliss.

Laxman Jhula in Rishikesh 

let's take a quick pic at Laxman Jhula before it becomes crowded 😀 

Tibetan market near Laxman Jhula in Rishikesh 

an organic café in Rishikesh  

Do you wanna get inked? 

a menu board of a café

TRIVENI GHAT It is located in the main town on the banks of holy River Ganga. A chaotic market selling all kinds of things including fresh flowers and puja materials leads to the ghat. Triveni ghat is believed to be the confluence of three rivers: River Ganga, River Yamuna, and River Saraswati. It is considered the most auspicious ghat in Rishikesh. Both morning and evening aarti are held here, though I didn't attend any. The place is always teeming with devotees coming from far and near. There are some major temples within the premises of the ghat.

Triveni ghat in Rishikesh 

lots of statues of god and goddess at Triveni ghat 

Triveni ghat in Rishikesh 

the market that leads to Triveni ghat 

a shop selling flowers near Triveni ghat in Rishikesh 

life at Triveni ghat in Rishikesh 

Rishi Kund at Triveni ghat 

a priest preparing for puja at Triveni ghat 

I dropped in at LITTLE BUDDHA CAFÉ  for a quick bite to satisfy my hunger pangs on the last day of my stay. As soon as my order arrived on the table, I hungrily tugged into it without noticing a foreigner standing near the table. He asked, "What are you eating?" Pasta and banana pancake came the quick reply from me. I requested him to grab a bite of the banana pancake. He took the knife and fork and deftly cut the banana pancake to have a slice. He enjoyed the slice. The usual query that every traveller asks and I did the same.😀 Where are you from? I asked the gentleman. Spain came the reply. Flamenco dance flashed across my mind when I heard Spain. I happily replied him back, "Oh! Flamenco". He smiled and then proceeded to show a few steps of Flamenco dancing. 😊

menu board of Little Buddha Café 

Little Buddha Café in Rishikesh 

GANGA AARTI at PARMANTH NIKETAN ASHRAM Did I mention witnessing the evening Ganga aarti? Taking my place on the steps facing River Ganga with dozens of devotees and visitors, I eagerly waited for the evening aarti to commence. Although I was unable to understand even a single word of the bhajans being sung, I nevertheless joined by folding my hands. At the end of the aarti,the big lamps were passed all around to seek blessing. The devotees then floated their small prayer lamps in the water. It was quite a sight to see many small prayer lamps floating on River Ganga! The aroma of the incense and flowers, the chanting of bhajans, the sound of traditional musical instruments, and the sight of many floating diyas was a beautiful experience.

Parmanth Niketan Ashram 

evening aarti at Parmanth Niketan Ashram 

devotees and visitors during evening aarti at Parmanth Niketan Ashram  

BEATLES ASHRAM was on my to-do-list activity in Rishikesh. After crossing Ram Jhula, I had to enquire from a lot of people the direction to Beatles Ashram since I had no idea where exactly it is located. Alas, most of them had no clue. Google Map ofcourse came to my rescue. I was a bit reluctant to go all alone and so was looking for company. Alas I found none! A Russian gentleman accompanied me halfway though. On reaching the gate of Beatles Ashram, I looked here and there. I saw a couple of huts nearby. I called without addressing anyone. A sadhu baba came out from one of the huts. I requested whether he could show me around the place. He agreed. A guard/caretaker was sitting near the gate. Before arriving in Rishikesh, I read in multiple travel blogs that guards at the gate ask for money for entering the premises of Beatles Ashram. So when I saw the guard, it flashed across my mind that I needed to pay the guard. On asking money by the guard, I gave him fifty bucks. The guard opened the gates. The sadhu baba and I entered. Beatles Ashram is located inside Rajaji National Park. A steep concrete path leads to the main compound of Beatles Ashram. I came across a handful of foreign visitors there. The entire place was desolate and abandoned. The buildings were dilapidated. It was all in ruins. Everything was reclaimed slowly and slowly by mother nature. It was eerie and surreal at the same time. The silence and solitude of the place was broken only by the forest sounds, chirping of birds, cool breeze blowing, rustling of the leaves, and sound of our footsteps. The sadhu baba showed me around the place, each and every abandoned building. Many eye-catching colourful graffitis and floral patterns painted by visitors adorn the walls of the dilapitated and abandoned ashram. The meditative pods were so much fun. They were small in size and circular in shape. I playfully entered to get a feel of the meditative pods. Beatles Ashram is a perfect place for history buffs and nature lovers. I have read about the nature trails, but didn't try it myself for having less time on hand. By the way, I had to teach the sadhu baba how to click with the phone camera. 😀It was quite a task to teach him. Ofcourse the clicked pictures turned out anything, but good.😝
Sadhu baba told me that he had been living in Rishikesh since the last 30 years. I thanked him for showing me around the place. As a taken of gratitude, I paid him a few bucks. Now definitely some of you might think it to be risky to go with an unknown sadhu baba. I understand the concern. I had to put a little faith in people. That's all I can say.

the helpful sadhu baba who acted as a guide

meditative pods at Beatles Ashram 

eye-catching graffiti at Beatles Ashram 

wall art at Beatles Ashram 

Beatles Ashram 

colourful graffiti at Beatles Ashram 

Rajaji National Park in Rishikesh

abandoned buildings at Beatles Ashram 

when you ask sadhu baba to click your photo 😀

TRAYAMBAKESHWAR This 13-storey temple (Tera Manzil Mandir) is located on the banks of River Ganga near Laxman Jhula. Each floor has smaller chambers with shrines of many gods and goddesses and their incarnations. There are stairs that leads from one floor to another. The top floor gives stellar views of River Ganga, Laxman Jhula, watching the river-rafters float down the river, and ofcourse panoramic sunset views in the evening.

Trayambakeshwar Temple in Rishikesh 

Teen Manzil Mandir in Rishikesh 

Trayambakeshwar Temple at night

sunset over River Ganga as seen from Laxmanjhula in Rishikesh 

BANNERS and HOARDINGS of YOGA and YOGA CENTRES can be found everywhere in Rishikesh. It's not surprising since the holy town of Rishikesh has the distinction of being recognised as the Yoga Capital of the world. Wherever you see, it's there. Practically everywhere. Every hoarding was screaming out for our attention. It felt a bit commercialized. It was hard to distinguish which was genuine and which was fake. Being a holy and spiritual town, the familiar sight of temples, small shrines, and statues of god and goddess all around didn't surprise me a bit.

a yoga centre in Rishikesh

WEATHERwise, Rishikesh treated me with sun, drizzle, and fog. My first day in Rishikesh was sunny, second day was cloudy, foggy with a little bit of sunshine, and the last day of my stay, it was all slight drizzle.

HELPFUL LOCALS Whenever I couldn't find my way, I took the help of helpful humans. There were times when I requested the locals for a ride on their scooty/bike when I couldn't find transport. I was never denied.

the much quieter road from Laxman Jhula to Ram Jhula 

Every trip to a new destination has been memorable for me. Yes, it sounds cliché. It feels good to create memories in a new place which becomes a part of you. There is that tendency in some places which attracts you more than any other place. You are somehow drawn to that particular place. You feel one visit is just not enough. This holds so true for Rishikesh. I love Rishikesh.

Thank you for stopping by!
Happy Travelling feet!

Travelled on: January 2015

© All contents and images are copyright of Hema Hazarika (thehaflonggirl).