“Situated on the foothills of Himalayas where the holy Ganges enters the plains of India exists the holy, Rishikesh.”

Rishikesh, the city of divine, where the clear Ganges leaves the Himalayan mountain is at an elevated height of 356 metres. Famous as a place to study yoga and meditation, Rishikesh has many ashrams, where many Indian as well as foreigners come to learn yoga in its peaceful ambience. Rishikesh is an equally wonderful destination for adventure travellers. Rishikesh provides wonderful opportunity for trekking, rock climbing and river rafting.

Location - Rishikesh lies 24 kms from Haridwar and 245kms northeast of Delhi in the state of Uttaranchal.

Climate - The maximum and minimum temperature hovers between 27.7°C to 14.6°C and the Best time to visit the holy place is from April extended till October last.


Pilgrimage in Rishikesh India
The Ganga passes through the last foothills and enter a complex of three localities. First is the famous Laxman Jhoola bridge, then comes the Muni-ki-Reti or commonly known as 'Sands of the Sagas', a place for devotion, meditation and Yoga, finally comes the ever expanding township on the bank of the river all cumulatively giving birth to Rishikesh. Major ashram, including Vivekenanda, Sivananda, Osho, Bihar school of yoga, have their parts there. It is a good place to experience classical Indian yoga.

The town compiles of ashrams, religious retreat centres and treatment place for a variety of stress- induced ailments using the ancient medical techniques. One of the most active institution running there is the Parmarth Niketan Ashram having naturopathy treatment for many health problems. The Institute also runs courses for Indian students. Most pilgrimage begin their Chardharma pilgrimage of going to Badrinath, Kedarnath.Yamunotri and Gangotri, from Rishikesh, which is the meeting point of the Ganges and Chandrabhaga river.

Nearby to the Triveni Ghat is the most ancient place, the Rishikund. Ancient records relate this to Kubz Saint, who was blessed by the Goddess Yamuna by saturating this pond by its water. The pond reflects the temple of Raghunath, dedicated to Lord Rama and his wife.


Major Attractions in Rishikesh
Bharata Temple - Bharata, the brother of Lord Rama did severe penances and the temple of Bharata was built.and Rishikesh grew around it, but the presiding deity of the temple is Lord Narayana, and it is the oldest temple located in the heart of Rishikesh, about half km from Triveni Ghat. There is an inscription on the temple that says, that the temple was renovated by Adi Sankara. Though the temple is dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu, it holds a number of images normally associated with the worship of Lord Shiva.

Nilkanth Mahadev - This is the place where Lord Shiva drank the poison churned out of the cosmic ocean changing his colour to blue and hence, the reason why he is called Nilkanth. The temple located atop a hill can be assessed by a 10kms walk.

Triveni Ghat - The main bathing Ghat where the Ganges and the subterranean Yamuna and Saraswati are said to flow together.

Pinda- sraddha or offering to the fore father is performed here. There is a daily Ganga arati in the evening well attended by the devotees.


How to reach Rishikesh
By Air - The closest airport is the Jolly Grant which is 18 kms away. One can get there from Delhi.International airport.
By Rail - Rishikesh is connected by rail via Haridwar (24 kms), to Howrah, Bombay, Delhi, Lucknow, Varanasi, Dehradun and other cities
By Road - The Government operates regular bus services from Delhi, Agra, Dehra Dun, Mussoorie, Haridwar, Chandigarh, Shimla, etc.