One of the most famous pilgrimage hubs in India, Rishikesh, an ancient town, is situated by River Ganga in Garhwal region in Uttarakhand. River Ganga starts descending down to the plains from Rishikesh only.
Always buzz with tourists, Rishikesh is often the starting point for pilgrims going to Badrinath. Rishikesh has a number of ashrams offering courses in different forms of yoga.
| Languages spoken | Hindi, English |
|---|---|
| Country name | India |
Rishikesh can be reached by road, train or air. Nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport, near Dehradun. It is just 21km from Rishikesh and can be reached in around 35-40 minutes by a car.
Rishikesh is around 250km from New Delhi and can be reached in car in around 5 hours. A number of public bus and cabs are available between the two cities.
Rishikesh can also be reached by train. It is best to reach Haridwar by train and then take a 40minute drive to reach Rishikesh. Haridwar is connected to most major Indian towns by train.
Rishikesh being a famous religious center for Hindus, many places to visit here have religious contexts. Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula are two famous landmarks of Rishikesh every tourist must seek from close. Tourists must make it a point to see Ganga Aarti. There are famous yoga institutions in Rishikesh which tourists can visit or spend a few days learning yoga. There are some temples one should visit. Shri Bharat Mandir, Raghunath Temple and Neelkanth Mahadev Temple are the most famous ones.
Adventure seekers should try bungee jumping at Mohan Chatti. There are waterfalls in Rishikesh often not known to tourists visiting the place. Those can be reached by trekking up the hilly treks.
White water rafting is something any adventure seeker must try when in Rishikesh. One of the starting points for rafting, Byasi, a small village located at around 30km from Rishikesh. One can do camping here as well.
One must make it a point to visit the Beatles Ashram, located at a distance of around 18 km from the main city. The world-famous US Music band, the Beatles, visited the ashram to do transcendental meditation in 1968. The place is not maintained properly but the ruins also deserve a visit.
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