You people must have gone to your Nani’s home in summer vacations, I also go and when my friends asked me about my Nani’s home ,I just replied “Rishikesh” and their reaction was-“wow, how lucky you are”. Yes, Rishikesh where Maa Ganga lives . It is situated on the foothills of Himalayas in the northern state of Uttrakhand and is the district of Dehradun. Rishikesh is a beauty Queen of Ganges and the holy place where you’ll find yourself pour and near to the god ,it is the place from where the “Char Dham Yatra” is started. It is the unique place for yoga and meditation, it is famous for its ganga arti, holy ghats and divine beauty of mountains. Not only things but people living over there are also very sweet and sober. You’ll definitely fall in love with this pilgrimage place.
You people must have gone to your Nani’s home in summer vacations, I also go and when my friends asked me about my Nani’s home ,I just replied “Rishikesh”and their reaction was-“wow, how lucky you are”. Yes, Rishikesh where Maa Ganga lives . It is situated on the foothills of Himalayas in the northern state of uttrakhand and is the district of Dehradun. Rishikesh is a beauty Queen of Ganges and the holy place where you’ll find yourself pour and near to the god ,it is the place from where the “Char Dham Yatra” is started. It is the unique place for yoga and meditation, it is famous for its ganga arti, holy ghats and divine beauty of mountains .Not only things but people living over there are also very sweet and sober. You’ll definitely fall in love with this pilgrimage place.
How to reach there
The best time to go Rishikesh is between September to March ,in this time the weather also nice and coolish and hotels are also rush Free.
- You can go by bus or train,but if you go by train then it will reach you at Haridwar from there you can book a taxi or take a train for Rishikesh and I’ll take only one hour and,
- If you want to go by air then flights are available from Delhi to Dehradun and from there you can take a train or bus to Rishikesh
Where to stay
If we go somewhere the first thing that comes in our mind is – where to stay according to our budget . So, don’t worry about it ,there are many hotels and guest house which would easily come in your budget.
Let’s visit to Rishikesh
Aarti at Triveni Ghat
It is one of the famous ghat in Rishikesh and is made a attractive part for the tourists and pilgrims. It is believed that lord Krishna had got hurt by the arrow of Jara-a hunter. This ghat remains with full of devotees, saints and tourists. It is believed very auspicious to take a dip into the holy Ganga , people say that it is very helpful to make atonement of our sins. People take holy baths and pray to the Mother Ganga by giving flowers with “Diya”and””Agarbatti”. There is Aarti and is also known as “Maha Aarti” in
the evening time and the Aarti is conducted by several pandits on the banks of the river Ganga in the same colour clothes with oil lamps in their hands ,they sing bhajans, aarti and some geets . It looks so beautiful at the time of Aarti . If you want to take a look of river Ganga from a peaceful place so, don’t forget to visit “Marine Drive ” , also known as “Asthapath”, it is a walking path along the river Ganga ,you can go there by stairs but
vehicle is not allowed over there. You can walk and feel the beauty of triveni ghat, there is no entry fees of it. The path is about 20-25 feet wide and 2.5 km’s in distance. Benches are available for you if you feel tired while walking. The evening view is so attractive from Marine Drive , it’s an awesome place to visit for nature lovers.
Ram Jhula
It is an iron bridge in Rishikesh which is famous all over the world. It was built in the year 1986 and is about 450 feet in length. Initially, it was a jute bridge made by the jute ropes ,later the structure of the bridge changed. It connects the “Sivananda Ashram” in ‘Muni ki reti’ to “Swargashram”in ‘Parmarth Nikeran’. It is an iconic bridge over the holy ganga. The name of the bridge derived from the king of Ayodhya “Lord Ram”. One can reach the bridge by taking auto. The bridge remains with full of tourists and local people.The view is so fabulous from there that you can’t imagine-mountains with dense trees, coolish air ,Ganges flowing like wind , long boats and many more exciting things would happen with you. You can also feed the fishes from the bridge by taking “atte ki goli”(fish food) from the near market.
If you have any problem in walking so you can hire two- wheeler vehicle on rent because two-wheeler is allowed on the Ram Jhula. And 2.1 km from ram Jhula there is Lakshman Jhula, it is believed that Lakshman (brother of lord Ram) crossed a rope where the bridge is built.Parmarth Niketan-
Parmarth means “An Abode dedicated to the welfare of all”. It is same as it’s name. It is the place where all are welcome besides caste , religion or staus, all are equal in the eyes of Ganga Mother , no one is treated as unique. Parmarth Niketan- the biggest ashram in Rishikesh, it was built in 1942 by “Pujya Swami Shutdevanandaji Maharaj and presently “Pujya Swami Chidanandji Maharaj” is the president and head of Parmarth Niketan. It has 1000 rooms with gardens, parks, Satsang Bhawan, rooms for yoga and meditation. It is around 372m in area. It’s like a heaven for the tourists who living there – rooms are clean, airy and tidy, beautiful gardens with flower’s fragrance, sereneful view of Ganga from the ashram, pious environment, satsang by spiritual gurus. The frequent activities in the ashram is the essence of it- yoga and meditation in which you would learn number of asanas to fresh-up your mind and body, morning prayers, satsang, bhajans, nature cure and Ayurvedic Treatment. And your day would be ends with the “world renowned Aarti “ at sunset, if you want to feel something spritually unique then you should attend this ‘Divine Aarti’. You can attend this Aarti , no matters that from which religion or caste you belongs. Aarti can be performed on the banks of the Ganga or in the ashram. Before Aarti, a ‘yagna’ or ‘hawan’ is organised before half an hour of Aarti that signifies love, unity, peace and liberation.
Dinner in Chotiwala
Tired, feeling hungry!. So let’s have a delicious dinner in a famous pure vegetarian restaurant. Well, there are no. of restaurant in Rishikesh which would prefer you tasty food but Chotiwala restaurant has its own speciality , guess what!. Ok, I’ll tell you, the uniqueness of this restaurant is a man with his long ‘choti’, chubby body, wearing yellow ‘dhoti’ , makeover face sits on a chair like ‘Singhasan’ of a king outside the restaurant and don’t be confused to see same kind of two Chotiwala restaurants and it’s up to you that in which one you would like to eat. If talk about menu then there is ‘Gujarati Thali’, ‘North Indian’, ‘Chinese’, ‘South Indian’ and many yummy dishes.I think, your mouth is watering. Am I right? I am sure very soon you’ll be able to taste the food of Chotiwala restaurant.
Last but not the least
Your journey is not over yet. There are lots of excitements for you. Rishikesh is not a holy place but it is a fun city also. It is a perfect combination of ‘sprituality’ and ‘exhilaration’. By the way, do you love
‘adventures’ and ‘thriller’? Then you must go over there bcoz trekking is waiting for you. Afraid from height , I am just asking due to ‘bungee jumping’ – a memorable experience and also get ready to fight with chilli water , I know you have guessed , ‘right’ – ‘water rafting’ which would drown you in a fabulous experience. And many more – hot air ballooning, Beatles ashram, camping and bonfire, Cliff jumping and mountain biking and many more.
So, what are you waiting for, make a trip to Rishikesh with your friends and family.
By: Anushika Gupta
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