About Rishikesh
One of the most fascinated, visited places in India, is undoubtedly, Rishikesh – the lands of rishis! As a holy city, it has been known for its spiritual importance for sometime and even attracted a visit from The Beatles in the 60s. This place has not only attracted the people around in India, but is a hotspot for Yoga and spirituality for people from all over the world.
How to reach?
By Bus: You can easily get a bus from Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi (5 hours) to reach Rishikesh bus stand. The bus stand is not far away from the centre of Rishikesh so its easy to jump into an auto once you arrive.
By Train: To reach Rishikesh, you can hop on a train from New Delhi Railway Station, which is a 6–7-hour ride. You can either get a taxi or an auto from the railway station to go around.
By Air: The closest airport to Rishikesh is Dehradun Airport, which is only a 1-hour drive from Rishikesh.
Where to stay?
To stay in Rishikesh, you must understand that there are basically two areas in Rishikesh, one is more for the tourist, which is around the Laxman Jhula and another is the local area. I would recommend that you should check out both the areas, before you make a choice.
I personally like staying away from the hustle of the crowd and traffic, so I stayed at Panambi Resort & Spa, nestled in the scenic beauty of Rajaji National Park, which an hour drive from Rishikesh. The owner of this property is a very humble person, and has a naturopathy and yoga retreat workshops every month, with delicious Satvic food and lot of memories. Highly recommended!
You also have a choice to stay in an ashram to experience beautiful Ganga Arti and the local life closely. Staying in one usually involves vegetarian food, yoga classes and following a daily routine. If you do not like staying, you can still experience the ambience, by visiting in the day.
Things to do
Although most the world, looks at Rishikesh as a spiritual land, while people in India, it is just a place to party and experience an adrenaline rush with various adventure activities around like Rafting, Bungee jumping etc., but Rishikesh has much more to offer than this, which is off course related to Spirituality as well.
CHAURASI KUTIYA AKA THE BEATLES ASHRAM
During my stay in Rishikesh, I prefer walking a lot, instead of traveling via car/auto, as it helps me experience the nature, more closely. One such hotspot, that left a huge impact on me was The Beatles Ashram, located just few meters away from the famous Parmarth Niketan Ashram. In February 1968, the famous music band, The Beatles followed Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to India to stay in one of his ashrams in Rishikesh, called the Chaurasi Kutiya, which means “84 meditation huts”. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi leased it from the forest department in 1961, and built an ashram with money donated by an American heiress. There are numerous buildings on the property which includes a press, a kitchen, resident building, library, home of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and of course the 84 dome shaped meditation huts. Some of the architecture is extremely unique, which, combined with dilapidation, makes for a very atmospheric environment in which to wander. In 1981, when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi left, the ashram was neglected for many years, that is when the nature began to overtake the ashram, and it was left abandoned. In 2015, it was re-opened for the tourist under the assistance of Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, who looks after the ashram now. The Beatles wrote dozens of their songs during their stay in the ashram, while learning Transcendental meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
In 1968 at the peak of their popularity and arguably the most famous musicians on the planet, The Beatles decided to travel to India, to the foothills of the Himalayas, to find something much more than the fame and fortune they already had, they went to find the inner peace through meditation lessons by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi himself. But why did The Beatles go to India? George Harrison, the lead guitarist of the band, was most interested. The was “the quiet one,” perhaps the one who was most in touch with himself. He was a devoted seeker, and this ashram going to help him find the inner connection with the divine nature.
How to reach The Beatles Ashram (Chaurasi Kutiya): It is located 1 km from Ram Jhula and 3 kms from Laxman Jhula. You can walk to the far end of Swargashram, past the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, cross a small stream of water and vola, you can see the entry gate.
Entry ticket:
Foreigners: 600/-
Indian: 150/-
Time: 10:00am -4:00 pm
Make sure you plan to visit the Ashram in daytime, as you need alteast2-3 hours to see the whole place, also last entry is at 4:00 p.m., after which you cannot enter the ashram.
Food: There is a canteen inside the Ashram, where you can get maggie, noodles, momos, tea, Cholle Bhature, Cholle Poori, Cold beverages etc. at a nominal cost. Relax a bit before you explore the other half of the Ashram.
Tips for photographers: Although this place is more about experiencing, memories and atmosphere. Since, most of the buildings are in decay, the murals do add a lot of colours to this place. These murals started as a graffiti, and some of the beautiful murals are drawn by a street artist from California, Pan Trinity Das. The government authorities saw the potential to commission them, hence the Cathedral Gallery has several mind-blowing murals that photographers love. Watch out for Grey Horn bill and Oriental Pied Horn bill, near the teacher’s residency building. If you are a keen photographer, you can spend hours sitting here to catch a nice shot of them.
Ganga Arti at Parmarth Niketan
If you are visiting Haridwar and Rishikesh, you must experience the Ganga Arti, even if you are not religious. One of the most beautiful Ganga Arti, takes place at Parmarth Niketan Ashram Ghat. Ganga Arti is an ancient ritual in which oil lamps, candles, and floating Diyas are lit, and incense and bells are rung in praise of the river Ganges. You can attend the Ganga Aarti everyday from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm against the backdrop of India’s most revered river- the Ganges, to truly witness India’s heritage first-hand!
You may also stay in this ashram, which is easy to reach, easy to move around the Ram Jhula area, not much hassle to register and you are free to do whatever you want. This is a sort of ashram guesthouse, but do have some time restrictions and code of conduct to be followed during your stay. The rooms tariff starts at a nominal cost of Rs. 300/- a day, three meals a day and a morning yoga class. If you want to experience the life of an ashram, this is the place to be!
Yoga
A Rishikesh blog is incomplete without talking about what this place is known for, YOGA!
Rishikesh, located in the State of Uttarakhand, is known as the Yoga Capital of the World. So, what is the reason behind yogic and spiritual significance? It is believed that Rishikesh is the birthplace of yoga, but there are more facts to this:
- A community of reputed yoga gurus and spiritual leaders
Rishikesh, being one of the holiest places for Hindus, reason why the sages and saints in ancient times until now who master the yogic arts have been visiting this city for thousands of years.
- Yoga gurus like Guru Vashistha and spiritual leaders like Adiguru Niktantha, Swami Shivanand, Swami Dayanand, Jatawale Baba, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Swami Aatm Prakash have chosen Rishikesh for their spiritual journey.
For this reason, you can find various Yoga courses than any other place in the world. You simply learn from the best!
- An overwhelming spiritual energy
- A place for Yoga retreats, ashrams, and Teacher’s Training courses
- Nestled in the lap of nature