Rishikesh, known as land of Gods and Yoga, located at foothills of Himalayas is a renowned pilgrim center of India.

Rishikesh is a small town situated in Uttarakhand, a northern state of India. You can see the scenic Ganges River, which originates from Himalayas flowing through this town. From Rishikesh you can visit four sacred shrines that are well connected by roads and trains. Rishikesh also attracts large number of tourists to Northern part of India.

History of Rishikesh

Rishikesh is a part of "Kedarkhand". This place has a significant reference to the great epic Ramayana as Lord Rama is said to have done a penance to kill the demon king Ravana. Ramas younger brother Lakshmana is said to have crossed the River Ganga at a point known as "LakshmanJhula", where a jute rope bridge stands hanging today. Later on the jute rope bridge was replaced by iron Rope Bridge that again was carried away by floods during 1924. Now a mighty bridge replaces the historic jute rope bridge. Rishikesh has the sacred river Ganga flowing from Shivalik Mountains of Himalayas through it. You can find many temples in Rishikesh along the banks of Ganges.

Tourism in Rishikesh 

Rishikesh is also known as "World capital of Yoga" and for this reason it attracts many foreign tourists. You can see tourists going for "Rafting" an adventurous sport in the swift Ganges River between March and July. The great scholars like Swami Vivekananda, Swami Shivananda and Swami Rama Thirtha had studied in the 120-year-old institution of Rishikesh called "Kailas Ashram Brahmavidyapeetham".

You can enjoy the multi activity trips that include rock climbing, small Treks, rappelling, kayaking with camping and rafting to explore Rishikesh. Bharat Mandir is one of the ancient temples found in Rishkesh and the residing deity is Lord Vishnu carved out of single Saligram (a riverbed divine stone found in Nepal's Gandaki river).

Rishikesh is located near Jolly Grant Airport of Dehradhun and right now only two flights are operated from Delhi, the capital city of India to this airport. You can take cars from Delhi Airport to Rishikesh, which takes around 7 hours, and take a food break on the way at restaurants.

Try not to miss the Trayambakeshwar Temple at LakshmanJhula, which is 13 story high and has many deities throughout. Also do not miss taking a dip in the river at TriveniGhat. Tourists take bath here and enjoy the cool breeze from the surroundings. Close to TriveniGhat is the Rishikund (saint pond) where the River Goddess Yamuna blessed the Kubz saint. You can see the reflections of Ragunath temple in this pond.