Rishikesh

Hello!

Had a great celebratory getaway in Rishikesh this weekend! Rishikesh - also known at The Gateway to the Himalayas and The World Capital of Yoga - is about 1.5 hours drive from Dehradun so I left on Saturday morning. It was great to get out of the city and I was really hoping to find some peace and quiet - and the yoga capital of the world seemed like a good place for it ;-)

Rishikesh is a beautiful city along the Ganges River built into the foothills of the Himalayas. The Ganges River basically weaves through in an 'S' formation and there are two huge bridges that span the Ganges. To truly appreciate the city it helps to be familiar with ancient Hindu literature and I'm glad I heeded the recommendation to read The Ramayana before arriving in India. The epic states that Rama (the god Vishnu, incarnate, and probably the most identifiable and popular Hindu figure) spent time here for penance after destroying the demon Ravana and burning his kingdom of Sri Lanka to the ground after Ravana stole his wife, Sita (not cool Ravana...). Anyway, Rama spent his penance here and his brother Lakshmana came to visit and crossed the river using a jute rope bridge. Thus, the two bridges in Rishikesh are named after the brothers, Rama and Lakshmana (Ram Juhla and Lakshma Juhla) and Lakshma Juhla still today is a "swaying bridge" to commemorate the use of the jute rope bridge that Lakshmana used. Phew, that was exhausting....

As soon as I got into Rishikesh and I was walking to my hotel I stopped by the Ganges to rest and a native Yogi came by and blessed me, painted my forehead, wrapped a bracelet around my wrist, and gave me a marigold flower to send down the Ganges :-)

Ram Juhla in the background. 

The city is truly beautiful. There are flowers, yoga temples, statues, and parks all over. It felt great to sit in peace and quiet. The streets are filled with folks clad in cotton and hemp: native Yogis, transplant expatriates, and tourists - all in search of their Samadhi. Dialogues were ripe with terms and phrases like, "consciousness," "in tune with the universe," and of course "Hare Krishna." It was great to meet and share a few meals with some other tourists and have conversations in English.

After wandering the city during the day, I set out just before dusk to check out the Ganga Aarti - an ancient Hindu ritual of worship (in this case, the Ganges River) - that takes place every night in Rishikesh. It was a fantastic spectacle. There was a very large group of people on the huge ghats by the river all encircling a group of monks who led the worship. Then the ceremony broke into song and dance as the Aarti Lamps were lit and passed around. Worshipers were taking the heat from the lamps and spreading it onto their body and heads to worship the Ganges. All the while people were lighting candles and incense on small boats with flowers on them and sending them down the river. I have an excellent video of the ceremony but here are some photos:

Ceremony Site. Rama seated at the throne. 

Passing the Aarti Lamps through the crown toward the Ganges

Nico sending his worship to the Ganges. 

It was awesome to see and be a part of this ancient ceremony. It was an intense atmosphere. The Ganges River has been a life source for the people of this land for thousands of years and the importance of the river was undeniable during Ganges Aarti Ceremony. 

Sunday I hiked up the hills to a temple and got some great panoramic photos of the city. Then I walked the streets, did some shopping, ate some food, and snapped a few more pictures. Enjoy!

 Rama

 Markets of Rishikesh. 

 

  Mmmmm. 

 Ram Juhla by night. 

 Sharing some snacks. 

Ganges.

View from Lakshma Juhla 

Lakshma Juhla. And 1,000 people on a swaying bridge :-)

 Taking in the views...

Lakshma Juhla