RISHIKESH
Located in the Himalayan foothills next to the Ganges River is Rishikesh, also known as the "Gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas" and the "Yoga Capital of the World".The river is considered holy, and this city is renowned as a center for studying yoga and meditation. Temples and ashrams line the eastern bank around Swarg Ashram, a traffic-free, alcohol-free and vegetarian enclave upstream from Rishikesh town.
Rishikesh is located at a distance of 25 kms from Haridwar and approximately 43 kms from Dehradun. With a population of just over 1 lac, this city is the seventh most populated city in Uttarakhand. Along with Haridwar, Rishikesh has been given the title of "twin national heritage cities in 2015. The city plays host to the International Yoga Festival in March every year.
Just recently, Rishikesh has received its own Railway Station- The Yog Nagri Railway Station. This station offers convenient connections to cities across North India and the Dehradun Airport is just 15 kms from the city.
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Ganga Arti | Yoga | Rishikesh Ashram |
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Rishikesh | Temple in Rishikesh | River Rafting |
ATTRACTIONS
Ganga Arti
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
The Triveni Ghat, located in the heart of the city, is the most famous bathing ghat where most pilgrims take a holy dip before visiting the various temples. This is done generally in the early mornings, with the pilgrims offering prayers and milk at the Ghat and feeding the fish in the water. An amazing sight here is the evening arti, a ceremony accompanied by lights, drums and chanting, with the entire ghat lit with lamps glowing from a distance.
Yoga
Rishikesh, Uttarakhand
International recognition of yoga can be traced back to February 1968 when the Beatles visited the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram in Rishkesh. The Beatles composed numerous songs during their time at the ashram, many of which appear on the band's album. This growing awareness of yoga led to Rishikesh being nicknamed the "Yoga Capital of the World". Rishikesh has a number of yoga centres that attract tourists. Serious yoga students come to learn and to become qualified as yoga teachers.
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