Rishikesh is a famous Hindu religious destinations, popular amongst devotees, yoga persons and adventurers as well. Located on the banks of the sacred Ganga River, Rishikesh attracts thousands of pilgrims every day from India as well as abroad.
Rishikesh is a small serene town famous for meditation and yoga. It is Gateway to the Himalayas and being on the bank of river Ganges it is an ideal destination for adventure activities like rafting, trekking, rock climbing, kayaking etc.
Rishikesh is situated 25 kms ahead of Haridwar at an elevation of 356mts above sea level and consists of three distinct areas known as Rishikesh, Swargashram and Muni-ki-Reti.
The town of Rishikesh is such strategically located at the Himalayan foothills that it has easy access by road to the entire Himalayan region in India, and is famous to be the ideal starting-point for your exploring expedition in the Himalayan region.

Place to See

Triveni Ghat: Evening aarti of Goddess Ganga is performed at Triveni Ghat. Triveni is a bathing Ghat where people wash their sins by taking a dip in the holy water of sacred Ganga River. It is believed that the three streams of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati are flowing together underground at this point. Pinda Shradha is also performed at Triveni Ghat.

Bharat Mandir: The Bharat Mandir is the oldest temple of Rishikesh, situated near the Jhanda Chowk. Rishi Rabhya did his penance at this holy spot and the place is devoted to Lord Vishnu. A spectacular sacred Shree Yanthra is placed at the inner canopy of the temple. Bharat Mandir celebrates colourful spring festival called 'Basant Panchami'.

Rishikund: Rishikund literally suggests the sage's pond. It is believed that the waters of the Yamuna drenched this pond on the request of Kubz saint. Shani mandir is also situated at Rishikund.

Laxman Jhula: Lakshman Jhula is on of the main attraction of Rishikesh. It is 450 ft long hanging bridge on the river Ganga which was built in 1939. According to myths and legends Laksman, brother of Lord Rama crossed Ganga River on a jute rope from this point. The 13 storied temple is located near Lakshman Jhula where the idols of several Gods and Goddesses are kept. The bridge gives a magnificent view of the Ganges, greeting you with the cool breeze from the river.

Ram Jhula: Ram Jhoola connects Swargashram with Shivananda Ashram. Several ashrams are located near Ram Jhoola. Ram Jhoola is bigger than Laxman Jhula and even more picturesque.

Geeta Bhawan: Geeta Bhawan is one of the oldest temple complexes situated by the side of Laxman Jhula on the banks of sacred Ganges in Rishikesh. Gita Bhavan is dedicated as a Museum for puranic and mythological awareness for the common public. Building consists of a very large complex comprising discourse halls and over 1000 rooms available free of charge for the stay of devotees. For the convenience of the devotees, simple vegetarian food, kitchen and grocery items and Indian sweets are available at very moderate price.

Neelkanth Mahadev: Thousands of devotees visit Neelkanth Mahadev every month throughout the year. It is situated on the summit of the mountain across the sacred Ganga River. According to mythology this is the place where Lord Shiva drank the venom produced during 'Sagar Manthan' which turned his throat blue and was thus the place was named as Neelkanth. Neelkanth and Mahadev are names of Lord Shiva.

Tera Manzil Temple: It is one of the most famous temples in Rishikesh. The temple is visible from Haridwar-Badrinath Highway.

Kaudiyala: is a small village, which is situated a few kilometres away from Rishikesh. Kaudiyala is also known as the white water river rafting capital of India and is well known among the various tourists for its adventure sports.

Lakshman Temple: It is believed that Lakshman performed Tapa at the site of this temple. It is believed that Lord Rama along with his brother Lakshman made a twing bridge near this temple on their way to Himalayas. The main attraction in this temple is the Rishi Kund, where Lord Ram and Lakshman bathed in order to get rid of their sins of killing the demon Ravana.

Vashishta Gufa: is a famous attraction for meditation, located at the bank of River Ganga, this gufa is situated at a distance of 16 km from Rishikesh. It takes about an hours drive on the Rishikesh Badrinath Highway to reach Vashishta Gufa. For the adventure seeker, this place provides with camping facility.

Kunjapuri Devi Temple: is located on a hillock around 15 km away from Rishikesh. This temple is dedicated to one of the thirteen most important goddesses of Shivalik range. The temple is well-known among the travellers as it gives a beautiful view of the sunrise and the sunset from the greater Himalayan peaks.

How to Reach

By Air:Rishikesh is a little town in Uttarakhand. It does not have its separate airport and the city can be reached from the Jolly Grant airport which situated in Dehradun. This airport is around 15 km from Rishikesh and taxis and cabs can be hired to reach the city from the airport. The Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport is a small, calm and newly modernized airport having just two flights from Delhi.

By Road:From Delhi the town is about 230 km away and it is well connected with buses. A bus trip might take about 5 to 7 hours. It depends on the traffic and may cost you about Rs 130 to 350. An AC bus will cost you about Rs 500.

By Train: A peaceful railway division joins Rishikesh to Haridwar, but there are only about three slow trains every day. One can take the train to reach Haridwar and by bus, by taxi or by shared auto rickshaw can reach Rishikesh. You can get shared rickshaws to reach Lakshman Jhula from the Rishikesh bus station.