[special_text animation=”fadeIn” tagname=”h2″ font_weight=”bold” letter_spacing=”5px”]RISHIKESH[/special_text]
In Sanskrit Rishikesh is a name of Vishnu that means ‘Lord of the senses’. The place gets its name after Lord Vishnu who appeared to ‘Raibhya Rishi’, as a result of his tapasya (austerities), as Lord Hrishikesh.
Rishikesh, sometimes nicknamed “Yoga Capital of the World”, has numerous yoga centres that also attract tourists. It is believed that meditation in Rishikesh brings one closer to attainment of moksha, as does a dip in the holy river that flows through it.
Rishikesh is also home to the 133-year-old Kailash Ashram Brahma vidyapitham, an institution dedicated to preserve and promote the traditional Vedantic Studies. Prominent personalities such as Swami Vivekananda, Swami Rama Tirtha and Swami Sivananda have studied in this institution.
In February 1968, The Beatles visited the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh. John Lennon recorded a song titled; “The Happy Rishikesh Song”. The Beatles composed numerous songs during their time at the Maharishi’s ashram.
Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles visited Rishikesh in 2013, and participated in the Ganga arti. They also conducted a special havan for world peace at the Parmarth Niketan. Charles said: “I am amazed by the experience of sitting on the bank of one of the ancients rivers of the world. It is the right time for us to rediscover our connection with nature.”
According to many Hindu yogis and sadhus, the riverside stretch is of spiritual and religious importance, as it is where the Ganges takes its form after the confluence of the rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda at Devprayag in the Garhwal Himalayas. Saints and yogis have been meditating on the banks of Ganges since antiquity.
Most of this action is north of the main town, where the exquisite setting on the fast-flowing Ganges, surrounded by forested hills, is conducive to meditation and mind expansion. In the evening, an almost supernatural breeze blows down the valley, setting temple bells ringing as sadhus (spiritual men), pilgrims and tourists prepare for the nightly ganga aarti (a fire offering or ritual performed on the Ganges).
The foot bridge Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula, suspended high over the sacred Ganga River. As you cross these bridges, the sun streaming through the sacred Himalayas to warm your being, you will feel as if you have truly come home.