Rishikesh
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Rishikesh (Hindi ऋषिकेश) is a city in northern India, in the state of Uttarakhand. Located at the foot of the highest mountains in the world - Himalayas, 20 km North of the holy city of Haridwar.
City of Rishikesh is by far not one of the largest cities in India - on the contrary, the permanent population is only about 75,000. But every year thousands of people come there from all over the world, attracted by the spiritual atmosphere of the place.
Rishikesh is also called "the Capital of Yoga". At every step you can find yoga centres, ashrams and temples, some of them are several hundred years old. Many masters lived and studied there, such as Swami Vivekananda and Swami Sivananda, to whom is dedicated one of the largest local ashrams.
In 1968, the well-known Beatles were there and visited Maharishi Ashram. John Lennon recorded a song titled "The Happy Rishikesh Song". Beatles composed almost 48 songs during their stay in the ashram, many of which appeared on an album called The White Album.
Through Rishikesh city flows the sacred river Ganges, which is still clean in this area and has beautiful bright green-blue colour. Thousands of people perform their daily cleansing bath or sacred rituals in her waters. Indians believe that this river is miraculous and can cleanse their body from disease and soul from all sins.
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In this area you can also try rafting or other extreme sports on the Ganges. The surroundings of Rishikesh offer various alternatives for sporty and adventurous individuals - trips to the mountains, trekking, climbing, etc. You can visit waterfalls or the famous Vasistha Guha, a cave where saint Vasistha lived.
Since Rishikesh is considered a holy city, it is forbidden by law to sell meat or alcohol in there. However, there are plenty of nice restaurants, cafes and bars where you can savour delicacies from around the world - from Indian to Lebanese, Israeli, Italian and Japanese cuisine. Try great drinks with fresh ingredients - freshly squeezed fruit juices, shakes or yoghurt lassi.
