Rishikesh

India : Art , History , Culture. Architecture , Vedic India

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Rishikesh Muncipal Town , below the foot hills of Himalayas , 25 km from Haridwar , stretched along the banks of the Holy River Ganga ! It is part of the District Dehradun , Uttarakhand State.

There is little or no historical information on the origins of Rishikesh , both Google and Wikipedia are delightfully vague on this subject.

Rishikesh is primarily a Holy City (word meaning of the name is Centre of Rishis : Ascetics or Godmen / Godwomen ! ) .The city is littered with Temples for almost every God in the Hindu Pantheon , one at every nook and corner !

There are 12 famous Temples in Rishikesh :
of which , ” Tryambakeshwar ” (see picture) , is the most important. The name means Temple of the three eyed God : Mahadev , though there are shrines for many , many deities within the Temple.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims form the daily floating population of the city , mostly for worship in the different temples , for holy dip in the Triveni Sangam , the confluence of the three great Rivers : Ganga , Jamuna and the Mythical Saraswathi : (a separate post follows on the Triveni Sangam , in a couple of days ).

Other attractions of Rishikesh is adventure sports : white water rafting in Ganga , River Boating in the Ganga , and trekking in the Shivalik hills.

Another attraction in Rishikesh is Global Tourisnm , mainly Yoga Enthusiasts within the country , overwhelming interest globally as well for Yoga and meditation. There are many training institutions and Ashrams for these all over Rishikesh !

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