2022
OM NAMAH SHIVAYA! to all my respected Google and Connect Moderators & all my fellow local guides from different states of India and throughout the world. Today i am sharing about a very famous city of Uttarakhand which is named as: Rishikesh. This city is attached to my heart, mind and soul because there are various memories of childhood attached with divine Rishikeh city but before starting i want to tell something about Uttarakhand in which Rishikesh is located.
Actually there are 13 major districts in Uttarakhand and Haridwar is one of them. Rishikesh is lies in Dehradun district.
ABOUT UTTARAKHAND:
Uttarakhand is a state located in northern side of India. There are some other states of northern India such as: Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). Uttarakhand formerly known as Uttaranchal.
The word UttaraKhand is derived from two words Uttara & Khand:
- Here Uttara mean North direction (In Hindi we called North direction as Uttar)
- Khand means Part.
so it's related to the part of northern India. I hope now all of you have no confusion about the word Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand is divided into mountain ranges:
- Garhwal Range
- Kumaon Ranges
Capital of Uttarakhand: Dehradun
High court of Uttarakhand: Nainital
Both the above locations are good travel spot for the visitors in India also famous throughout the world.
The whole state of Uttarakhand has many temples, Shrines and various pilgrimages spots so it's also called DEVBHOOMI (THE LAND OF GODS). Due to the different mountains ranges of Himalayas there are various hill stations in Uttarakhand such as:
Every month people from different states of India and from foreign countries visited various temple to see the glorious beauty of Uttarakhand state.
Previously Uttarakhand was a part of Uttar Pradesh but on 9th November 2000, Uttarakhand become the 27th state of Republic India.
Now we have to move back to Rishikesh.
Why I Love RISHIESH ?
Rishikesh is a very ancient city related to Yoga, meditation and Ayurveda.
Due to the vast tradition of Yoga Rishikesh also known as Yoga Nagri (Yoga City). It's also know as:
Yoga Capital of the world.
Every year millions of visitors from India and from abroad (mainly European) came here to practice Yoga and meditation. I like to talk with them and feel good that they came from abroad to learn our culture and tradition, they girls wear the traditional Indian clothes such as suit salwar and the boys wear dhoti kurta; they looks really good in it because now a days even Indians not wear the traditional Indian dress but they wear.
Indian culture is the most likely culture in the world. So i always feel proud to be an Indian and i really love my culture and my city.
I belongs to the hilly areas of India so i love to travel mostly in the areas which are near to the Himalayas, i really like my mountain culture, the people who are belongs to the pahadi (near to mountains) are so kind heated and always ready to help that's why i like to share my experience by the help of my reviews, photos and videos in Google Maps so that people can easily identify the place where they want to go. Apart from this i love to add missing places and answering questions in Maps. I really feel motivated and proud when people consider my reviews and plan their trip on the basis of my experience.story
I want to share a story of my childhood, at that time i was around 8 years old and i was with my family and we were going to Rishikesh my uncle & aunt and her children also with us but all were elder from me:)
My mother hold my hand and my face was turned toward back (that time i was busy in exploring the stalls which was located road side, the place was so crowded and due to this my hand lost from the hand of my mother and all my family members crossed a lot of distance. I was crying because none of my family member was with me. Around 2 to 3 hour passed and there was not any hope to meet my family back, a shopkeeper pointing towards me and then some local people came near to me and asking me WHY ARE YOU CRYING? i reply by crying voice that i am lost here then they were asking my parents name and my home address, that time i was very sacred then a people call Police and saying we got a child here and he is lost from his family i was still crying at that time there were not any mobile phone so i was hopeless. After some time my uncle came back to the same road and he found me crying very badly i saw him and thanks to GOD!
he came near to me and lift me in his arms that moment will me memorable for me till now, my whole family was also there after some time and i feel happy to get them back.
I thanks to LORD SHIVA! to give my family back.
Some Important Facts About Rishikesh:
- Rishikesh lies in Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
- Rishikesh lies about 25 km away from Haridwar.
- Rishikesh is the holiest place for Hindus and a well known pilgrimage centre. Hindu sages and saints have visited Rishikesh since ancient time in search of meditation and to achieve higher knowledge of Vedas and Purans.
- Haridwar and Rishikesh also known as Twin National Heritage cities and this title was given by Union Tourism Minsiter of Uttarakhand.
- Due to religious point of view non-vegetarian food, alcohol are strictly prohibited in Rishikesh.
- Plastics bags and other form of bags which are made with plastics are strictly prohibited in Rishikesh.
- Rishikesh is very famous for Yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, Rafting and other adventurous activities such as: bungee jumping, air safari etc.
- Every year Rishikesh city host Yoga Festival, in which devotees from India & different countries of the world take part in it at large level.
- Sacred river Ganges also passing through Rishikesh.
- There are various ahrams, hotesl, dharamshal (public stay room) in Rishikesh so there is not any type of problem for the people who are coming from other locations.
- Rishikesh is the starting point for travelling for Chota (small) Char Dham Yatra: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri.
- Rishikesh is famous for Ayurvedic treatment, many Ayurvedic centres are available which provide better treatment for all problems by the experience Ayurvedic doctors.
- AIIMS (ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE) also located in Rishikesh and it was established by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna (PMSSY).
WHAT ARE THE FAMOUS RELIGIOUS SPOTS IN RISHIKESH ?
Well there are a numerous pilgrimage spots in Rishikesh,i am discussing some famous which is known as the Icon of Rishikesh (Land of Lord Shiva).
1. RAM JHULA: Ram Jhula is a type of Iron Suspension bridge which is constructed across the river Ganges. The word Ram is related to the Hindu God Rama, which is the avator of Lord Vishnu. In Hindi the word Jhula is used for bridge. It's to be believed that previously the bridge is made with jute ropes and wood during the time of Ramayan (ancient Sanskrit epic of Hindus). This bridge is made with iron blocks and some form of suspension wires. It's located at a distance of about 3 km from Rishikesh city and this bridges is available for bikes, bicycle however cars cannot go through because the bridges is not much wide.
2. LAXMAN JHULA: Laxman Jhula is also a type of Iron suspension bridge which is constructed across river Ganges, located at a distance of around 5 km from Rishikesh city. The bridge connect two villages of Rishikesh. You can go with bike/cycle on thi brodge. Lamxman jhula is the iconic landmark of Rishikesh. It's to be believed that Hindu diety Laxmana (younger brother of Lord Rama) cross the bridge when they are going in search of Mata Sita. The bridge is constructed in 2 parts having Span of 450 feet and carriage way of 6 feet.
Previous this bridge was constructed with wood and jute ropes but later on the construction is completed by UPPWD (Uttar Pradesh Public Work Department) in 1927-1929.
3. TRAYAMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE: this temple is a multi storied Hindu temple in Rishikesh. Various idols of Hindu Gods and Goddess are kept inside the temple but mainly temple is dedicated to LORD SHIVA. It's located near Laxman Jhula and you can see the glorious view on header image of this post.
Some Facts about Trayambakeshwar Temple:
- In HINDI Trayambakeshwar means "House of Three Eyed".
- This temple has 13 storeys also known as Tehrah Manzil temple (In Hindi Tehrah means 13)
- Lord Shiva has three eyes so that's why this temple i related to it.
- Guru Shankaracharya established this temple in 12th century AD.
- It's the biggest temple in Rishikesh, situated at the bank of river Ganges.
- Timing of Temple
Morning: 6 AM to 12 PM
Evening: 2 PM to 7 PM
ACTIVITIES IN RISHIKESH?
There are an number of activities which we can perform in Rishikesh such as
- Rafting In Rishikesh
- Bungee Jumping
- Giant Swing in Rishikesh
- Flying Fox in Rishikesh
- Hot Air Ballooning Experience
- Spiritual Walk Tour in Rishikesh
- Powered Paragliding in Rishikesh
- Camping & Trekking in Rishikesh
WHAT ARE THE SWEETS OF RISHIKESH?
1. SINGODI: the most famous sweet of Rishikesh.
it's a type of sweet which is quite popular in Rishikesh and other places in Uttarakhand. This sweet is made with condensed milk, sugar and some dry fruits such as; almond, cashews etc. You can compare this sweet with ice cream cone but in this case the covering is made with green leaf.
2. SOME OTHER SWEETS: Theses are some other sweets and snacks of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand which contains following sweets:
- Mathri (made with all purpose flour, salty in taste)
- Boondi Laddoo (sweet in taste
- Kaju Katli (made with cashew, sweet in taste)
- Moong Daal Barfi {made with Moond Daal (pulses), sweet in taste}
- Sooji ke Laddoo (sweet in taste)
- Namkeen (a type of snacks, salty in taste)
- Balushahi (a type of sweet)
HOW TO VISIT RISHIKESH?
There are 3 routes available to visit Rishikesh. I am discussing every route one by one:
1. By Road: If you want to travel by road then you can come here by your own vehicle or any public transport such as: bus, taxi, car. All modes of transit are available in Rishikesh City. If you are interested to use public transport then RISHIKESH BUS STAND
is the nearby bus stop which i exist in main city and you can easily pick any bus of Delhi, Dehradun, Haridwar from this stand.
You can book any private taxi if you want to travel on any of the above location which is listed above. Taxi service is available 24 hours.
2. By Train: The nearby railway station is RISHIKESH RAILWAY STATION
You can book auto/taxi from railway station if you want to visit all temples in Rihikesh by car but sometimes you have to bargain about fair charges they charge high price so be aware about it.
3. By Air: The nearby airport is JOLLY GRANT AIRPORT DEHRADUN
the airport is situated at a distance of about 40 km (approx) away from Rishikesh.
I try my best to cover all local stories related to my area if i had make any mistake please forgive me.
Hope all of you enjoyed the Divine post from Rishikesh.
And if you still not visited then must visit in Devbhoomi (The land of Gods). 🙏
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Namskar..
Jay Shiv Shankar..
Again Photos and Post shows your enjoyable moments of Rishikesh Darshan..
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