Introduction:

Rishikesh has been the centre of spiritual and religious activities since ancient times. This place situated on the right bank of the river Ganga is surrounded on all sides by beautiful hills. Rishikesh is the gateway for pilgrimage to Badrinath and Kedarnath. Rishikesh is also referred as the yoga capital of the world and it houses a number of ashrams offering yoga and meditation courses.

Lakhshman Jhula Rishikesh

Destination Facts:

Location: Uttarkhand, In District Dehradun
Altitude: 356 Meters
Area: 7110 Sq. Km.
Temperature:(Summer 29 to 40°C) & (Winter 5 to 20°C)
Languages spoken: Hindi, English and Garhwali.

Getting there:

Nearest Airports: The nearest airport from Rishikesh is Jolly Grant airport.
Main Railway Station: Rishikesh is connected by rail via Haridwar (24 km) to Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow,
Varanasi, Dehradun and other cities.
Main Bus Station or Road: To commute within Rishikesh there are Tongas, taxis and rickshaws and bus available.

Distance of a few Major Towns from Rishikesh:

Almora-306km, Ranikhet- 230km, Kausani-128km, Haridwar-18km, Nainital-238km.

Eating Around:

Samosas, Lassi and Masala chai is famous in Rishikesh

Places of Tourist interest:

Triveni Ghat:
This is a well known bathing ghat on the bank of the Ganga in the city of Rishikesh.

Bharat Temple:
It is close to Triveni Ghat, a grand temple of Lord Vishnu.

Lakshman Jhula:
This Jhula is built over Ganga enroute from Rishikesh to Devprayag, at a distance of 4kms from Rishikesh. A grand temple of Lakshman is situated in the vicinity of the bridge. There are many temples nearby which are worth seeing.

Ram Jhula:
There is also another suspension bridge across the Ganga which is known as Ram or Sivananda Jhula.

Neelkant Mahadev:
The devotees visit this place throughout the year but during the whole month of Shravan the temple is thronged by tourist and devotees.

Kunjapuri Temple:
This temple of Goddess Durga.

Vashisht Cave:
It is a very ancient cave; it is the place of penance by sage Vashisht.

Rajaji National Park:
The Rajaji National Park is rich in fossils which include both its flora and fauna thus giving a lot of opportunities to wildlife and nature lovers.

Getting around the destination:

Cycle rickshaws and dandies, Car, Private Taxies are found here.

Shopping Areas & Entertainment:

Rishikesh is noted for its Shekhawati paintings and miniatures which are available in the "Open Air Art Gallery". Other items include carved wooden furniture, semi-precious stones, astrological stones, Ayurvedic medicine, medicinal plants, and woolens.

Best time to visit:

March to November is the best time to visit the destination.

Festivals:

Yoga festivals in Rishikesh are one of the most popular and Ganga Aarti is another religious ceremony celebrated during the yoga festival in Rishikesh.