Rishikesh India

State: Uttarakhand
Location: Located in Tehri-Garwhal region.
Area: 11.20 sq km(city area)
Language: Garwhali, Hindi, Punjabi and English.

Introduction:
Rishikesh, a salubrious hill station of Uttarakhand, is located at the confluence of Ganga and Chandrabagha river. Surrounded by Shivalik ranges from three sides and positioned at the foothills of Garhwal Himalayas.

Rishikesh is a famous pilgrimage destination of Hindus and has numerous pious temples and ashrams. Due to this, Rishikesh is also known as “land of God”. It is also the starting point of “Chardham” trip that covers Badrinath, Kedarnath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Beside being a religious place, Rishikesh is also popular as a recreational and adventure sports zone.

Places To Visit In Rishikesh:
Bharat Mandir: Built around 12th century by Adi Guru Shankracharya, Bharat mandir is the oldest temple located in Rishikesh. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and has a idol which is made up of single saligram and placed at the inner sanctum. It has also many ancient artifacts, coins and statues.

Triveni Ghat: One of the most sought after tourist spot in Rishikesh is Triveni Ghat. It is believed that the Triveni ghat is the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Sarawasti river due to which every year thousand of pilgrims comes here to take a holy dip to wash way all the sins. Ganga aarti that takes place every evening at Triveni ghat is the main attraction of this place.

Rishikund: Rishikesh or sage pond is located near Triveni ghat. It is said that water of Yamuna river saturated this pond on the request of Kubz saint. A shani mandir is also built at Rishikund.

Laxman Jhula: Built in 1939 A.D, Laxman jhula is a 450 ft long hanging bridge on the river Ganga. A temple named Tera Manzil is built near Laxman jhula which has large number of Hindu god and goddess.

Ram Jhula: Ram Jhula another popular tourist spot of Rishikesh. It is also known as Shivanand Jhula and connects Swargashram on the west and Shivanand ashram on the east. Many ashrams are built around Ram Jhula.

Apart from them there are some more popular tourist spots such as Geeta Bhawan, Parmarth Niketan, Shivanand Ashram, Yoga Niketan etc.

Nearby Excursion places:
Not only Rishikesh, the places near this holy town has capability to charm any body with their immense beauty.

Narendra Nagar: This is a historical town which has royal palace of king and a huge statue of Lord Shiva's attendant, bull. It is just 15 km ( 9.32 miles) from Rishikesh-Chamba road.

Kunjapuri: Another picturesque place near Rishikesh is Kunjapuri. This place is an excellent place to have a wonderful view of the snow-capped Himalayas.

Activities To Do:
Apart from being a pilgrimage destination, Rishikesh is also place to enjoy various kinds of adventure sports. It is a place which always choc-a-block with adventure seekers , who comes here from various nook and corner of world. Some of the popular sports that are played here are trekking, rock climbing, white water rafting and wildlife safari.

Trekking and Rock Climbing: The mountainous terrains of Rishikesh are the best site for trekking and rock climbing. Trekkers from various parts of the world gathered here to indulge themselves in these exciting activities.

Rafting: The hilly untamed rivers that originates from Himalayas and flows through Rishikesh are ideal for white water rafting. Both amateur and experts rafters loves to visit Rishikesh, once in every year to participate in rafting sport.

Wildlife Safari: This region of Uttarakhand is abode of various kinds of wildlife and plant species. They are available in Rajaji National Park in Chilla, just 16 km (9.94 miles) from Rishikesh. A short trail to these national parks would help you to peep into the wild world of these animals.

Ayurvedic treatment and meditation: Rishikesh is also known as the capital of yoga and meditation. Rishikesh has many ashrams, yoga and ayurvedic centres, from where you can get to learn and treat yourself with some yoga and ayurvedic medicines. Even you can pamper yourself at some of the well equipped spas that are built in the town.

Best Time To Visit:
The ideal time to visit this salubrious hill station is from April to October. During this period, the weather remains very pleasant and bright. Avoid visiting Rishikesh during monsoons as in this season rivers are overflowed and doesn't suit adventure sports like white water rafting.

Access:
By Road: This hill station of Uttarakhand, is located north of Delhi at a distance of 231 km (143.54 miles). You can reach Rishikesh by both bus and car. If you hire a car, it will take only 6 hours and 30 minutes. Also you can board on any Government run state transport buses or private buses that regularly ply from Delhi to Rishikesh.

By Train: Three trains namely Mussorie Express, Jan Shatabdi Express and Shatabdi Express everyday travels from Delhi to Haridwar, which is just 21 km (13.04 miles) from Rishikesh. Both during morning and evening, they provide their services.

By Flight: You can even reach Rishikesh from Delhi, through flights. Dehradun, which is just 21 km (13.04 miles) from Rishikesh has an airport named Jolly Grant Airport. Everyday flight service is there from Delhi Airport to Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun.