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After spending a good day at Rajaji National Park, I arrived at Haridwar(also called Hardwar) to witness the Ganga Aarti before I returned to Rishikesh.
My bus left me near the railway station and I took a rickshaw to Har-ki-Pauri ghat. It was like a repetition of events that happened a year ago. Almost the same time last year, I found myself at Hardwar on an evening, unplanned and not knowing what to do. And I was here today because I did not get any bus from Chilla to Rishikesh and had to do a broken journey via Haridwar.
Also see:
* Ganga Aarti in Rishikesh
* Ganga Aarti in Varanasi
Since last year, things had changed a bit on the busy road connecting the railway station to the Ghat. Buildings then looked old enough to shoot a horror movie. Now many of them seemed to be making a vain attempt of resurrection with some fresh paint and patch-work. It was amusing to watch some of these buildings that could well be a hundred year old, recently fitted with a modern air-conditioning unit at the window!
The road became narrower as the rickshaw progressed and was closed for motorized vehicles a kilometer before the ghat. Both sides of this portion of road looked like a devotional super market! They sold every kind of thing that you could use to worship god – many colorful powders, vibhooti, rudraksha, stones of several colors and colorful neck laces, etc.. Almost every other shop sold plastic cans to fill the holy water. Some shops that looked slightly modern, sold devotional audio and video material. The road was busy with a large number of pedestrians and the cycle rickshaws desperately trying to make some way between the ocean of people.
The Ganga Aarti in Hardwar’s Har-ki-Pauri is one of the famous rituals in India. It starts at around 6.30pm after sunset, with large crowds gathered around both the banks of a canal that carries the waters of Ganges. Loud speakers blare songs in praise of Ganga Maiya and Shiva.
The time of Aarti sees a bustle of activity on the ghats. Many babas are seen sitting in corners, hoping to get some donations from the devotees. Men in blue uniform move around with a receipt book, collecting donations that will be used for conducting the Aarti. People keep walking in all direction trying to find a good place to sit or stand. Hawkers sell wick lamps or diyas to float in the Ganges. A friend sms’ed me to float a diya for her and I found myself trying to buy one.
Me, pointing at a diya: Kitne ka hai? – How much?
Hawker: bees rupaia – Twenty
Hearing the price, I walked away from him and heard him shout quickly – Dus rupaia dedo – give me a ten!
A pack of diya comes fully equipped and is self-sufficient! It has a wick lamp surrounded by flowers. There is even a matchbox to light the lamp, so you don’t need to run around looking for one! Two incense sticks also come with it and the whole thing is assembled in a bowl like pack made of stitched leaves. I lighted the diya, floated it down the river like many other pilgrims and continued witnessing the aarti.
It lasted for around 30 minutes. A few people(priests?) standing on the ghat swayed huge lamps backed by the blares of bhajans and instrumental music. Lamps of different sizes light up in the hands of people all along the banks and is a pretty sight to watch in the darkness after sunset. Hardwar’s aarti is an interesting ritual, but it feels too noisy, chaotic and commercialized. I mused of the quite and charming aarti sessions I was attending at Rishikesh for the last few days and could not help comparing it with crowded Hardwar.
It was a long day for me after a trip to Rajaji National Park and then Haridwar. I was pretty tired by the time Aarti was concluded, walked up to the bus stop and quickly headed back to Rishikesh to end my day.
Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra
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Ram Jhula with Himalayan foothills in the backdrop
Rishikesh may be famous for Ashrams where you can learn Yoga and meditation or rafting, but even if you are not upto all that, you can still have a good time there. Take a walk around the beautiful bridges of Ram Jhula and Laxman Jhula, buy wheat balls and feed them to the Masheer fish which can be found in big groups in Ram Jhula, shop for some stones, gems or necklaces, and much more.
A shop selling necklaces and other stuff
When the sun is high and it is not cold, take a dip in the Ganges if you wish, or just sit back and watch it flow. Move a little away from habitation and you can go spotting Indian Grey Hornbills, Jungle Babblers and many more interesting birds. When you are tired of all that, head to one of the many multi-cuisine restaurant that can serve you many kind of food, including Italian, Arabian, European, North and South Indian.
A man with an interesting makeup. He was sitting outside a restaurant near Ram Jhula, inviting people to have a bite.
Come evening and head for the Ganga Aarti and spend time singing Bhajans and performing the Aarti, or just watching the rituals. It is easy to spend a few days in Rishikesh doing little else but walking around, and still feel that you can go on to stay longer. The place has a charm and is worth experiencing it.
RISHIKESH INFORMATION
People primarily visit Rishikesh to learn or practice Yoga and meditation. Occasionally called the ‘Yoga Capital of the World’, you have many Ashram or independent teachers teaching Yoga in Rishikesh. It shot to fame in the west in seventies, when Beatles made a journey to the Ashram of Mahesh Yogi in Rishikesh. It is three decades since, but is an event still talked about and associated with the place. One can also find classes on music and other fine arts along with Yoga.
There are several Ashrams around Ram Jhoola and Laxman Jhoola, along the banks of Ganga, where one can stay and learn meditation and Yoga. While Ashram stays would be preferable for serious students who can stay on for a long time and practice, others can stay in nearby hotels and take short courses. For the serious student, Mark Barian’s book – Roar of the Ganges provides some good insights.
Other than Yoga, Rishikesh has picturesque landscapes formed by Ganges emerging into the planes from Himalayan foothills. Few large temples can be visited near Laxman Jhula.
Rafting is another activity that Rishikesh is known for. Many adventure companies are located upstream from Rishikesh where you can stay in tented accommodations, trek, do rafting and some more adventure activities.
Rishikesh is around 230km from Delhi and takes approximately 8 hours from Delhi by Bus or Train. It is around 30 minutes drive from Dehradun’s Jolly Grant Airport.
Nearby places of Interest: Rajaji National Park is very close to Rishikesh and can be reached in 30 minutes. The park has a few tigers and many elephants, and is a treat for those interested in bird watching. Visitors can hire a jeep and go on a safari or take elephant rides. Contact GMVN for stay options in Rajaji National Park.
Haridwar is another holy city close to Rishikesh where you can stay in Ashrams to learn Yoga or meditation. Haridwar’s Ganga Aarti at Har ki Pauri is popular and draws large crowds everyday.
Mussourie, a well known hill station is a 2 to 3 hour drive from Rishikesh.
For those looking for rafting and adventure, many travel agencies at Rishikesh can make bookings make arrangements. GMVN conducts rafting trips that start from Kaudiyala.
More on Rishikesh at paintedstork.com
* Rishikesh photo gallery
* Arriving at Rishikesh.
* Walking around Laxman Jhula
* Ganga Aarthi at Rishikesh
* Photo Essay: Babas of Rishikesh
* Rishikesh to Kaudiyala
* About Rishikesh
Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra
+Previous: Photo Essay: Babas of Rishikesh
+Next: About Rishikesh
+Go to beginning of the series
One morning, I hired a bike from a friendly guy nearby and decided to drive up to Kaudiyala. I have gone on Rishikesh – Kaudiyala road a few times in the bus, but taking a bus does not justify the journey. The road traverses along the bank of Ganga, climbs up into the lower Himalayas as soon as you leave Rishikesh behind you. It is so beautiful that you would like to reach out for it, but the confines of the bus holds you back.
With my own transportation, I took my time to cover the road. The Ganges, somewhere far below in the valley looked beautiful early in the morning and I kept stopping for a good view and photographs. I kept looking out for birds too – especially hornbills and magpies which I had spotted earlier, but I was not lucky today. But the views of the valley more that made up for the loss.
View of the Valley
As I drove further, I went past many tented accommodations that litter the sandy banks of the river. It must be nice to stay in one of those places for a few days. Nothing like living a pampered life in a pristine and beautiful valley with a river running next to you, and with no hassles and nothing to bother about. Most of the tents serve as overnight camp for people rafting downstream.
Tented accommodations litter the sandy banks
I walked into one of the empty beaches. The water wasn’t very cold, and whenever I get close to the Ganges, I get this irresistible urge to swim in its waters. But the current was fast and the banks were rocky, and with an empty beach and no one to rescue if something goes wrong, I had to skip the idea.
I passed a couple of picturesque bridges as I drove further. There were no rafters at this time of the year, since there wasn’t much water. I left behind a few resorts, including the well known ‘glass house on the Ganges’ as I moved on. All along, I looked for rapids that make Rishikesh a famous place for rafting, but I could not see much of them. May be it is better when there is more water, but it did not look appealing for rafting with the current levels.
River at Kaudiyala
It was around 11am when I reached Kaudiyala. GMVN’s rafting camp and a few restaurants welcome you to the village. I notice what could be a grade 2 rapid close to the GMVN camp, and a deeper area a little upstream where they probably start rafting. I was hungry by now and went for a couple of Aloo Parathas at the restaurant, and started my drive back to Rishikesh. Another hour later I was back in Ram Jhoola, where I had started from.
More on Rishikesh at paintedstork.com
* Rishikesh photo gallery
* Arriving at Rishikesh.
* Walking around Laxman Jhula
* Ganga Aarthi at Rishikesh
* Photo Essay: Babas of Rishikesh
* Rishikesh to Kaudiyala
* About Rishikesh