Rishikesh: A Perfect Weekend Retreat

Finding joy in the little things!!!

One such joy was that of crossing Laxman jhula. Since our stay was at Pauri which was across the laxman Jhula and at the other end of the jhula was Tapovan, before going anywhere we had to cross the jhula everytime which was scary and fun at the same time!!!

We didn’t know we would have to cross it a dozen times with the Jhula shaking with the footsteps of the passers-by and the honking two wheelers. At daytime it would be busier with the traffic of two wheelers taking around 2-3mins to cross the jhula & at night time with little or no traffic, it would take less than a minute. But every time it was both fun and scary especially at night with the cool wind blowing and sound of the gushing Ganges beneath the jhula making the experience a lot more spooky!!

2)BEATLES ASHRAM



One of the major reasons of visiting Rishikesh was the much hyped "The Beatles ashram"!!! The murals of the Beatles are painted all across a dilapidated preaching hall. But it's definitely worth a visit. The place looks very colorful and vibrant, all thanks to the art work done by various artists including @artxpan & @milestoland.

Very few locals know Beatles Ashram by its name. But if you ask about Rajaji Tiger Reserve, they might be able to guide you through, as the Beatles Ashram is in the Tiger Reserve. The ashram can be reached after crossing Ram jhula on foot or by taking a boat ride. From there it’s 2kms till the Rajaji Tiger Reserve.

And across the yoga hall at the Beatles Ashram, there's a pretty cozy corner where you can view that beautiful part of Rishikesh where the river Ganges flows. We spent around 3 hours there at the ashram as it was very peaceful.

White water rafting in Rishikesh was my first rafting experience ever!!! And Boy!! It was just amazing. Being a hydrophobic, it was a tough decision for me to take.I am glad that I took the right decision,as i overcame my fear.

Though, I was quite surprised by the fact that while rafting i didnt even for once, feel terrified of the water!! Maybe because of the blessings of 'Maa Ganga'. Har Har Gange!!!

We covered 9 kms where we saw two rapids-one small and one huge rapid before crossing laxman Jhula. We got drenched because of the rapids but it was worthwhile.

Rafting in rishkesh is an experience of a lifetime and should definitely not be missed.

4) TRIVENI GHAT

Triveni ghat is famous for the evening Aarti , which is very similar to the famous evening Aarti on the ghats of Benaras. We visited the ghat but were kind of dejected as the water at the ghat had almost dried up,the infrastructure at the ghat was impressive though. We were about to leave the ghat , but suddenly I had the urge to have some spicy snacks. So we went to a vendor selling spicy puffed rice (Bhel puri). The vendor started telling us stories about the ghat and he mentioned that it was time for the Aarti and told us it’s a spectacular event held on a daily basis and should not be missed. We were glad that we went there just in time for the Aarti.

5) RAM JHULA

Did you know there was another Jhula similar to Laxman Jhula and is named after his elder brother Ram(Both Ram and Laxman are Indian deities)?. Well, now we all know.

We also spotted this famous Shiva statue, (which is also on the cover of the blog) on our way back from the Beatles Ashram. It's right across the Parmarth Niketan Ashram.

Our trip was filled with adventure & it did involve a lot of walking around but it was worth the walk. We didn’t get time for the Neergarh waterfalls as we had planned, which means we have another opportunity to go back to Rishikesh someday as we still have so much to explore.

Until next time!.