Rishabh, the Grand Castle Resort

Spa provides casual closthing for the day

by explore57

The spa provides crisply ironed white cotton kurtas to wear during your stay. I quite liked the idea. It is pleasing to the eyes to see all people dressed in whites rather than find somebody dressed in florescent green or yellow. It integrates well with the natural green environment.

Bharat Mandir

by RAJASTHANBYCAR

Bharat Mandir is an ancient and most famous temple build by Adiguru Shankaracharya during the 12th century.
Bharat Mandir situated in the centre of the old town, has an idyllic location on the banks of river Ganga. The main deity installed here is of Lord Vishnu, the idol is being carved out from a single piece of Saligram.
Present temple is the renovated one reconstructed on the ruins of the original temple destroyed by Tamur Lane 1398 A.D. Recent excavations brought out many old statues, ancient pots and coins and other artifacts of historical importance from this site.

Streets of Rishikesh.

by goutammitra

Here is the glimpse of Rishikesh. In India even Animals are worshipped because of their associationwith some God as Vahanas or their carriers. In Rishikesh you will find monkeys, cows and other animals everywhere so dont get surprised if you come across them. The Hindus worship them and feed them. Here I am putting pictures some of temples, throughfare of Rishikesh. I wanted to go to the Ahsrama of Maharshi Mahesh Yogi, where the Beatles stayed but never had time. Moreover The Yogi now has base in the United States, which is run by his deciples. As a person I dont' like Maharshi Mahesh Yogi as he too used the name of the famous Beatles for his own benefit. Like other Indian Yogi, Rajnish, Mahesh Yogi too served only the wealthy Western deciples. Then How come he is a Holiman, if he could not serve his own people. His life, travel, food everything was five star!! He had nothig to offer to his motherland!!!

BEACHES ON THE GANGA AT RISHIKESH

by lynnehamman

"Everything was as I imagined it to be."

Sometimes one has a mental picture of a place - and it often is very different in reality. Rishikesh lived up to all my expectations.
It is a small city- can be seen in a day. But one really should spend a few days here- the atmosphere is so serene , and the scenery is breathtaking. The Ganga is crystal clear and blue, and there are beaches. I would never have imagined that. The sand is white and clean,and there are rocks.
We spent hours walking along the banks.
Of course, as we all know, Rishikish is THE city for meditation, yoga and other such spiritual activities. There are Ashrams everywhere.
Downtown Rishikesh is not appealing- dusty and unattractive. The bus & rain stations are situated here.
Upstream, about 2kms away, is the real Rishikesh.This is the travellers area- with the main activities happening here.
There are two bridges crossing the Ganga here- the Ram Jhula and the Lakshman Jhula hanging bridge.. They are supposed to be for pedestrians only, but of course, being India, motor-cycles tear across every few seconds.
The bridges dangle above the crystal clear water, and sway slightly on crossings.
On the one bank there is the huge temple of Swarg Niwas- quite impressive. There were crowds waiting in line to enter as we passed by.
Shops and stalls also line both sides of the river- the areas are quiite hilly, and some of the walks have many steps leading to the bridges.
The scenery around Rishikesh is quite beautiful. The hills are green, and vegetation is lush. One can walk on the beaches, and experience the beauty of the river and the mountains.The air is crispy and devoid of the pollution that permeates in other Indian cities.

"Spirituality in Rishikesh"

Long time ago, the Beatles put Rishikesh "on the map". It wa 1968, and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was the flavour of the moment. Meditation was the "in thing" to be doing. The Beatles spent a couple of weeks at his place, The Swarg Ashram. There must have been something in the water- they wrote some of their best songs here, which ended up on "The White Album". George Harrison perfected his use of the Sitar here, and Meditation and Yoga remained a passion for him.
The Maharishi was a disappointment to the rest of the fab four, and they eventually turned away from him. John Lennon denounced him in a song.
But even today, many of the ashrams are filled with foreigners, and they still dress and behave as if it were still the 60's.
The "New Age" movement is strong in Rishikesh, and I guess that if people find spiritual enlightenment in this, its a good thing.
The evening aarti is as moving here as anywhere in India.

There is no alcohol for sale in Rishikesh, and food is strictly vegetarian.

See Local Customs tip

The Yoga Capital of the world

by bharat_tanwar

"Sivanand Jhula ( hanging bridge )"

A sacred place, where the God?s blessing is everywhere . Its pure vegetarian city.........having the real taste of Indian food . People comes from all Directions of the world to get the peace of mind.
the most important thing is Mother Ganges is giving the real life to this place??????.a great place to realize yourself.

"In the evening the Banks of Ganges"

we can see the the Swarga Asram ,Parmarth Niketan & Gita Bhawan.......world fame Yoga Asrams

"towords Laxman Jhula."

Rishikesh,s back view from Ram Jhula,you can see stunning view of temples.