Rishikesh

Rishikesh is located in Northern India on the foothills of the Himalayas. It is a city and a municipal board in Dehradun district now comes under the Uttarakhand state.

It is also known as “the Gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas”. Rishikesh is surrounded by three districts: Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Haridwar.

Historical Background

Since ages, Rishikesh has been a part of the legendary ‘kedarkhand’ presently known as Garhwal. It was believed that Lord Rama did penance here for killing Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

It was also believed that Lakshman, brother of Lord Rama crossed river Ganges at Rishikesh, using a jute rope bridge which was name Lakshman jhula after this incident. It is still there.

The sacred river, Ganges flows here in Rishikesh. From here, the river leaves the Shivalik Mountains in the Himalayas and flows into the plains of Northern India.

Rishikesh – A spiritual place and a yoga centre

Tourists from all over the world visit this place to experience the spirituality and the natural beauty of temples.

Rishikesh was once also known as “the world capital of yoga”. It has numerous yoga centers which are a source of attraction for the tourists. Lot of tourists visits this place for meditation and yoga.

Adventure sports like river rafting, hiking are also gaining momentum in Rishikesh and attracting lots of tourists.  Bungee jumping has also been introduced as an adventure activity here.

Rishikesh’s culture

This city is purely a religious and vegetarian city comprising mostly of Hindus. Garhwali culture is also prominent here as Rishikesh comes under Garhwal. Languages mostly spoken here are Hindi and Garhwali.

Current Scenario

Since tourists make a beeline to this city and get attracted by the temples and natural beauty, Tourism Government is laying down various guidelines to improve the tourism standard in this place. Most of the revenue to the State comes from the tourists.

As far as education is concerned, literary rate in Rishikesh is increasing gradually with a female literacy rate of 78%, which is quite good. State Government is also funding revenue to increase the quality of education in the State.

Climate and best time to visit

Rishikesh experiences continental type of climate. Summers have an average temperature of 35 degrees while winters are pleasant with an average temperature ranging between 19 degrees to 21 degrees. The best time to visit this place is from mid-September to May.