Rishekesh was my next adventure, a long weekend at the end of March that saw me travel to this holy town where the mighty Ganges begins – well it begins in the mountains nearby.  Like the city of Varanasi, this city is full of pilgrims.  Being near the mountains and forests, it is also a nature haven.  I was hoping for a restful weekend but ended up at a hotel smack dab in the middle of downtown, full of honking and traffic.  I switched hotels which turned out to be an exercise in frustration as no one wanted to drive me because of the traffic, and they couldn’t figure out the location.  I ended up on a motorcycle gripping my suitcase for dear life.  However, I made it safely to a lovely little hotel where I got the only room left – the family suite!

It took me a while to adjust my expectations from a weekend surrounded by nature to a weekend in another, typical Indian town. I decided to make the most of it and went for a walk to the river, which was very near my hotel.  That lovely walk saved the day with great people watching, which meant great photo opportunities. 

Unlike in Varanasi, here cremations can happen anywhere along the river.

These two birds helped make the walk feel a little closer to nature. I enjoyed having the time to stand there for a long time to get a good shot.

Downtown Rishikesh had lots of tourist shops and restaurants.

The next set of photos are of the people I saw working while I was walking around town.

Next are random photos of street views, people living their lives or hanging out.

Being a holy city, the cows ruled the roads – and robed pilgrims, holy men and quasi-holy men abounded.

I also made the decision that vodka was necessary for this weekend and had to take a tuktuk to a neighboring, non-dry town.  That was a fun adventure as well, trying to communicate my needs to people who do not speak English. The mission was successful, along with some photos along the way.

I wasn’t planning to visit the evening Ganges River aarti ceremony, but since it was so close to my hotel I decided to go.  The service is in front of an ashram and exactly at 6:30pm a man with billowing white robes runs out of the Ashram towards the aarti space.  Clearly, the big wig because as soon as he arrives, things begin.  He goes to the river to cleanse himself and prepare for the ceremony.  He is surrounded by cameras and young acolytes, along a younger man, who looks like Jesus, and stands next to him.  He is clearly the number 2 man.  He ensures things run smoothly.

The men performing the rituals here are considerably younger than those in Varanasi and the music is more beautiful.  There is also a group of red-robed women who are either widows or volunteers staying at the ashram.

Here, the sacred flame is shared with all participating in and observing the service, with the women in red rotating the flame like the young ‘performers’.  Of course, there is the requisite selling of flowers and other supplies. Some things are the same in churches is all over the world!

The next day saw me hiring a guide to visit Hardivar.  The neighborhood mafia don who arranged the tour, told me he was busy but the driver would take me.  Sure, I say, but then as we drive off, I find out the driver doesn’t speak English!  Anyway, the two of us made the best of this hilarious situation.

In Hardivar, which is a very holy city, we passed a street full of amusement park style buildings that were either temples or fun zones….too bad the driver couldn’t tell me (well he said something but I have no idea what he said)!  The best part was putting my feel into the Ganges (too cold to swim even though I had my bathing suit with me this weekend).  Of course, I enjoyed looking at those on poojas as well as looking at life happening and taking photos of my impressions.

I will start with the street with bizarre buildings.

The driver was into the fresh strawberries that just came into season and stopped a few times to buy some for us.  The first set had masala sprinkled on it, the second time I said I like my strawberries ‘straight up’.

Next, my photos of the town of Hardivar.

Our stop at the river was in a riverside temple with sections for believers to place their offerings.  There was a mom with a son and his shaved head doing some sort of a ritual where he was dunked several times.  There were two young men placing key items into a wrapped ball and placing it onto the river.  There was a man with his children cleaning the river, collecting items floating down from upriver.  I loved putting my feet into the clean, fast flowing river.

My final day was the best.  It started with a walk in the hotel neighborhood where I saw many street vendors heading off for their work day.   The day ended with visiting the Beatles Ashram.

The best part of the whole weekend was visiting what is known as the Beatles Ashram.  I hired a driver and the ride took about 30 minutes on narrow, winding roads. Quite beautiful.

Funny though, when we arrived and since the ashram opens at 10 and we arrived at 9:45, I had the pleasure of walking down to the river only to discover that the Ashram is directly across the river from my hotel!

On the river I was able to see a jetty of rocks along the holy Ganges, with river squatters and their tents living a hard life next to Nirvana. I enjoyed walking along the soft, fine sand and taking some photos.

While the ashram is now deserted and resides in a tiger reserve forest, it was opened to the public as a tourist attraction in 2015. I learned that since I have a PAN (tax) card and am a senior citizen, I was able to pay 100 rupees instead of 1200 (I wish I knew that over the past three years!)!  The Ashram was the International Academy of Meditation, where Maharashi Mahesh Yogi, who developed the Transcendental Meditation technique, trained people.   Throughout my time here I was struck how this compound is a modern archaeological ruin.

The first thing one notices upon entering the compound are the meditation caves. Situated on a hill close to the river with the sound of rushing water, these chambers must have been very inspiring. They were built between 1977-78 using stones from the Ganges River nearby and were used by religious ascetics and celibate Hindu monks for their daily rituals and meditations.

One then enters the main compound with a map to guide your way.  The rest of the building exteriors were not as well preserved as the meditation caves.

At its peak, the ashram had well over 500 guests and was a vibrant community, with its own post office and printing press.

This was the kitchen where over 500 vegetarian meals were served daily.

The tree lined road had smaller residences built in the 1970s for those training to be TM teachers or participating in other advanced courses.

There were two large halls for lectures, the newer one also had meditation chambers underground.

This was probably the dormitory for ‘normal’ people.

Based on the number of rooms and location, I’m guessing this building was the Beatles’ cabin, although it’s not identified as such.

Since this Ashram was made famous when the Beatles visited, there is a photo gallery from this trip, as well as other celebrities (Mia Farrow and David Lynch) who were devotees.  Included in the display were lyrics inspired by meditation written by the Beatles, Donovan, and Stevie Wonder – as well information on meditation and the guru.

The best location was saved for the Maharishi’s house, a large imposing structure overlooking the river.

The best part of this visit, without a doubt, was all the street art.  It ranged from simple to exquisite.  Imagine walking through a museum inside a park and you will understand how soul filling walking here was for me.

I end this blog post with the photos of men lugging their cargo, witnessed as I rode to and from the airport.  Also, I want to share all the photos of religious buildings in the city, quite varied and beautiful.  Lastly, local street art which mostly centered on Shiva (Rishekesh is known as the city of Shiva).