Rishikesh Yatra in Himalayas
Rishikesh Yatra
Endowed with spectacular natural beauty, Rishikesh is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas. Here the crystal clear Ganges River flows down from the Himalayas! Spiritually surcharging the holy town of Rishikesh has attracted many transcendentalists since time immemorial.
This whole area of Garhwal was famous as Kedarkhand. The Skanda Purana mentions that this area is named as Kubjamrak because here the Supreme Lord appeared before Raibhya Rsi. Raibhya Rsi selected the place for his long austerity. Due to his intense devotion, the Lord was very pleased, and He appeared to the sage as a “Hrishikesh.” The word is a combination of two words ‘Hrishik’ and ‘esh’ – ‘Hrishik’ means senses and ‘esh’ means master, meaning the master of senses, who is none other than Lord Sri Krishna!
Ramayana describes that before going to Devprayag, to atone for the killing Ravana who was a Brahmin by birth, Lord Ramacandra and Lakshmana came here. Lakshmana crossed the Ganges river by building a Jute Bridge which is known as Lakshmana Jhula. This Jute Bridge was replaced by an iron suspension bridge in 1889. The bridge was damaged in the 1924 flood, thereafter the bridge was replaced by a new bridge.
Varaha Purana mentions that the Supreme Lord defeated Madhu and Kaitabha demons in His incarnation as Hayagriva and restored Vedas to Brahma in Kubjamrak (Rishikesh) tirtha. Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.4.17, 2.7.11 & 5.18.6 mentions about the appearance of Lord Hayagriva.
The iconic Lakshmana Jhula, which is in the Tapovana area, where Lakshmana performed penance and the spectacular Ganga Arati every evening on the banks of Ganges at different ghats of Rishikesh are the hallmark attractions of the town! Travelling up the Himalayan ranges on the way to Kunjapuri, one can see breath-taking views of Rishikesh with Ganges River flowing amid the town.
Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita chapter 10.31 and 10.25: “Of flowing rivers I am the Ganges and of immovable things I am the Himalayas.” Here in Rishikesh we can see the Himalayas and the Ganges River flowing right here. So, here we are in the presence of divinity, the presence of the Lord!
Rishikesh and Raibhya Rsi
[Reference: HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami lecture – Himalayan Yatra 2012]
In Skanda Purana it is described that Raibhya Rsi resided at this place. He had very long matted hair locks (jata). One day he came to bathe in Ganges river in the early morning at brahma muhurta time. When he was returning back home, his son named Som Sharma mistakenly thought that a huge wild animal was coming. He got aggressive, took a weapon and killed his own father. When he came to know that he had mistakenly killed his father, he had no bounds of his sorrow and remorsefulness.
Som then performed severe penance here to atone for his mistake by following strict regulations. He performed his penance with such repentance that the demigods became astonished. His bhava was so steadfast that the demigods appeared before him and asked, “What is your desire?” Sharma said, “Because of my own mistake, I killed my father; I have only one desire, if my father can be brought back to life.”
Hearing this, the demigods thought that Sharma had asked for a very big thing. After a person has passed-away, to bring back one to life wasn’t a normal thing. Nevertheless, because they had already given their promise, they brought Raibhya Rsi to life. Thereafter, Raibhya Rsi and his son performed severe penance here. As Raibhya Rsi had already seen the doorways of death and then came back to life; he wanted to know the secrets of birth and death.
Pleased by their intense devotion, the Supreme Lord appeared before them. Lord asked, “What boon can I offer you?” Raibhya Rsi said, “You have arrived here; I have got your darshan, this is Your causeless mercy on me. I have a desire that You please show me how does Your maya-shakti (external energy) works?” Supreme Lord then displayed his various forms of external energy and how it works. Seeing this, Raibhya Rsi became astonished. He then asked boon from Lord, “Your maya-shakti is very complex and to cross over it is impossible, so I want this boon that all living entities should not fall in the trap of maya-shakti; please bestow Your blessings that all living entities can get out of Your maya-shakti.”
Supreme Lord was very pleased by hearing this from Raibhya Rsi. Lord replied, “O Raibhya Rsi, you have performed severe austerities here by controlling your senses, therefore I name this place after Me as Hrishikesh.” (‘Hrishik’ means senses and ‘esh’ means master, meaning the master of senses, who is none other than Lord Sri Krishna.) Lord continued, “Any devout pious living being who comes to Rishikesh and takes bath in this kunda whose name will be Maya Kunda, will not then have to take rebirth and will be free from the trap of My maya-shakti.”
The Sthala Purana of Rishikesh mentions that Raibhya Rsi was thinking that he would not leave this place because Supreme Lord Himself had appeared here. Raibhya Rsi then went to the mountains and resided at the same place where he performed tapasya. His body looked like creepers and bushes exactly like long matted hair locks (jata). And because this place looked like his long matted hair (jata), this place came to be known as Rishikesh (Rsi meaning sage; Kesh meaning jata – long matted hair locks). So, both the names Hrishikesh and Rishikesh are relevant and this is how this place got its name.
Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 19.170 mentions,
sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa- sevanam bhaktir ucyate
“Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses (Hrsikesa). When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.”
Srila Prabhupada in Rishikesh
During his last days, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-acarya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), spent some days in Rishikesh in May 1977 before going to Vrindavana. He stayed at a house called Ganga Darshan, a beautiful two-storey building right at the bank of the Ganges.
One day when Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay, two prominent gentlemen Sriman Narayan and Ramkrishna Bajaj came to meet him. Sriman Narayan was the former Governor of Gujarat and Ramkrishna Bajaj was the chairman of Bajraj Industry. They were very fond of Srila Prabhupada. When they saw that Srila Prabhupada’s health condition was not so good, they suggested that Prabhupada went to Rishikesh, on the bank of the Ganges. And they felt that this change of climate and going to the bank of the Ganges would be good for him. Srila Prabhupada also appreciated that proposal. He told that he’d never been to Rishikesh before. And he liked the idea of being on the bank of the Ganges. So Ramkrishna Bajaj and Sriman Narayan made arrangements for Srila Prabhupada in Rishikesh.
In recent years, Rishikesh has become famous as a place to study yoga and meditation, and there are many ashrams here that attract many foreign tourists to visit here. George Harrison and the Beatles came here in the 1960s.
The town of Rishikesh presents a wonderful opportunity to introduce and preach Krishna Consciousness to foreign and local masses by organizing Hare Krishna Kirtan retreats and other Krishna Consciousness programmes.
Rishikesh is surrounded by Rajaji National Park on the three sides which extends from Himalayan Shiwalik ranges to Gangetic plains. It is a wildlife reserve for elephants and tigers and is popular for picturesque beauty and rich biodiversity.
Places to visit in and around Rishikesh:
1. Lakshmana Jhula
2. Sri Vijaya Raghava Temple
3. Sri Lakshmana Temple
4. Ganga Arati ceremony (evening)
5. Triveni Ghat Sangam
6. Sri Bharat Temple
7. Sri Shatrugna Temple
8. ISKCON Rishikesh
9. Brahmpuri
10. Kunjapuri Temple (28 km)
11. Sri Neela Kantha Mahadeva temple (30 km)
12. Vasistha Cave (25 km)
13. Haridwar (24 km)
14. Devprayag (75 km)
15. Shukratal - where Srila Sukadeva Gosvami recited Srimad-Bhagavatam to Maharaja Pariksit (120 km)
16. Badrinath Dhama (300 km)
Rishikesh is 24 km from another famous holy town of Haridwar and is 45 km from state capital Dehradun, which is also the nearest airport that serves regular flights from Delhi and other parts of India. Rishikesh is also the gateway to famous holy dhama’s further up in Himalayas – Badrinath (Abode of Lord Vishnu), Kedarnath (Lord Siva’s abode), Gangotri (origin point of Ganges River) and Yamunotri (origin point of Yamuna River), which are open to the public only in the summer months (May to September).
1. Lakshmana Jhula
The Lakshmana Jhula is an iconic hanging bridge across the river Ganga. Lakshmana Jhula was originally a jute rope bridge. Lord Rama's younger brother, Lakshmana crossed the river Ganges at this point using Jute Rope Bridge. There was a hanging jute rope bridge here until 1889. This bridge was completely washed away in the 1924 floods and it was replaced by the present iron bridge in 1939. It is 450 feet long and is situated at a height of 70 feet from the river.
Lakshmana performed penance here and is commemorated by the Lakshmana temple which is nearby. Temple is on the west bank of the river by the bridge. Near this temple at Rishi Kund. This is where Lord Rama and Lakshmana took bath to purify themselves from killing the demon Ravana, who was a Brahmin by birth.
This bridge connects two districts Tapovan in the Tehri Garhwal and Jonk in the Pauri Garhwal. Another similar suspension bridge Ram Jhula was built in 1986 at nearby Sivananda Nagar. On the other side of the bridge there are many temples.
This jhula provides a beautiful view of famous temples, ashrams and River Ganges. A thirteen storey temple, called Terah Manzil, near the Lakshmana Jhula is popular amongst visitors. The market around Lakshmana Jhula is famous for wooden goods, precious gems, local jewellery and clothes.
2. Sri Vijaya Raghava Temple
Ancient Sri Vijaya Raghava Temple is next to the Lakshmana Jhula. Most benevolent Sri Sri Sita Rama Lakshmana and Hanuman Ji are the presiding deities at the Temple.
3. Sri Lakshmana Temple (Tapovana)
Close to the Lakshmana Jhula is Sri Lakshmana Temple. This area is also called Tapovana because Lord Rama and Lakshmana performed penance (tapasya) here. This temple is the exact spot where Lakshmana performed penance. This original deity of Lord Lakshmana was installed by Adi Shankaracharya.
The temple is famous for its huge and beautiful architecture. It is a 13 floor structure and each floor has many small temples. The top floor of the temple offers panoramic view of sunset over the mountains of Rishikesh and attracts a large number of visitors.
4. Ganga Arati and Descent of Mother Ganges
Rishikesh is famous for the evening Ganga Arati which take place at the banks of various ghats around Rishikesh. Indeed, it is absolutely a spectacular and reverberating experience to watch this Arati ceremony!
Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 9 Chapter 9 describes how the Ganges River descended on earth. The son of Maharaja Amsuman was Dilīpa, who tried to bring the Ganges to this world but he died without success. Bhagīratha, the son of Dilīpa, was determined to bring the Ganges to the material world, and for this purpose he underwent severe austerities. Mother Ganges, being fully satisfied by his austerities, made herself visible to him, wanting to give him a benediction. Bhagīratha then asked her to deliver his forefathers.
Although mother Ganges agreed to come down to earth, she made two conditions: first, she wanted some suitable male to be able to control her waves; second, although all sinful men would be freed from sinful reactions by bathing in the Ganges, mother Ganges did not want to keep all these sinful reactions. These two conditions were subject matters for consideration.
Bhagīratha replied to mother Ganges, “Lord Siva will be completely able to control the waves of your water, and when pure devotees bathe in your water, the sinful reactions left by sinful men will be counteracted.”
Bhagīratha then performed austerities to satisfy Lord Siva, who is called Asutosa because he is naturally satisfied very easily. Lord Siva agreed to Bhagīratha’s proposal to check the force of the Ganges. In this way, simply by the touch of the Ganges, Bhagīratha’s forefathers were delivered and allowed to go to the heavenly planets.
5. Triveni Ghat Sangam
Triveni Ghat Sangam is right at the foothills of the Himalayas. Here at Muni-Ki-Reti (abode of the Rishis), the Ganges emerges out of the Himalayan foothills and there is a confluence of subterranean Yamuna and Saraswati that flow together. Ganga Arati at Triveni Ghat, also called as the Maha Arati, happens daily during evenings at around 6 pm. It is a well-attended event.
6. Sri Bharat Temple
Sri Bharat Mandir is the most ancient, sacred and famous temple in Rishikesh. Temple is located in the heart of Rishikesh. Sri Hrishikesh Narayana is the presiding deity. According to Skanda Purana, Raibhya Rsi and his son Som Sharma meditated here for blessing from Supreme Lord. Due to their intense devotion, Lord appeared here and told them that the place will be called Hrishikesh as they overcome their senses. Adi Shankaracharya installed the deity at the temple in 789 A.D. on the Basant Panchami Festival day. Every year, on Basant Panchami the Shaligram shila is taken for a holy bath in the sacred Maya Kund near Triveni Ghat and then carried in a grand procession through the city to be taken back to the temple for the symbolic reinstallation.
This temple is mentioned in Vishnu Purana and Vamana Purana. Lord Hrishikesh Narayana, known locally as Sri Bharat Ji Maharaj is different from Lord Rama's younger brother Bharat. The Lord is holding Sankha (conch), Chakra (disc), Gada (mace) and Padma (lotus) in His four hands. The five Pandavas visited here on their way to Badrinath. Having stayed here for some period, they performed worship of Lord Hrishikesh Narayan.
Just opposite to the main entrance of temple there is a unique age-old tree. It is a combination of three different trees (banyan, pipal and bael trees) whose roots are intermingled that it is not possible to visualize them as a separate entity. A small traditional school is also located in the temple. This school teaches Sanskrit language in Gurukul system.
A Museum, containing sculptures, pottery and decorated bricks found in the temple premises during excavation, has recently been established in the temple.
7. Sri Shatrugna Temple
Sri Shatrughna temple is an ancient temple situated on the banks of holy river Ganges near Ram Jhula. This temple is dedicated to Shatrughna, Lord Rama's brother. Shatrughna was the youngest of four sons of Dasharatha. He was born to Sumitra, the third wife of the king. The name Shatrughna means destroyer of enemies. He was married to Shrutakirti, cousin of Sita. Shatrughna killed the great demon Lavanasura, the nephew of Ravana.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 9 chapter 10 describes, “Being prayed for by the demigods, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth Himself, directly appeared with His expansion and expansions of the expansion. Their holy names were Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrugna. These celebrated incarnations thus appeared in four forms as the sons of Maharaja Dasharatha.”
Nearby is Ram Jhula, iron suspension bridge on the river Ganges. Ram Jhula connects Muni Ki Reti with Swargashram. It is 2 km from Lakshmana Jhula and was built in 1986.
8. ISKCON Rishikesh Temple
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has a Temple in Rishikesh. The address is:
ISKCON Rishikesh,
Virbhadra Road, Gali No. 2 Sturida Colony,
Opposite Avas Vikas Colony,
Near Sri Yogendra Public School,
Rishikesh.
ISKCON Rishikesh: https://www.facebook.com/iskconrishikesh/
9. Brahmpuri
Travelling 8 km upstream from Lakshmana Jhula alongside Ganges River is an ancient place called Brahmpuri. When Lord Ramacandra and Lakshmana were going to Devprayag, They spent some time and meditated here. When Lord Rama was meditating in a Cave here (the original cave is still there), His meditation was disturbed by the loud sound of fast flowing Ganges. Lord Rama decided to leave the place. At that time, the personification of Ganges, Srimati Ganga Devi appeared. She offered her respectful obeisances and with folded hands requested Lord Rama stay at this place.
When Lord Rama said that His meditation was disturbed due to the loud sound of Ganges, Ganga Devi mellowed her flow in this area and said that as long as Ganges will flow on this planet, her flow in this area will remain mellow. As a result, there is no sound from her flowing within half a kilometre in this area.
The Bhagavata mahatmya in Padma Purana mentions this is also the place when many kalpas ago in the beginning of creation Narada Muni and Sanata Kumaras discussed Srimad-Bhagavatam here. This is where Sanata Kumaras instructed Narada Muni on the precepts of Bhagavatam. It is mentioned that there is a beautiful place next to the Ganges where they discussed under a Banyan tree. The Banyan tree still exists.
10. Kunjapuri
As Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 chapters 3 to 5 describe, when Sati, the consort of Lord Siva had self-immolated herself when Daksha was performing yajna, Lord Siva carried her body. Here at Kunjapuri Devi Temple, the chest of burned Sati had fallen. It is located 28 km on a hill north of Rishikesh. From Kunjapuri Temple one can see panoramic views of Rishikesh and snow-capped Himalayas.
11. Sri Neelkanth Mahadev Temple
Sri Neelkanth Mahadev Temple is situated on a hill, 5,500 ft above sea level, and 32 km from Rishikesh. Lord Siva received the name Neela Kantha after he drank the poison (halahal) produced from the churning of the Milk Ocean. Due to the poison his neck became blue. ‘Neela’ means blue and ‘kantha’ means throat. According to Skanda Purana, Lord Siva meditated here for very long time after this incident.
From the Neelkanth temple one can climb 2 km to the Parvati temple, which is located on top of a high hill. From the Parvati temple another 2 km further up the hill is a cave (gufa), where there is a small temple. There are amazing views of Himalayas along the way.
12. Vasistha Cave
Vasistha Cave (gufa) is an ancient cave where great sage Vasistha meditated. It is located 25 km from Rishikesh on the way to Devprayag on Badrinath highway. Cave is located against the picturesque backdrop of the Himalayas and with the pristine Ganges river flowing behind.
How Madhu and Kaitabha Were Killed by Lord Hayagriva
Unable to carry on his work of creation without the Vedas, Brahma rushed to the Lord and pleaded to the Supreme Lord for His mercy and to protect Vedas. Seeing Brahma humbled, Lord incarnated as Hayagriva, as the white Horse faced to destroy the Asuras and restore the Vedas to Brahma. Lord Hayagriva thus, in a grandest, beautiful manner rushed to Patalaloka (lower planets) and with His raised transcendental sound terrified Madhu and Kaitabha.
Afraid, they hid the Vedas and ran away from the scene. Lord Hayagriva handed over the Vedas to Brahma and went back. Returning back with restored confidence, Madhu and Kaitabha searched for the sound which terrified them earlier but found the source of sound as well as their stolen Vedas were missing. Angered, they both again rushed to Brahma to take revenge. Brahma in-turn was terribly scared and sought the help of Lord. Lord Hayagriva appeared and fought with asuras and killed them. Brahma re-continued his work of creation.
That is why Lord is also called as Madhusudhana, for having killed Madhu and Kaitabha.
How to reach Rishikesh:
Rishikesh is 24 km from another famous holy town of Haridwar and is 45 km from state capital Dehradun, which is also the nearest airport that serves regular flights from Delhi and other parts of India. Rishikesh is also the gateway to famous holy dhama’s further up in Himalayas – Badrinath (Abode of Lord Vishnu), Kedarnath (Lord Siva’s abode), Gangotri (origin point of Ganges river) and Yamunotri (origin point of Yamuna river), which are open to the public only in the summer months (May to September).
Accommodation in Rishikesh:
MVT has a guesthouse (Mayapur Vrindavana Trust) in Rishikesh. More details are on website:
https://mvtindia.com/rishikesh/Useful Resources:
Glories of Rishikesh (HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami Maharaj’s lecture - Himalayan Yatra 2012):
Srila Prabhupada in Rishikesh:
Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Chapter 51: https://vedabase.io/en/library/spl/2/51/
Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Chapter 52: https://vedabase.io/en/library/spl/2/52/
Srila Prabhupada in Rishikesh (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz3GTbc6MSo
My Experiences and Associations with Srila Prabhupada (HH Bhakti Charu Swami): http://www.dandavats.com/?p=18571
Glories of Mother Ganga:
Mother Ganga (Incredible Movie): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLdcbUvbi-A
Wonderful lectures (HH Bhakti Caitanya Swami - Himalayan Yatra 2011):
Kirtan Fest Rishikesh (HH Indradyumna Swami):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzTKzdyA09Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUyIb3i6Ypk
https://www.facebook.com/indradyumna/posts/10216536780554963
ISKCON Rishikesh: https://www.facebook.com/iskconrishikesh/
MVT Guesthouse Rishikesh: https://mvtindia.com/rishikesh/
Holy Pilgrimages ~ Journey to Holy Dhamas: www.Holy-Pilgrimages.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HolyPilgrimages
Holy Dham: www.HolyDham.com
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare |
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ||
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