Gurgaon
Information about Gurgaon city and places around Gurgaon India and NCR.

Destination: Rishikesh [Location on Map]
State: Uttaranchal
Distance by road: It is around 224kms away from Delhi.
Nearest Railway Station: It is at Haridwar, at a distance of around 25kms.
Nearest Airport: Jolly Grant
Best Season: September-April

Rishikesh is situated on the peaceful banks of the holy river Ganga in the lap of the lower Garhwal Hills. Its exact location is 25kms upstream from Haridwar in Uttranchal and is approximately 224kms away from Delhi. The city is known for its spirituality. Here, you will often come across foreign tourists wearing saffron kurtas written ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ or sages taking bath in Ganga.

The place has been named after the holy name of Lord Vishnu ‘Hrishikesh’. Hindu scriptures and literature tell the significance of Rishikesh through the ancient story where the devil named Madhu was killed by Lord Vishnu. The actual meaning of Rishikesh is defined in Sanskrit collaborating Rishik (or senses) and ish (or master), its meaning stands for ‘he who has conquered his senses’.

Its is strongly believed by the people of in this place that Lord Rama and Laxman both still sits together in this holy Hindu town as while traveling through Haridwar to Rishikesh one has to pass through the Rama jhula, an impressive bridge build over the moving waters of the river Ganga. The jhula symbolizes the ancient belief that Lord Rama had crossed the sacred river Ganga with a jute rope. The best part about the bridge is the swing as its keeps on moving even with the slightest movement of the gentle breeze. There is a cluster of ashrams adjacent to it. The Rama jhula is connected with the two famous ashrams, the Swargashram and the Shivanand Ashram. One can also witness the existence of another jhula called the Laxman jhula which is build at the place where Lord Rama’s brother Laxman crossed the river.

The Rama Jhula

Rishikesh is the centre point for the Char Dham yatra that leads one to Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. The city is full of the temples, ashrams and shops selling religious books, malla’s and other holy items. A very famous temple called Bharat Mandir is located near the Triveni Ghat which is at the south of the road from Haridwar. From the east bank of the river Ganga one can find the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple where Lord Shiva had to hold the poison churned from the sea in his throat to save the world.

On one hand the place offers profound spiritual expeditions and on the other the tourists get attracted towards the young, energetic and adventurous sports like para-gliding, trekking and river rafting.

Rishikesh is visited by thousands of tourists every year including pilgrims and other visitors from different parts of India and the rest of the world. Tourists coming by air can easily drop at the Indira Gandhi or Palam airport and hire a comfortable taxi running straight to Rishikesh which will take around 5 and half hours. If you prefer air transport only, some flights are lined up but the nearest airport is the Jolly Grant airport only which is located in Dehradun from where again private taxis are the most convenient option.

Rail transport department has scheduled many trains with reduced stoppages and time duration from Delhi as well as Gurgaon. The trains are headed toward Haridwar only as there is no railway junction in Rishikesh from where a bus or the taxi would take around 45mins for reaching the final destination. The normal taxi rates are around 6-7 rupees per kilometer which would vary according to your own priorities of hiring either A.c or non A.c.