Rishikesh is a small religious town in the northern state of Uttarakhand on the River Ganges , where the water is believed to be holy water by the Hindus. The centre of the town is really hectic and busy and not the reason why travellers to go to Rishikesh. Further on from the main town are 2 suspension bridges that span the ganges, one at a place called Ram Jhula and the other at Laxshman Jhula. When you cross either of theses bridges you reach the part of Rishikesh that is of interest to most travellers. This is known as the world capitol of yoga and has many Ashrams where Hindus and travellers alike go and stay. It is a really bustling place with good eateries and shops selling all the usual travellers clothes, jewellery, crafts such as thankas etc. This photo is taken from our balcony looking over the River Ganges to that part of the town.
The Ghats leading down to the River Ganges. Ghats are a set of stairs that lead down to a holy river which people use to walk down to the river to bath in the holy water, perform religious rites or Hindu cremations. Although all Ghats are used for bathing and religious ceremonies not all are used for cremations. We never seen any evidence that these particular Ghats are used for cremation.
The bridge at Laxshman Jhula. It's always really crowded and we decided it was better not to take the bike across. People do, but it's just crazy trying to fight your way through.
There are monkeys galore around the bridge swinging around playing on the high bridge cables like the one in the photo or just sitting around on various parts of the bridge.
You need to be careful if you have any food on your possession as they are not scared to take a grab at you to get at the food. This Indian lady in front of us freaked when a monkey grabbed at her but by the look of the monkeys' chops with a nut in them, it must have got what it wanted.
The other suspension bridge at Ram Jhula, which is the least busy of the two.
A Baba looking out to the River Ganges.
An entrance to Ashram and Ghats.
Colin buying small hand-made biscuits. They are served hot and taste kind of like shortbread with sesame seeds on top. He had been raving about them before we got to Rishikesh as he had loved eating them on previous trips.
Babas sitting chatting.
Women and children sitting by the River Ganges.
The River Ganges at sunset.
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