Rishikesh, located on the banks of the deeply revered Mother Ganga, is a truly unique city in Northern India, where one can vibe on spirituality. I associate Rishikesh as a city with walls full of beautiful graffiti and a hippie vibe. It’s not a typical modern city, but rather a place isolated from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. Mother Ganga with its clean waters and serene flow cuts you off from the chaos and pollution of a big city like Delhi.
Nothing seemed to have changed from my last visit here. But one of the cafe owners said that the city is changing everyday. He said a few years back a new yoga studio would pop up every day; now, it’s a cafe. I went there for a chanting concert by Krishna Das, conducted to raise funds for a local cancer hospital, Ganga Prem Hospice, which provides free treatment to terminally ill patients. It is his annual ritual now and coincided with our India trip this year. The dedication of the volunteers for this noble cause who traveled from far to organize and ensure the event’s success was heartwarming. Everyone I talked to, mentioned how personal this cause was for them. The event was attended by roughly 10,000 people over two days. Never experienced this vibe in any of Krishna Das’s American concerts I attended in the past. Imagine 5000 people on day one, jumping and going crazy singing Hanuman Chalisa and other chants for more than three hours and vibing together in Rishikesh. What would you give to have a voice that could raise close to half a million dollars in just two days in service of others?
The city’s evolving vibe is driven by three primary draws. The area that is surrounding Ram Jhoola has a lot of well known traditional ashrams and temples on the banks of river Ganga owned and managed as trusts of various Gurus (like Parmarth Niketan, Omkarananda, Trayambakeshwar temples, Beatles ashram, and others). This is where one set of Indian population (primarily families) who are seeking spirituality in the traditional way come and stay. This is where you will get to experience the famous evening Ganga ji prayers as well. Then you have the Tapovan area surrounding Laxman Jhoola, which is where most of the non-indian visitors and younger set of travelers come and stay. This is the area where you will see all the yoga classes and the exotic cafe scene. Then you have the activity scene up in the hills where either the younger population come for rafting or trekking. The common theme that binds everyone who is coming to Rishikesh is the idea of free flow, spiritual vibe and getting high.
The city’s vibe felt more chilled out than my last visit, or perhaps I was more relaxed this time to fully experience it. The food scene has improved. The spirit needs to be nourished properly if any salvation needs to be achieved. The chaos is still there but it didn’t bother me as much as I was only there for a couple of days. Plus the charm at many levels of this city also lies in its old-world feels and slower pace. The Indian youth scene is thriving and rolling. It was refreshing to see a lot of solo travelers out and about. They are experimenting more, isolating themselves from the traditional societal set ups, chasing thrills, and some of them using Rishikesh as a stop to further trek up in the mountains. Youth hostels, which are common in the west, have come up in a big way in India and are a great way for younger people to feel safe during their stays, socialize and make friends. I noticed lots of construction activity hinting at future tourism potential. The city walls are covered in flyers for spiritual offerings on Kundalini yoga, Cacao ceremonies, Sound baths, Ecstasy dances and Yoga workshops. People have learnt from the west and have broken multi-year pursuits into smaller chunks to fit in the customized time schedules. They provide an opportunity to explore by snippets and bytes. Obviously it is a more enriching experience to go deeper and spend dedicated time in these pursuits. It is a place where a lot of young Indian and non-Indian travelers with limited budgets, likely in their early 20s, living the most carefree time of their life, experience exotic India in a very unique way. If one wants to get high on spirit, levitate a bit, experience byte-sized spiritual shortcuts, or sit in solitude on the banks of Mother Ganga and experience her silent mystical power, Rishikesh is the place for you.
