The Ganges River leaves the Himalayas and enters the Gangetic Plain at the city of Haridwar. A long time ago, during a war between the Devas and the Asuras, the lord Vishnu dropped four drops of sacred nectar over India – one of which landed at Haridwar. This combination of spiritual and modern geography makes Haridwar one of India’s most sacred cities. In a land of increasing water scarcity, it is easy to understand the worship of India’s greatest river, which carries the cold glacial meltwater of the Himalayan plateau to irrigate the sun drenched plains. Just upstream from Haridwar, where the river winds through forested foothills, numerous sages and yogis have built their ashrams in Haridwar’s twin, Rishikesh. Rishikesh is only a 2.5 hour drive from the language school where I’ve been studying, so last weekend a fellow student and I decided to take a break from our studies and see the holy river. We originally intended to include Haridwar in our itinerary as well, but Rishikesh turned out to be more than enough for a weekend, particularly with the scorching heat of the dry season still in full force down in the lowlands. The monsoon has arrived here in Mussoorie, bringing wandering mists and drenching rains, but down in Rishikesh, the lowest temperature I recorded (at dawn) was 90 F, and it must have been about 110 in the midday sun. Rishikesh is known as a hang out for western spiritual seekers and traumatized young Israeli ex-soldiers, but they must leave when it gets hot – I saw plenty of businesses which seemed to cater towards westerners, but the streets were packed with Indians. This is the summer holidays in India, and also the peak of the Char Dum pilgrimage to the high mountain temples which mark the sources of the Ganges. After studying at a quiet school in the mountains for 5 weeks, the crowds were overwhelming.
Traffic jam on the road to Rishikesh
Washing away sins in the Ganges. It is brown now, due to monsoon rain, but I hear that in the dry season it is clear in Rishikesh.
A few of the topics you can study in Rishikesh's ashrams
The Ashrams have beautiful gardens and facilities.
I don't know anything about Swami Omkarananda, in whose ashram we stayed, but I liked the motto by the gate.
I’m afraid my pictures hardly capture the visual festival of Rishikesh. I don’t have any pictures of the Sadhus and Sanyasis who fill the streets - some are educated men who have retired to devote their life to studying ancient texts and worshipping god. Others are young men who have deep spiritual callings – while others remind me more of the homeless lost souls who wander the streets of west coast cities like Berkeley and Eugene. Many receive food at the ashrams – Rishikesh’s ashrams seem quite prosperous – while many others beg on the streets. Some are resident, while others are wanderers, here, perhaps, for the Char Dum, or still left over from this year’s Khumba Mela. Their world is foreign to me, and I feel uncomfortable taking their photos without having a chance to get to know them. I would like to learn more about this world.
A view of Ram Jhula - one of the two pedestrian suspension bridges crossing the river here. Unfortunately, they seem to think motorcycles are pedestrians, so you are always at risk of getting chased off the bridge by a racing motorcycle.
I didn't particularly like the gaps between the cracked and worn paving stones. These bridges were built in the 1980s, and show some signs of wear.
The baby monkey on the Lakshman Jhula bridge looked pretty cute, but then he grabbed my leg and wouldn't let go. I kicked back, and then the rest of his family started chasing after me, grabbing at me.
Next time, I took the boat.
Actual conversation between me and a Sadhu outside of a temple:
Sadhu: Which country you are coming from?
Me: USA
Sadhu: USA – America?
Me: Ha (means yes in Hindi)
Sadhu: Barack Obama – President?
Me: Ha, Ha
Sadhu: Michelle Obama – Wife?
Me: Ha, Ha
Sadhu: Two children (uses his hand to indicate that they are small children)
Me: Ha, Ha,
Sadhu: New York City?
Me: Ha
Sadhu: Washington DC?
Me: Ha, Ha
Sadhu: Yuba City?
The river is powerful and fast moving here, and is popular for whitewater rafting. I thought that since I grew up among the great whitewater rivers of New England, I could skip rafting in India, but I don't think any of our rivers back home carry this much water through their whitewater sections.
I also don’t have any pictures of the beautiful shops, filled with bangles, brass and bronze idols, carved wooden boxes, and ayurvedic medicines – or the vegetarian restaurants packed with pilgrims, or the little carts selling tiny mangos that make your mouth pucker like you ate a sour lemon – or larger long sweet mangoes that melt in your mouth. And I don’t have many pictures of the crowds of pilgrims – one feels uncomfortable taking pictures of people bathing or sleeping on the ghats (steps leading down to the river).
Full moon over the Ganges
Depending on your perspective, Haridwar & Rishikesh are famous for different things. For most westerners Rishikesh is best known as the place where the Beatles went on a retreat together in 1968. Ringo disliked the vegetarian food and left after a couple weeks, but the rest remained for a few months, studying with their teacher, Maharishi, and composing many of the songs on the White Album. For others, Rishikesh is known as the yoga capital of the world, full of famous ashrams and yoga teachers. The ashram where we rented a quiet, clean room with a view of the river for about $7 offered yoga classes taught by a Swiss woman who had been confined to a wheelchair until several years of study with B.K.S. Iyengar himself had enabled her to walk again.
But for Indians, Haridwar is better known as one of the four sites where Vishnu dropped that sacred nectar – and as a result, one of the four locations in India where the world’s largest gathering of people, the Khumba Mela, is held. Each of these cities (the others are Allahabad, Ujjain, and Nasik) hosts a Khumba Mela once every 12 years – so there is one Khumba Mela every 3 years. This winter was Haridwar’s turn, and the giant religious festival attracted approximately 50 million pilgrims. There is a part of me that deeply regrets missing what must be an amazing and moving gathering. Imagine the population of 2.5 New York’s invading a city about the size of Eugene, OR, or Portland, ME, all intent on worshipping the sacred river. I’ve seen pictures of hordes of the naked wandering Naga sadhus, who seem to be the strangest and most exotic of India’s spiritual orders. But I don’t know where those 50 million people use the bathroom, nor who brings them clean drinking water… and it seems that every Khumba Mela some pilgrims are killed in stampedes, as millions try to bathe in the river at the most auspicious hour.
One of the Ashrams conducts a Ganga Aarthi (worship ceremony) every evening, in front of their statue of Shiva. Most of the service is led by the boys from the Ashram school. It is very beautiful, and I've heard that although it is not as elaborate as the one in Haridwar, it is nicer since the crowds are smaller. Incidentally, the sign on Shiva's pedestal, with the Dalai Lama and L.K. Advani, asks people not to pollute the sacred river.
The musicians were excellent.
Especially this drummer.
Everyone was singing along.
Shiva meditating in the river at dusk.
Old man meditating on a rock in the river at dawn.
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