Day2 - 17 May 2008- Haridwar and Rishikesh

Having had a good night's rest, and keen to cover as much ground as possible within the limited time at our disposal, we set off at 7.45 AM in the direction of Rishikesh. Ever since I read ( and re-read) books on and by the Himalayan Master,Swami Rama, I had nursed a hope of staying at the Ashram founded by him (called Sadhana Mandir) at Ram nagar, a few kilometers away from Rishikesh. So, that became our first stop for the day.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Rishikesh town, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, Sadhana Mandir is located on the banks of the holy river, Ganga or the Ganges. Surrounded by beautiful flowering plants, mango trees and a lotus pond, a quiet and serene atmosphere pervades over the ashram. The ashram totally lived up to my expectations!

It has about 30 guest rooms which open out to the view of a wide and calm River Ganga flowing along at its own sweet pace. A tarred road on a tank bund separates the Ashram buildings from the River. Across the river , can be seen dense jungles and small hillocks.

I chatted briefly with the manager Mr. KP Singh, a retired police officer, and found that the room rent was so inexpensive! Just Rs. 200 per day incl of food ! WOW ! I pledged then and there that I would return and spend more time at the Ashram some day.

After spending about a half hour inside the premises and walking by the peaceful bank of the ganges, listening to the chirping of exotic birds and other sounds of nature, we proceeded towards Ram Jhula near the town of Rishikesh. Ram Jhula is a modern and picturesque suspension bridge, with Himalayan foothills in the backdrop. It has room for only foot traffic and in India that includes feet of cattle, so, one has to be careful while walking ! The nearby Laxman Jhula is an older bridge more famous for being the location where some of the well known Hindi movies have been shot. There are several “touristy” ashrams which one can visit along the banks of the river to learn Yoga and meditation. For the adventurous, there is the possibility of experiencing river rafting on the Ganges from the several adventure sports companies located upstream from Rishikesh. One could spend endless hours shopping for stones, gems, necklaces, although it is better to have a guide with you if you want genuine stuff. (Yes, one could get ripped off in holy places too !)

A few pictures later, realising that the dull roaring sound was not from the river below but from my stomach, we broke fast at a very famouseatery called 'Chotiwalla's' The name roughly translates into "Man with a tuft of hair like an antenna". I was amazed at the variety of cuisines this joint had- Chinese, Gujarati, Punjabi, South Indian, you name it...Apparently, It is an ISO 9000 certified eatery. Now, thats food for some thought, eh?? :-)

A garishly made up actor sits outside the eatery dressed as a Chotiwala and serves as an excellent advertisement to get hungry tourists inside. Like everyone else, we posed for pictures with him.

As I watched the River Ganga from high up on the multi storied Tryambakeshwar temple, I was struck by a thought. The range of activities that people perform on Gangaji is amazing. They wash themselves in it, immerse the ashes of the dead, they use it for white water rafting ; and some rather unmentionable activities as well. And Yet, the mighty river moves on- Undaunted and unperturbed- almost challenging man to try and disturb her.

Like at Haridwar, religious tourism reaches a Zenith at Rishikesh. Spirituality and religion are for sale everywhere - from sacred beads to ‘OM’ emblazoned T-shirts to books and CDs on Yoga and meditation, gemstones and jewellery. There is no dearth of buyers and business is booming. The ubiquitous ‘foreign’ tourists in search of Nirvana are a big help in improving the economy of the area! Most of them are very “clued in”- totally at ease with the local culture, cuisine and incredibly, even the sometimes annoyingly hot weather. You can see them everywhere - typically in grungy dresses with Indian spiritual motifs, staying at Ashrams, eating local cuisine, shopping, even bargaining for goods ! (Not something one could do in a western mall ! )
It really made me sit up and think – how a lot of educated Indians aspire to ‘Go West’ to get rich and have it all and here you can see ‘the westerners’ leaving the material comforts of their homes in the distant west and thoroughly enjoying their quest for Nirvana in places like Rishikesh !

Coming back to the Journey, we proceeded towards our next halt of the temple called Neelkanth Mahadev. This is where lord Shiva is said to have swallowed poison and locked it in hes throat , in order to save Humanity from its effects. Due to the poison, His throat turned Blue , hence the name Neel Kanth (BlueThroat) . Frankly, I did not find it different from any other crowded temple. But the road to and from the shrine had many interesting scenic spots along the way!

On the way back to Haridwar, stopped for lunch at Raiwalla at Midway resorts. Had a rather overpriced lunch there and set out for the Chandi Devi temple at Haridwar. The temple is on a hill overlooking Haridwar and can be reached via a ropeway, Since I had not used the ropeway in India at all, I was looking forward to the opportunity. A short ride of 5 minutes later (costing Rs 80 per person for a 2 way ride. Totally worth it... considering the views en route and the utter silence of the hills as the ropeway ascends ...!

Back to our accomodation by 7.45 PM, we had missed the very popular Ganga Aarati held daily evening on the banks of the River Ganga. Instead, after dinner, we sat down on the riverfront at 'Har-ki-Pauri' for about an hour just watching life go by. The entire riverfront is a big, brightly lit marketplace with people selling a lot of the 'spiritual' sounding knick knacks and a huge number of vegetarian hotels all providing vegetarian fare.

I also ventured into the parallel road of the riverbank to meet my travel agent and the walk was priceless.It is something like mixing the street of Las vegas squeezed into the space of a small room. Blindingly bright lights, rows of shops selling curios, jewellery, souvenirs ... and oh so delicious Sweeets like rabdi and Jalebis!! Yum Yum !

Another day gone.. quite tired but also excited and ready to begin the main journey the next day... See you tomorrow as we start off early morning towards Yamunotri, the sacred birthplace of River Yamuna.