From Shimla we embarked on another long bus ride southwest and finally out of Himachal Pradesh and into the Uttarakhand region finally arriving at Rishikesh - the yoga capital of the world. The city is situated on the bank of the Ganges an recognizable by it's enormous Shiva statue that rests on the water between the two bridges: Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula. With it's idyllic location on the water, it's numerous temples and ashrams, and its rich history it draws a large crowd of Indian Pilgrims and international tourists. The city is even vegetarian by law. The peaceful pretense is juxtaposed by the reality of thousands of people situated around one main road in Rishikesh. In actuality the city is loud and chaotic, bustling with rickshaws, motorcycles, pedestrians, praying, chanting, cows, monkeys and all sorts of liveliness. The north of India had been so quiet and seemingly sparsely populated in comparison. But this is India. Truly. And I felt awakened here in a way that I hadn't up north. The noise was startling at first but after acclimating I began to see the appeal of Rishikesh and shortly after fell in love with the city.
Underneath Ram Jhula bridge pilgrims and locals bathe in the holy water of the Ganges.
Young boys local to the region play in the waters under the bridge. Passerby on the the bridge often throw them candy.
Boy running and playing in the Ganges
A woman sits peacefully and reflects along the banks of the Ganges.
Every evening around sunset there is ceremony of Ganga Aarti held on the water. The ceremony includes singing and clapping before the release of floating flowered lanterns onto the water. Ceremonies like these are held nightly in cities all along the Ganges and are meant as ritual of worshipping the river that has so much importance in Indian culture.
Gathering around sunset members of the hosting Ashram await for the Ganga Aarti to begin.
Lanterns are made and sold along the river to release into the Ganges as the sun sets.
The candles in the flowers are lit and set free into the river.
At dusk, lanterns begin to fill the Ganges.
Much of life in Rishikesh revolves around the Ganges and spirituality. Many pilgrims come to the city to worship in the temples and to bathe in the holy waters of the river.
A woman bathes her child in the Holy water of the Ganges
Woman practice ritualistic washing in the river. The chain can be attached to those who cannot swim to keep from drowning.
A man looks out at the water with the Lakshman Jhula bridge in the background
A woman sells vermillion powder. The powder is applied between the eyebrows to signify the third eye and the sixth chakra.
Rishikesh earned international fame when The Beatles stayed at an Ashram in the city in 1968. More recently, the Ashram succumbed to financial ruin but is still a well known destination. It's hidden behind locked doors on a bath past Ram Jhula but a small donation to the guarding Baba will grant you entrance. The buildings are now crumbling and most of them covered in vines and graffiti dedicated to The Beatles and other inspirational peaceful historic characters including Ghandi.
Artwork memorializing The Beatles' time at the Ashram decorates the remnants of the buildings.
But not all of the city is completely holy or spiritual. There's plenty of shopping and souvenir hunting to be had.
Artisan crafts are often found in the shops. This man is hand carving a candle lantern.
The eccentricity of the city comes from it's considered holiness juxtaposed with the vibrant chaos of animals and people that is characteristic to many Indian cities.
A cow stands amidst a large build up of trash on the perimeter of the city.
Woman walk down a road towards Lakshman Jula in the direction of Rishikesh.
Monkeys everywhere.
A man charms his Cobra by playing the pungi.
I practiced a lot of Yoga in Rishikesh so I wasn't surprised at the soreness that enveloped my body one evening while crawling into bed. But throughout the night the soreness amplified and was accompanied by feverish chills and such a headache that I thought my brain might burst out of my skull. I pulled out every piece of clothing I had packed in my small backpack but my teeth continued their incessant chatter. On the second day it was recommended I visit a hospital but I was too ill to consider the rickshaw ride that would take me there. I did manage to exchange emails with my sister who was still in Laos and confirmed that it was most likely Dengue. Miserably I crawled back in bed and waited for it to pass. But it wasn't until well into the third day that I could consider getting out of bed. And on that day I sat stood with the swedish-Israeli couple as we waved my friend off as the cab took her back to Delhi and she was homeward bound.
Rishikesh was often recognized by the large Shiva statue which was recently swept away in the 2013 floods that killed