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I headed towards Laxman Jhula next morning. Laxman Jhula is a quite and serene place that is separated from the noise and hurry of the town of Rishikesh just a few kilometers away. The Jhula itself is a cable stayed bridge across the Ganges. Laxman Jhula has a few temples located around it, including the tall Trayambakeshwar temple. Temples apart, Ganges and the surrounding scenery look beautiful, with the river flowing out from the mountains into the plains of North India.
Ganga flowing out of foothills into Rishikesh
Laxman Jhula with temples in the backdrop
As I walk towards the bridge, I notice a man with an interesting make-up and ask him for a few photographs. He obliges gladly, and then makes a justified request for a token donation for his service. He mumbles a few words later in Hindi which I don’t understand well. I think he invited me to his Ashram and asked me to have lunch before I proceed, but I am not sure.
The man with the interesting makeup
You see three kinds of people around the Jhula. The tourists, hawkers and the babas. Some tourists are here to see the place, and some are here to experience the peace that Rishikesh offers. A few more stay on to learn Yoga or music. Rishikesh, with so many Ashrams and Yoga teaching centers justifiably dons the name of ‘Yoga Capital of the World’.
And there is variety in the things that hawkers sell. It may be a small place but there is everything that the tourist would look for. There are hotels, guest houses, restaurants, shops selling souvenirs like gems and jewelleries and shawls, money changers and everything else. Some one is baking fresh cookies across the bridge and I buy a few. An old man is baking fresh papads and they are tempting on this cold morning.
Fresh Cookies! The banner in front says fresh, hot and tasty!
As I cross the bridge and walk further, the shops give way to mango orchards and Ashrams in the middle of forest. A few noisy jungle babblers are hopping from tree to tree. I reach to Ram Jhula, another footbridge across the river akilometer downstream. The footbridges are meant for pedestrians, but two wheelers squeeze their way along, and sometimes cows feel like crossing the river too.
Swargashram is the area beyond Ram Jhoola, a quite and serene place filled with Ashrams. The small path in Swargashram area runs right next to the river, and is crowded with shops, restaurants, and internet centers on one side and ashrams on the other side. I walk past some bigger ashrams of Rishikesh like the Geeta Bhavan and Parmarth Niketan. A hoarding in front of Parmarth Niketan announced the annual Yoga festival which was about to happen on the next month(first week of March). I loved the Swargashram, its quiteness and vibes, and the Ganga flowing right next to it, and immediately checked into a neat and tidy hotel behind Parmarth Niketan.
More on Rishikesh at paintedstork.com
* Rishikesh photo gallery
* Arriving at Rishikesh.
* Walking around Laxman Jhula
* Ganga Aarthi at Rishikesh
* Photo Essay: Babas of Rishikesh
* Rishikesh to Kaudiyala
* About Rishikesh
Auli -> Rishikesh -> Corbett National Park -> Varanasi -> Agra
+Next: Rishikesh and Laman Jhula
It was the morning of early February. It was pleasantly cold in the morning when I headed out in a noisy auto-rikshaw towards the airport. It was mildly foggy, which made the slopes of the inner ring road look picturesque and beautiful. I was heading out to North India and was to be travelling for a month. I was a little nervous but very happy. I had been thinking about travelling like this for a long time, and when it was about to materialize, I planned it for a few months and anticipated for this day.
If the signs in the beginning were anything that would indicate the success of my journey, they were not very encouraging. I had a tough time getting a taxi to the airport, and the flight was delayed while we waited for fog to clear. I reached Delhi an hour later than I was supposed to.
But the weather in Delhi seemed too perfect to be true. I have heard many rants about the extreme weathers in Delhi which rises to as high as 40 in summers and drops near zero in the winter. Newspapers were full of news about cold waves that affected north India. But I was there at a time when winter was giving up its hold, and the day looked perfect. It was mildly cold and comfortable. The breeze coming on to my face reminded me that it is winter, but the mild sun neutralized it. It was so pleasant that I forgot all about the delays and the waiting, and found myself smiling. It was a good beginning.
An hour long taxi ride took me to Interstate Bus Stand somewhere in the middle of Delhi. This is the second time I am in Delhi, and as I moved around, I could not help but appreciate the open spaces that Delhi boasts of. We drove through thickly wooded area for nearly 30 minutes, which gave way to large buildings and wide roads. The traffic is smooth and uninterrupted though that is not the case in all parts of the town.
I was heading to Rishikesh from the bus terminus. Travelling by day means you are unlikely to get a comfortable bus that can take you through the journey with out much pains. I ended up getting into an old rickety, congested bus which stopped at every possible place. I was the first one to get inside and managed to find the most comfortable place of what was available. There is no good place to eat at the bus terminus, so I end up skipping lunch. The skimpy breakfast offered by the airline is all the I got to eat through the day.
If the taxi ride was comfortable and took me through the best and spacious streets of Delhi, the bus went through just the opposite. The roads were congested and the traffic was too much. It became hotter as the day progressed. Our driver seemed to prefer the right lane for driving. He bullied the smaller vehicles to give way, honked away to glory and has little care for lane discipline – probably a concept he never knows.
The people in general appear friendly and minutes after the bus starts, strangers start conversation and make friends. The topic of conversation varies from politics to hot weather to merchants who swindle the buyers and much more. The bus breaks suddenly somewhere and an old man who was not yet seated falls down. People rush to help him stand, but he is fortunately not injured. The driver is apologetic but conveniently blames the traffic. It is an accepted means of apology in a world where people do not expect the formal ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ but understand subtle expressions of the same.
The bus eventually leaves Delhi and enters the fertile Gangetic planes. The entire highway is swarming with vehicles and the journey is painfully slow. Bullock carts, cars and trucks share the same road and the carts are actually in a large number. The bus stops at every small town, and hawkers rush to the bus to sell whatever they can each time it stops. There are fields of sugarcane and (probably) paddy everywhere. Every inch of land is used up for agriculture, houses or roads and there is no concept of free space all along the way. I understand why Uttar Pradesh is such a populous state. There seems to be a good amount of money around here, as I notice many resorts, townships and entertainment centers dot the highway. The bus passes via Meerut and I briefly recollect Mangal Pandey and the first revolution of independence in 1857. Further on the road, there is a heavy traffic jam at Roorkee which holds us for another hour, adding to the delays. The driver had said earlier that we will make it to Rishikesh by 7.30pm, and when we finally arrive it is 9pm. I don’t have time to look for a good place to settle down, so I decide to get into the first smallish hotel near the bus stand and check in for the day. It was a long journey through the day and I haven’t eaten much. I find a nearby place to eat and pounce on Chapatis, come back and crash.
More on Rishikesh at paintedstork.com
* Rishikesh photo gallery
* Arriving at Rishikesh.
* Walking around Laxman Jhula
* Ganga Aarthi at Rishikesh
* Photo Essay: Babas of Rishikesh
* Rishikesh to Kaudiyala
* About Rishikesh