Rishikesh Travel Guide: Ghats, Ashrams, Hill Temples and Planning

Triveni Ghat and Bharat Mandir stand in the town centre, the ashrams of Swargashram line the eastern bank, and the old suspension bridges lie upstream. Further out are two hill temples, Neelkanth Mahadev and Kunjapuri, and Shivpuri, where most rafting runs begin.

Triveni Ghat

Triveni Ghat, at the heart of the town, is Rishikesh's best-known bathing ghat, and most pilgrims take a dip here before they visit the temples. Its name comes from the belief that three sacred rivers, the Ganga, the Yamuna and the unseen Saraswati, meet at this spot. At dusk every day the ghat fills for the Ganga aarti, with lamps, drums and chanting, and flickering diyas float out on the river; Incredible India puts the ceremony at about 45 minutes. Arrive early to find a place on the steps, and keep your phone away during the prayers.

Parmarth Niketan and Swargashram

On the eastern bank, a cluster of ashrams known as Swargashram runs courses in yoga and spiritual studies for visitors. Parmarth Niketan, founded in 1942 by Swami Sukhdevanand, is one of the largest, and it hosts an International Yoga Festival every March. Its own Ganga aarti begins at sunset on the ashram's ghat, after a yagna that starts half an hour earlier, and people of every faith attend. Also worth a stop is Gita Bhawan, whose walls are painted with scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. To stay on and practise, our Rishikesh yoga retreat matches you to an ashram, teacher or riverside stay at your level.

The Beatles Ashram (Chaurasi Kutia)

In a forest patch in Swargashram are the ruins of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ashram, known as Chaurasi Kutia or the Beatles Ashram. The band came here in February 1968 to learn transcendental meditation, and many of the songs on the White Album date from the stay. You walk among the ruins and the domed, beehive-shaped meditation huts, many painted with portraits of the band and lines from their songs, and the old lecture hall is covered in murals. The path up to the site is steep, so wear sensible shoes.

Bharat Mandir

Near Triveni Ghat stands Bharat Mandir, one of the oldest shrines in Rishikesh, which tradition credits to Adi Shankaracharya. Vishnu is worshipped here as Hrishikesh Narayan, in an image carved from a single black Saligram stone, and the temple celebrates Basant Panchami, the spring festival. Incredible India lists it as open from 5 am to noon and from 4 pm to 9 pm, so it fits easily into an afternoon at the ghat before the aarti.

Trayambakeshwar Temple (Tera Manzil)

The Trayambakeshwar temple rises beside the Ganga in thirteen storeys, which gives it its popular name, Tera Manzil, from the Hindi word for thirteen. Each floor holds shrines to different deities, and the climb ends at the Shiva lingam at the top, with a long view of the river. Incredible India points out how its pillars and halls mix north and south Indian styles, down to a gopuram, the towered gateway of southern temples. There are a great many stairs, so take them slowly.

Lakshman Jhula and Ram Jhula

The two suspension bridges are part of the picture of Rishikesh, but check before you plan to cross either. Lakshman Jhula, the 137-metre bridge of 1939 built where Lakshmana is said to have crossed the Ganga on jute ropes, was closed to the public in 2019 after an expert team found it unsafe; see it from the banks. Ram Jhula, about 3 km downstream, has been closed to two-wheelers since 2023 and shut at times for repairs. A new bridge, Bajrang Setu, has been built beside Lakshman Jhula; ask locally whether it is open.

Neelkanth Mahadev Temple

Neelkanth Mahadev stands at 926 metres in the forested hills of Pauri Garhwal, where the Madhumati and Pankaja streams meet. Legend holds that Shiva drank the poison that rose from the churning of the ocean here, and that it turned his throat blue, giving him the name Neelkanth. The district puts the temple 32 km from Rishikesh by road via the barrage and 22 km by way of Ram Jhula, and a 12 km path through dense forest can be walked from Swargashram. Our Spiritual India tour of Varanasi and Rishikesh leaves its last full day free for this hike.

Kunjapuri Temple

Kunjapuri is a temple of the goddess Durga on a peak of about 1,676 metres in Tehri Garhwal, 15 km from Rishikesh and 7 km from Narendra Nagar, and one of the Shakti Peethas of the Shivalik hills. On a clear day the view runs from the snow peaks of Swargarohini, Gangotri, Banderpunch and Chaukhamba down to Rishikesh, Haridwar and the Doon valley, and the district recommends sunrise and sunset. A forest path of about 5 km climbs from Hindolakhal village for those who would rather walk. Expect crowds during the Navratri festivals.

Shivpuri and the rafting stretch

Shivpuri, 19 km upstream, is where the commonest rafting run begins: about 11 km of river down to Lakshman Jhula. The state's rules set the season from 1 September to 30 June, and rafting stops in the monsoon months of July and August. No one under 14 or over 65 may raft, helmets are compulsory, and alcohol and smoking are banned on the river. Our Rishikesh river rafting runs put in at points such as Shivpuri, with a life jacket, a helmet, a safety briefing and a guide steering from the back.

Two full days cover the main sights; a third adds a hill temple or an evening in Haridwar.

Day 1: Triveni Ghat and Bharat Mandir in the morning, Swargashram and the Beatles Ashram after lunch, and the sunset aarti at Parmarth Niketan.

Day 2: a morning rafting run from Shivpuri between September and June, or a yoga class, then Trayambakeshwar and the aarti at Triveni Ghat.

Day 3: Neelkanth Mahadev or Kunjapuri, or the aarti at Har Ki Pauri on our Haridwar day trip from Rishikesh, which takes four to five hours with a private guide and vehicle.

For yoga, stay longer: Spiritual India gives Rishikesh most of a week, with a rafting run and a yoga class included, and the North India Classic Tour ends here with a free day for the river or a class. Every route that stays in the town is on our Rishikesh tour packages page.