Rishikesh

City and sacred site (tirtha) in the
Himalayan foothills of the state of Uttar
Pradesh. Rishikesh lies about fifteen
miles up the Ganges River from the
sacred city of Haridwar. As with many
sites on the Ganges, Rishikesh is famous
primarily as a bathing (snana) place,
although it is also noted as a dwellingplace for ascetics, particularly at the
ashrams in the area around Lakshman
Jhula. As a sacred site, Rishikesh is also
notable for having no single charter
myth. According to one story, this is the
place where the god Rama kills several
demons, enabling the sages to carry out
573
Rishikesh
The city of Rishikesh lies on the Ganges River.
It contains many ashrams and is a
popular place for ritual bathing.
their sacrifices undisturbed. Another
story names this as the place where
Rama does penance (prayashchitta) for
killing the demon-king Ravana. A third
story names Rishikesh as the site where
a sage named Raibhya receives a vision
of the god Vishnu. The most famous
temple in Rishikesh is named after
Rama’s brother Bharata.