01Tera Manzil Temple, Lakshman Jhula
The pink thirteen-storey Trayambakeshwar temple rises straight off the riverbank beside Lakshman Jhula. Climb each floor for shrines, bells and a widening view of the Ganga.
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Rapids by day, a river of lamps by night
Rishikesh
Rishikesh is where the Ganga breaks out of the Himalaya — cold, jade-green and loud enough to hear from your room. Mornings belong to the rapids below Shivpuri; afternoons to temple bells, rooftop chai and the long walk across the jhulas. Then the aarti begins, and hundreds of leaf-boat diyas drift off downstream in the dark.
Best timeOctober to March — clear skies, cool days and the Ganga at its blue-green best. Rafting pauses through the monsoon.
Ideal duration3-5 days
Great forCouples, friends' groups, families and solo first-timers
Trip highlights
Rafting the Ganga's white waterGanga Aarti at Triveni GhatSunrise yoga above Lakshman JhulaGraffiti domes at Beatles AshramDay trip to Neelkanth Mahadev
Top places in Rishikesh
01
02White-Water Rafting on the Ganga
The Ganga below Shivpuri is India's best-known rafting run — a 16km stretch through named rapids like Roller Coaster and Golf Course, guided, helmeted and very loud.
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03Triveni Ghat
Rishikesh's main bathing ghat, guarded by a sculpted chariot carrying Krishna and Arjuna. Pilgrims bathe at dawn; by evening the steps fill for the Ganga Aarti.
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04Parmarth Niketan Shiva Statue
A white Shiva sits cross-legged in the river outside Parmarth Niketan ashram. Crowds gather on the ghat at dusk for chanting and the ashram's nightly aarti.
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05Beatles Ashram (Chaurasi Kutia)
The Maharishi's abandoned ashram, where the Beatles wrote much of the White Album in 1968. Now a forest of graffiti-covered meditation domes and ruined halls.
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