The Geeky Bookworm

The soft wind blows by and the serene sky invites you to look inwards. You sit by the banks of River Ganga and close your eyes. Complete stillness surrounds you as if transporting you into an another world. You open your eyes with clarity, resembling the subtle waves of the river.  As all the thoughts wither away, the mind is calm and the heart is at peace. This feeling of eternal fulfilment is unique to Rishikesh.

No wonder it is the Yoga capital of the world!

In continuation with the last post, this blog will be highlighting some beautiful spots in Rishikesh which will aid your spiritual rejuvenation.

Vasishtha Gufa (Cave temple):

Located at a distance of 25km from Rishikesh, Vasishtha Gufa is a cave temple specifically meant for meditation. It is said that Saptarishi Vasishtha, who was also Shri Ram’s Guruji; meditated here and established an ashram nearby. In the vicinity, there is another cave where his wife Arundhati meditated.

We parked the car at the entrance and trekked down the broken rocky steps to the ashram. It had a Dharmshala (rest house for pilgrims), gaushala (cowshed) and a cave temple. It was pitch dark when we entered the cave. The flashlight from the mobile phone helped us to navigate.

Mats were placed on the floor for devotees to chant and meditate. The only source of light was a small oil lamp placed in front of the Shiv Ling. Inside the dark, damp and cool cave, the reverberation of Om chants gave me goosebumps!

We came out of the cave temple and walked towards the riverbank. The bright morning sun glistening on the silver river sand, the purple rocks and the turquoise blue river was enchanting!

Devprayag:

From Vasishtha Gufa, we drove for an hour and a half (73km from Rishikesh) to Devprayag. From the top of the cliff, we saw the mesmerising union(sangam) of the earthy brown and calm River Alaknanda with the feisty green River Bhagirathi. It was a spectacular site to see the birth of River Ganga at this sangam!

Devprayag is the holy place where Shri Ram and Lakshman arrived to perform penance after vanquishing Ravan. The Pandavas and Sage Bhardwaj also meditated here.

 We climbed down the steps to the bridge connecting the banks of Bhagirathi. The river came down roaring and tumbling exuding all the power she had. I was awestruck seeing her glory.

The narrow streets of the Devprayag village took us through shops and residences. Some quaint ancient temples were also on the way. The poojari(temple priest) took us to the Sangam point. Since we went in the summer season, the water level was very high. Many devotees were taking a dip in the pool-like ghat.

We then went to the Raghunathji temple established by Adi Shankaracharya. Also known as Tirukantamenum Kadi Nagar, the Vishnu temple is one of the 108 Divyadesam revered by the Azhwar(Alwar) saints. Although the steep stairway to the temple had worn us out, entering into it felt as if stepping into another dimension. Within the complex, there were temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Narasimha, Hanuman, Shiva, Andal, Annapoorneshwari and Shankaracharya.

A stone seat where Shri Ram is said to have meditated also exists.

Although it was past noon and we had one more place to visit in our itinerary, I didn’t want to leave. I only wanted to sit in the temple premise amidst the still mountainous air.

Brahmapuri:

The final place on our journey was Brahmapuri (11 km from Rishikesh). In recent times, this place has become a very popular river rafting destination. Most rafting trips starts here and ends in Rishikesh. Historically, Brahmapuri is a very holy site.

According to the folklore, it is the land where Sanatkumara gave the pravachan (narration) of the Bhagvata Puranam (Srimad Bhagvatam) to Narada.

The speciality of this place is that in and around Brahmapuri, River Ganga is quiet. She is so calm that one would not know of the river’s existence. The legend goes that, Shri Ram sat by the banks to meditate, but the lashing of the waves was too loud. When he got up to leave, River Ganga promised to quieten down so that he could continue with his Sadhana (meditation).

We sat on the ghats and dipped our feet in the cold river water. It was just what we needed on a hot summer day! The rafters were chanting Har Har Mahadev and Har Har Gange to gain confidence to beat the rapids. We also saw devotees making a shiva ling out of river sand and worshipping it.

The stillness of the land reaches your heart and stays forever. Even today, when I close my eyes, I am transported to the serenity of the river and the glittery silver sand of Brahmapuri.

I conclude the series with an Ode to Rishikesh:

The blue sky opens up,
The wind blows by swiftly,
The river roars,
While you close your eyes
Amidst the chaos.
Sitting by the mother of all rivers,
The stillness within
Matches the one outside
While you transcend
Beyond stillness to awareness
And open your eyes to reality!

-Akshaya Vijay