During the festival, throngs of people come to bathe in the Ganges on the full moon day. Still, if you miss this rare event, bathers come to the Har-Ki-Pari Ghat (Footstep of God) every evening en masse to release floating offerings into the river.
There are fantastic views of the Ganges and a first glimpse of the Himalayan foothills by taking one of two cable cars up to Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi temples, the latter a few kilometers southeast of the town.
I stayed in Haridwar overnight at one of the cheaper guesthouses on the main road on the way to the train station and then set off early the next morning to catch a bus to Rishikesh, just one hour away.
There are fantastic views of the Ganges and a first glimpse of the Himalayan foothills by taking one of two cable cars up to Mansa Devi and Chandi Devi temples, the latter a few kilometers southeast of the town.
I stayed in Haridwar overnight at one of the cheaper guesthouses on the main road on the way to the train station and then set off early the next morning to catch a bus to Rishikesh, just one hour away.
An Introduction to the Indian Himalayas
Dehli to Haridwar
Visitors to Delhi are perhaps much closer to the Himalayas than they might at first realize and can take a short trip around the foothills of the world’s highest mountain range in Uttaranchal state, returning to the Indian capital in six days at little cost.
Looking to escape the madness of Delhi, I took a train north to the holy city of Haridwar, less than five hours away, to begin my introduction to the Indian Himalayas. There is perhaps no better place to start. The holy city of Haridwar is the point at which the mighty Ganges River emerges from the Himalayas and also one of only four towns in India to host the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage that attracts millions of people four times every twelve years. The event will next be held in Haridwar in 2010.
Visitors to Delhi are perhaps much closer to the Himalayas than they might at first realize and can take a short trip around the foothills of the world’s highest mountain range in Uttaranchal state, returning to the Indian capital in six days at little cost.
Looking to escape the madness of Delhi, I took a train north to the holy city of Haridwar, less than five hours away, to begin my introduction to the Indian Himalayas. There is perhaps no better place to start. The holy city of Haridwar is the point at which the mighty Ganges River emerges from the Himalayas and also one of only four towns in India to host the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage that attracts millions of people four times every twelve years. The event will next be held in Haridwar in 2010.
Rishikesh
Beatles enthusiasts may already be aware that this picturesque town as the place all four members of the British band learnt yoga from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Swarg Ashram. Many travellers continue to flock here to learn yoga but I chose to follow a path leading out of town that snakes along the river into the mountains, a walk in the company of wild monkeys but very few tourists. Rishikesh and its surrounding area is an intriguing place to explore over a couple of days, if you have the time.
I decided to continue on, catching a bus northeast to nearby Deoprayag, an altogether much less frequented town. Arriving after nightfall, I found one of only a handful of guesthouses (with Hindi name only) thanks to the help of a helpful local, and was almost immediately offered a delicious egg curry with chapatti and dhal before falling asleep exhausted.
The view the next morning was spectacular. Walking about 20 minutes up a nearby hill, I could see the gorge carved into the rock by the rushing river hundreds of meters below and mountains on all sides. Here the altitude is above 2000 metres - travellers should therefore look out for any signs of mild altitude sickness including dizziness, headaches, sleeplessness and lack of appetite.
After breakfast, I continued travelling northeast past Srinagar, stopping in Rudraprayag for lunch and sightseeing where the Alakanda and Mandakini rivers merge. Buses ply this circuit in both directions but the road, mostly carved in the hillside, is precarious at best. At least once every ten minutes we would squeeze past another vehicle or stray perilously close to the edge creating regular heart-in-the-mouth moments that mean most first-timers relish getting off at the next stop. Those looking for steeper mountains, glaciers and other wonders of nature in the vicinity including the Valley of Flowers National Park can continue northeast towards the border with Tibet.
With time at a premium and lacking the right equipment, I continued my circuit due east to Karnaprayag. After checking into a guest house, I took a walk by the river and met a yogi with whom I exchanged a few words of English. Communication was difficult, but he was soon demonstrating basic yoga moves outside his bare riverside hut. Afterwards though he began to follow me everywhere-including to a restaurant for dinner-until I was prepared to pay a few hundred rupees, nearly five US dollars. The Beatles, I hope, were required to pay more.
Early the next morning, it was time to get back on the bus as I began heading southeast, stopping in Kausani for lunch, with its incredible views of the snow-capped mountains to the north, before continuing south to Almora.
Beatles enthusiasts may already be aware that this picturesque town as the place all four members of the British band learnt yoga from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at Swarg Ashram. Many travellers continue to flock here to learn yoga but I chose to follow a path leading out of town that snakes along the river into the mountains, a walk in the company of wild monkeys but very few tourists. Rishikesh and its surrounding area is an intriguing place to explore over a couple of days, if you have the time.
I decided to continue on, catching a bus northeast to nearby Deoprayag, an altogether much less frequented town. Arriving after nightfall, I found one of only a handful of guesthouses (with Hindi name only) thanks to the help of a helpful local, and was almost immediately offered a delicious egg curry with chapatti and dhal before falling asleep exhausted.
The view the next morning was spectacular. Walking about 20 minutes up a nearby hill, I could see the gorge carved into the rock by the rushing river hundreds of meters below and mountains on all sides. Here the altitude is above 2000 metres - travellers should therefore look out for any signs of mild altitude sickness including dizziness, headaches, sleeplessness and lack of appetite.
After breakfast, I continued travelling northeast past Srinagar, stopping in Rudraprayag for lunch and sightseeing where the Alakanda and Mandakini rivers merge. Buses ply this circuit in both directions but the road, mostly carved in the hillside, is precarious at best. At least once every ten minutes we would squeeze past another vehicle or stray perilously close to the edge creating regular heart-in-the-mouth moments that mean most first-timers relish getting off at the next stop. Those looking for steeper mountains, glaciers and other wonders of nature in the vicinity including the Valley of Flowers National Park can continue northeast towards the border with Tibet.
With time at a premium and lacking the right equipment, I continued my circuit due east to Karnaprayag. After checking into a guest house, I took a walk by the river and met a yogi with whom I exchanged a few words of English. Communication was difficult, but he was soon demonstrating basic yoga moves outside his bare riverside hut. Afterwards though he began to follow me everywhere-including to a restaurant for dinner-until I was prepared to pay a few hundred rupees, nearly five US dollars. The Beatles, I hope, were required to pay more.
Early the next morning, it was time to get back on the bus as I began heading southeast, stopping in Kausani for lunch, with its incredible views of the snow-capped mountains to the north, before continuing south to Almora.
Almora and Nainital
The town is bigger than the likes of Deoprayag and Karnaprayag, with a rabbit warren-like market, the Lalal Bazaar. There is also a rundown-looking Bank of India here, making it a good place to change money, along with a post office and numerous internet cafes. The town has a number of higher class hotels than at many other towns along the route. I stayed one night before heading back to the bus station and on to my final destination-Nainital.
Following a long, bumpy ride along a road taking immaculate scenery, I arrived suffering from a terrible bad stomach, meaning I had to rush to find a guesthouse and quickly afterwards, the toilet. The next few hours were spent trying to rest as I drank as much water as possible. By the evening I was feeling well enough to rent a peddle boat on Nainital’s famous lake which dominates the town.
The town is bigger than the likes of Deoprayag and Karnaprayag, with a rabbit warren-like market, the Lalal Bazaar. There is also a rundown-looking Bank of India here, making it a good place to change money, along with a post office and numerous internet cafes. The town has a number of higher class hotels than at many other towns along the route. I stayed one night before heading back to the bus station and on to my final destination-Nainital.
Following a long, bumpy ride along a road taking immaculate scenery, I arrived suffering from a terrible bad stomach, meaning I had to rush to find a guesthouse and quickly afterwards, the toilet. The next few hours were spent trying to rest as I drank as much water as possible. By the evening I was feeling well enough to rent a peddle boat on Nainital’s famous lake which dominates the town.
Feeling better the next morning, I took a stroll around the perimeter of the lake before heading to the cable car on its northern corner, a must-do in the town. The views from the top almost seem manufactured-they are spectacular. On a clear day, looking northwards, the 6000-metre-plus peaks line up in a pyramid with Nandi Devi the tallest at more than 7800 metres.
The mountains, less than 100 kilometres to the north, are the perfect way to end the trip, a lasting impression of the beauty that lies on the Indian side of the Himalayas, an area of the country that is perhaps under-explored by foreign tourists travelling here.
From Nainital, it’s an overnight bus ride of around ten hours south back to Delhi, the gateway to the rest of the country. After an introduction to India’s mountainous north, a trip back to explore the rest of the region is a must.
Gordon Bentley - January 8, 2007
The mountains, less than 100 kilometres to the north, are the perfect way to end the trip, a lasting impression of the beauty that lies on the Indian side of the Himalayas, an area of the country that is perhaps under-explored by foreign tourists travelling here.
From Nainital, it’s an overnight bus ride of around ten hours south back to Delhi, the gateway to the rest of the country. After an introduction to India’s mountainous north, a trip back to explore the rest of the region is a must.
Gordon Bentley - January 8, 2007
Send This Article To A Friend
No part of this article may be republished without obtaining permission from My World Far East(info@myworldfareast.com)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |