Kayaks and kharma on the Ganga

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I left Shimla by bus, and endured a cramped but beautiful 11-hour bus ride through the hills and down to the relatively low-lying state of Uttaranchal. I was heading for Rishikesh, a small town on the holy Ganga river. Rishikesh is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, being near the source of the Ganga and therefore home to several major temples. It is also known in the west as the place where the Beatles came when they went all weird and spiritual, and today attracts western tourists in their droves, who come to meditate, practice yoga or simply soak up the vibe. As a devout athiest, I wasn't here to do any of the above - I just wanted to enjoy the fresh mountain air some more and kayak in the clean, cool waters of this mighty river.

Despite my complete lack of religious belief, the atmosphere in Rishikesh is pretty hard to resist. The main part of town sits downriver and is the usual jumble of ugly streets and buildings, but upriver are a scattering of religious and tourist communities, centred on two bridges which span the Ganga - Lakshman Jhula in the north and Ram Jhula in the south. I wandered down to Lakshman Jhula first. The approach is lined with the usual tacky souvenir shops, jewellry shops and pula (i.e. offerings like seeds, flowers and coconuts) sellers, as well as the expected collection of real and not-real sadhus wanting backsheesh for photos or, more often then not, for simply holding out their hand. The bridge is a congested place, being open to both pedestrians and cycles/motorcycles - as well as the odd bovine, but it arcs gracefully across the river where it is flanked by two huge and improbable temples, both sky-scraping constructions filled with shrines and religious shops. The temples hug the river, with the thickly-forrested mountains behind. Crossing the bridge can take a while. In between observing the pilgrims throwing food over the side to the schools of fish below, posing for photos with Indian tourists and admiring the serene mountain views, you have to negotiate oncoming bikes (sometimes having to jump up onto the railings to avoid being run over!) and keep a look-out for monkeys, who are all too aware of the bags of food being carried across.

In the shadow of the temples, the banks of the Ganga are lined with ghats, where pilgrims come to bathe in the river's holy waters. There's an almost constant stream of people, who descend to the shore, strip off and ritually dunk or wash themselves in the water... which I have to say is bloody freezing, having just flowed down from the source at Gangotri in the Himlayas. Still, at least it's relatively clean up here! The second bridge, Ram Jhula, is a beautiful thing, with silver cables supporting a slender walkway meant for pedestrians only. Below the bridge, children run around in the shallow waters, scavenging for any food or other salvagable items that float their way. The other main presence on the river are the rafts which flow steadily down from the north... white-water rafting is a big draw here, and raft after raft full of tourists (mainly Indian) make their way beneath the bridges to land on one of the beaches south of Rm Jhula. There is only one small set of rapids in between the two bridges, with the main set (upto Grade 5 I think) stretching in the valley to the north. The combination of rafters and pilgrims makes the banks of the Ganga below Ram Jhula a fasctinating place to spend some time, picking through the washed up devotional offerings or watching the sun pick up the bright saris through the bridge struts.

The next day was kayak day. I'd kayaked before a few times, but only on sea kayaks, so this would be my first go at river kayaking, which is very different! I spent the morning getting used to the kayak and the currents of the Ganga, which were pretty strong even though we were practicing in a relatively calm spot. My guide, Bheem, tried time and time again to teach me the eskimo roll, but for some reason I just couldn't get it and kept having to pop out of my skirt... maybe the thought of being cleansed of my sins every time I went under was putting me off, or it could have been the icy cold water, either way Bheem decided to give up and concentrate on my moves above water instead. The day finished with a paddle down the Ganga, from just above Lakshman Jula to just below Ram Jhula, via a short stretch of rapids ('if you capsize, don't worry'... easy for him to say despite the fact that I was clearly crap at righting myself!). Floating serenely past the temples and ghats, and gazing up at the lines of pilgrims crossing the two bridges is in my humble opinion the best way to see Rishikesh, and I'd highly recommend it! My calm mood was tested that evening, however, as a bus strike meant a stop-start hour-long rickshaw ride through heavy traffic to nearby Haridwar to catch an overnight train to Delhi. The saving grace was meeting Sanam at the station, a charming young chap who chatted to me for a few hours to help pass the time before my train arrived... and don't worry Sanam, I won't mention the girlfriend in Haridwar that your parents don't know about...

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Photos

Photo 2
A raft floats down past Ram Jhula

Photo 9
A woman gives a devotional offering to the Ganga

Photo 12
One of the main temples sits above a stretch of rapids (which I kayaked through!)

Photo 16
Pilgrims and tourists cross Lakshman Juhla

Comments

[AnnaAdventuring]

Ah I remember that 'pedestrian' bridge in Rishikesh! Motorbikes, bicycles, carts, cows, goats... oh and the people too!

[msscre]

n ma opinion, u shd ve seen laxman jhula at sunrise or may b b4 i..it feels ly d most serene place in d whole world..

[lurpak34]

If I ever make it to Rishikesh, which is not inconceivable, I'll travel by kayak! Thanks! Nicely written..

[SmithyWorldWide]

I know, cool wasn't it? I loved the way the cows just wandered across, as if they were out on a daily shopping trip... so India!