All You Need is Yogis, Wild Monkeys, and (of course) the Beatles

Adventures in Rishikesh

Gateway to the Himalayas, Rishikesh is where the Ganges River leaves the mountains and begins its journey onto the plains of India. It is a holy city for Hindus, with many colorful temples and ashrams scattered along the banks of the river (three or four of which are pictured above).

Rishikesh forms the backdrop for many stories in Hindu mythology: it has served as home to Shiva and stopping point for Rama and his brothers Lakshmana and Bharata; it takes its name from an incarnation of Vishnu. Colorful depictions of Hinduism’s many gods abound amid Rishikesh’s numerous temples, such as this statue of Hanuman (the monkey god) and Rama (an avatar of Vishnu and star of the epic Ramayana).

According to Nehru, India’s first prime minister, the Ganges “has held India's heart captive…since the dawn of history.” It is Hinduism’s most sacred river, with many believing that to dip three times in the Ganges leads to the removal of sin and that to be cremated along its shores after death will allow one to enter Nirvana.
Each sunset, hundreds descend upon its shores in Rishikesh to meditate, pray, offer flowers, and observe nightly ceremonies. The pictures above show a woman sending her burning offering of brightly colored flowers down the river and one of Rishikesh’s many yogis in meditation.

As I said earlier, Rishikesh is home to many ashrams – including Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s, visited by the Beatles in 1968! The Beatles wrote nearly 48 songs during their stay at the ashram (many appear on the White Album).

Vacant and set apart from town, “Beatles’ Ashram” (as it is commonly known) is a great haven for WILD MONKEYS! I pulled out a granola bar and was immediately surrounded by more than twenty, really cute monkeys, all jumping, scrambling, and grabbing for pieces.

Set among the foothills of the Himalayas, Rishikesh is also the Adventure Capital of India. Not wanting to miss out on any adventures, I spent one day hiking up one of the mountains (Himalayan foothills are really not hills – I promise) to this waterfall. I’m actually really proud of this picture – not only was I spontaneous enough to jump into the unknown depths of this hidden lake, but also I braved several colorful 3-inch spiders, sections of unmarked trail, and rocks as high as my hip to get there…

Miscellaneous, Illustrated Thoughts

As I’ve mentioned previously, I feel like a celebrity outside of the apartment: everyone stares, some point, and many snap pictures. Sometimes, though, I make friends: this is Resma. She sells bits of bread to feed the fish off of Lakshmanjula (one of the footbridges across the Ganges in the Rishikesh area) and was captivated by my hair though a little put off that I’m not yet married. Before waving goodbye, she pulled me down to kiss her cheek and then kissed mine quickly while laughing.

This is Buddy, and he is the friendliest of all the dogs that I’ve met thus far. He wagged his tail vigorously, wouldn’t stop licking my hands (taking this picture was a huge challenge), and kept me company for over an hour while I walked around Rishikesh.

About twenty minutes after I saw this banner on my stroll around town, I spotted a newspaper proclaiming Obama’s Nobel win. It definitely struck me as stirring: a Hindu pilgrimage site and pretty far from any large cities, Rishikesh is by no means along India’s “typical” tourist route; no matter what one may think of our current president, his policies, or his recent award, it’s hard to deny his worldwide presence and global support.

Brief Update

I’ll spend the rest of this week teaching at the Happy School. It’s gotten much more interesting: I’ve occasionally been assigned my own class of Nursery (ages 5-7, no knowledge of English) or First Class (ages 6-8, minimal English knowledge) students, as teachers have been absent frequently. In many ways, it’s nice to have more of a presence with the students. In others, though, it is very tiring and challenging. As I’ve said before, the hardest thing is not having enough hands to go around. Many of the students act out by throwing their chairs or refusing to return to their seats just so that I’ll hold their hands or carry them to their assigned places. Others beg for high-fives, and many don’t leave until I’ve given out hugs.

I really enjoyed my trip up to Rishikesh. Getting out of Delhi for a few days was wonderful. This weekend, I’ll be celebrating Diwali (Festival of Lights – a significant festival in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, held on October 17 this year) by traveling near the India-Pakistan border to Amritsar, center of Sikhism and home to the Golden Temple.

Wish you all were here,
Betsy

Current Location: Gurgaon, Delhi