This holy city of Rishikesh is located in the state of Uttaranchal. 24 kms away from the blessed land of Haridwar is the enchanting city of Rishikesh. On the banks of the river Ganges it is met by the Chandrabhaga. The literal meaning of the word "Rishikesh" is "Holy man locks". This little city is the spot where the sacred Ganges hurtles down in complete splendor onto massive boulders and generates elongated stretched of white sandy beaches. The banks of the consecrated river Ganges are crammed with ashrams and holy places. In these ashrams, saints and sacred men rest before initiating their arduous pilgrimage up into the snow-clad land of divinity. Rishikesh is the lap of Hindu beliefs and erudition, with numerous ashrams dedicated to the understanding, dissemination and promulgation of the faith. Signs of spiritual sacrament can be seen all over Rishikesh. It was here that a great saint sage Raibhya Rishi performed severe penance and later in 9th century AD codified into the pilgrim circuit by none other than Adi Shankaracharya. Rishikesh is perhaps the gateway to the holy places scattered across the towering Himalayas. Rishikesh was catapulted to world media limelight in 1968 when the world famous music band Beatles stayed over at Maharshi Mahesh Yogi�s Swarg Ashram. And even now, people swarm to Rishikesh in search of spiritual enlightenment.
