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 Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a municipal corporation and tehsil of Dehradun district of the Indian state Uttarakhand. It is situated on the right bank of the Ganges river and is a pilgrimage town for Hindus, with ancient sages and saints meditating there in search of higher knowledge. There are numerous temples and ashrams built along the banks of the river.

The city has hosted the annual International Yoga Festival on the first week of March since 1999, giving it the nickname of Yoga Capital of the World. Rishikesh is a vegetarian-only and alcohol-free city.

Rishikesh is the starting point for travelling to the four Char Dham pilgrimage places: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. It is also a starting point for Himalayan tourist destinations such as Harsil, Chopta, Auli, as well as summer and winter trekking destinations like Dodital, Dayara Bugyal, Kedarkantha and Har Ki Dun.

In September 2015, Indian Minister of Tourism Mahesh Sharma announced that Rishikesh and Haridwar would be the first twin national heritage cities. As of 2021, Rishikesh has a total population of 322,825 within the tehsil including the city and its 93 surrounding villages.

The city is governed by Rishikesh Municipal Corporation and tehsil.

Etymology

IAST: Hṛṣīkeśa Sanskrit: ऋषिकेश is a name derived from Vishnu, composed of hṛṣīka meaning senses and īśa meaning lord for a combined meaning as Lord of the Senses. The name commemorates an apparition of Vishnu to Raibhya Rishi, as a result of his tapasya austerities, as Hrishikesha. In the Skanda Purana, this area is known as Kubjāmraka कुब्जाम्रक, as Vishnu appeared under a mango tree.

History

Rishikesh was part of the legendary Kedarkhand mentioned in the Skanda Purana. Legends state that Rama did penance here for killing Ravana, the asura king of Lanka. Lakshmana, Rama's younger brother, crossed the Ganges using two jute ropes at the point where the present Lakshman Jhula लक्ष्मण झूला suspension bridge stands today. Lakshman Jhula also collapsed in 2020. And a much stronger, second in the whole of India, a glass bridge, is being built across the river. The 248-foot long iron-rope suspension bridge built in 1889 was washed away by flooding in 1924. In 1927, it was replaced by the current, stronger bridge built by the United Provinces Public Works Department, connecting the Tapovan, Tehri, and Jonk, Pauri Garhwal districts. A noted suspension bridge named Ram Jhula was built in 1986 at the nearby Sivananda Nagar. The Skanda Purana also mentions the site as "Indrakund" where Indra underwent a holy bath to remove a curse.

The Gazetteer of Dehradun, written by Indian Civil Service officer HG Walton, describes the site as beautifully situated on the right bank of the Ganges, on a high cliff overlooking the river. The place is developing very rapidly, especially since the construction of the new bridge over the Song River, the realignment of the pilgrim road from Raiwala to Rishikesh.

The Ganges, one of the most sacred rivers to Hindus, flows through Rishikesh in its course from the Shivalik Hills of the Himalayas to the plains of northern India with temples built along the banks Shatrughna Mandir, Bharat Mandir, and Lakshman Mandir are the ancient temples established by Adi Shankaracharya. Shatrughna Temple is near the Ram Jhula suspension bridge, while Lakshman Mandir is situated near the Lakshman Jhula suspension bridge.

The historical records mention that some pilgrims used to stay at Rishikesh, either seeking the site itself or using it as a resting place before moving onwards to the Himalayas.