A Bit Lost in Rishikesh (post and pictures by Mary)

M & M dashing about the hills on a zippy scooter!

After successfully submitting Matt’s passport documentation to the Canadian Embassy, we once again left New Delhi and headed to Rishikesh on an over night train.  Thankfully the train ride was uneventful and we landed with all our possessions in tact.  We shared a quick tuk tuk ride up river with a nice lady from Estonia, who had been to Rishikesh once before.  We tagged along with her in search of our promised Ashram.  Matt and I agreed that we would spend at least seven days on looking deeply into our souls with days of meditation and yoga.  Rishikesh is the universal centre for both.

Lakshmam Jhula suspension bridge – passage way of pilgrims.

 

Now it is a bit of work getting to the other side of the river where the scene is.  Oddly, the tuk tuks are not permitted to bring you down into the drop off point, so you walk with you rucksack about one kilometer, then cross a narrow foot suspension bridge across the Ganges.  The bridge is constantly full of Indian pilgrims seeking their blessings from the Hindu Temples and Ashrams on the south side of the river.  We were told in the Lonely Planet that we would be in a traffic free zone, but were doubtful as the bridge also had streams of motorcycles weaving and beeping their way through the throngs on the bridge.  The kind Estonian agreed to show us our Ashram and we obediently followed her, kilometre after kilometre in the searing heat on an empty stomach.  We pleaded for a breakfast stop and she took us to a great little roof top restaurant which eventually became our favourite breakfast place.  After a good meal of fruit, curd and muesli, we trudged on, and on, and on.  She took us through a foot path along the river which was nice, leaving the little village behind us.  We grew very concerned when we came upon the other foot bridge.  Seemed logical for us to have crossed that bridge.  Another kilometer later, we reached our selected ashram.  Our longest hike with all of our gear.

Gateway to the Parmath Niketon Ashram – hush pilgrims
        

We stepped into another world as we crossed under the ornate archway and walked wearily up through the beautiful gardens dotted with bigger than life sized statues of Lord Shiva doing his mighty sacred deeds.  The place was huge with many pilgrims wandering about.  We were given a decent enough, simple room that was located considerably far from the entrance, past court yards, sacred giant trees, special gardens and the yoga building.   The place covered about 5 acres and housed thousands of people.  The rituals required mandatory attendance at the evening “artti” (ceremonial prayers on the river), 0500 morning Universal Prayer and philosophy from the guru (in Hindi) and 0600 yoga.  All meals were provided at set times, and were to be eaten in silence. Needless to say that Matt and yes, even I, felt a little out of place. Actually a lot out of place and mutually agreed shortly after our first silent meal that we would leave the next day.  Find some other cool place and pop in and out of meditation and yoga spaces back in the little village we passed thru at the first bridge.

So we darted out of the Ashram, as no yoga or meditation classes were offered on Sundays and went to find the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Ashram.  The fabled place where the Beatles retreated for several months and touched their souls and produced an abundance of songs,that eventually compiled the White Album.  It was just down stream from the Ashram and as we approached the end of the village, we met a bearded woman from California, who jumped out to greet us and asked if we were heading for the Maharishi Ashram.  She has been a faithful disciple of the Maharishi for over forty years and wanted to walk on the same ground.  So we merged pilgramages (ours being retracing the Beatles) and found the place up in the forest.  Magically, a gentle man dressed in white met us on the path and walked with us talking gently about the Ashram’s history.  As if on cue, a man in uniform appeared behind the locked gate and opened it for us (it is now closed to the public).  For 50 rupees each, he let us in.

O, what a majical mystery tour, it came and took us away!  O wait, wrong LP!  But it was a majical mystery tour.  Our guide has been taking people through the grounds for over 20 years, he has excellent knowledge about the Maharishi and of the Beatle’s stay there (he had not been there himself at the time).  The ashram was built on over five acres, on the forest cliffs over the sacred Ganges River.  Many buildings stood as ghosts of a time past with the forest closing it in.  We found small pebble meditation huts along the winding path up the cliff and buildings of all sizes, including one with #9 by the door!  Could this be where one of the Beatles stayed?  Word is that in the meditation building that had many small mediation cells all lined in river rock, the one numbered 9 was John Lennon’s meditation cell.  Number 9, number 9, number 9.  We walked through the Maharishi’s house, special meditation/meeting room in the basement (seemed he liked basement rooms) and sat on his roof top where he held court with the Beatles and other grand guests.  The whole ashram was fantastically developed and over the years served the spiritual needs of thousands of visitors from all around the world.  Our visit there was a truely soulful and peaceful experience, enhanced considerably by the gentle spirit of our guide and with the pure joy expressed by our California friend, who authenticated the love and guidance she has received from her Guru, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  Apparently he left India for tax reasons.  Somewhere in our pictures is a story yet to be told.

Gateway to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Ashram – disciples at the door.
       
Curved doors and walls a key feature in most buildings.  Groovy

Meditation Pods – Ommmm..
       
Yogi and Guest Houses

Meditation Hall now a Graffetti Memory. Post box, #9 and water tank pods.

The Sacred GAnges just below the Maharishi’s Ashram.

Back to the ashram, and while regrouping in our room, Matt opened the curtain and the whole curtain frame jumped off the wall and fell on his head!  OW!  We did attend the mandatory arti along the river, which was a really lovely ceremony.  Imagine our horror and sense of betrayal when we went to collect our sandals and found Matt’s missing.  Wandered off not quite by themselves, with a broken pair same size left behind.  Stolen during a sacred ceremony.  His good Tevas from the Salvation Army!  Next morning I did get up at 0500 and chanted with the Universal Prayer and did the yoga class in my dress (i have no trousers).  Matt, bruised and barefooted, opted to sleep.  After our silent breakfast, we packed and left.

Evening Arti at the Parmath Ashram with Guru.

Lord Shiva overseeing the evening Arti.

The Blessings of an Enlightened Guru.

A short but expensive taxi drive to Lakshmam Jhula village (the first bridge we crossed) and found a sweet place on the river, Aggarwal House.  Big balcony, two bedrooms and bathroom for 450 rupes a night.  In short time, we discovered it was one door up from the very noisy, horn blaring taxi stand, just above a large ashram that burned its weekly garbage below our balcony and across from us, another ashram inhabited by a bunch of dope smoking sadus, whose sacred ceremonies at both 0600 and 6 pm included gregarious drumming, large bell clanging and song chanting for about an hour and half every day!  Ahh, the peace of Rishikesh, Rishikesh!  This was not what we thought we would find in this holy place!

Freedom Cafe on the right – our favourite supper restaurant.

Boys playing in the river.

We did stay for 10 days waiting to hear about Matt’s passport.  We found our groove, in the Freedom Cafe on the river, walks out of town to a small beach to cool off, rented a motor scooter and roamed the forest hill country and were generally extremely laid back the whole time. We also did a major computer reshuffle to store our photos on external hard drives as the computer was clogged! It was so hot we could not get anything going for ourselves and it was so noisy that we could not get inspired to sit in a basement inhaling the fumes of diesel jeep taxis to do yoga or meditate.  Couldn’t even find inspiration to take many pictures, though we pushed ourselves to capture Riskishesh in the last two days.

Chamba in the Himalyan foothills.  A town perched on itself.

Matt got word on Wednesday that his passport was ready and we jumped into action, packed our gear and grabbed a bus up into the Himalayan foothills to explore for a few days.  Another unplanned travel adventure, that found us on an overpacked bus on a really windy road on the edge of high cliffs at high speed.  We got off at a blink of a village that turned out to be the wrong place!  Another expensive taxi back to Chamba, a hillside town, where we are now staying.  The hotel’s promise of 24 hour electricity and hot water have been broken regularly, The bathroom leaks and while they offered to prepare us food, there is no cook!  We will stay for two days and go back to Delhi on Sunday.

The market offerings, spicy, always fresh and even the local medicine man.

It seems we lost our momentum when Matt lost his passport.  We will make the best of our last days in India and not get lost in Delhi for too long!

Sunset in the clouds.  Rare in the heavy heat haze.