Rishikesh

The north is very different, and Rishikesh is amazing. A friend told us we had to go to Rishikesh, it is “the Jerusalem of India”. Now I can see what she meant, though for me, it reminds me more of Tzfat. It is absolutely beautiful, surrounded by high green hills, and divided by the flowing green waters of the Ganges, the holiest river in India. And because it is near the source of the river, the Himalaya mountains, it is clean and clear – good healing water. Rishikesh is a dichotomy, with literally hundreds of temples, ashrams and Yoga and Meditation centres. It attracts spiritual seekers from all over India and the world. And so, it also attracts a Disneyland of commercialization. Can you imagine? The Ashram Store, The Third Eye Café (sounds appetizing), shops and kiosks wall to wall, “sadhus” grabbing you to apply a coloured bindi to your forehead before asking for 100 Rupees. Fake Yogis, dozens of sadhus begging at every temple. Rishiskesh is a trip.

I love it here, and could easily spend longer than the few days to a week we have. Yesterday we met our first guru in India, Prem Baba, who delivered a beautiful satsang in Portuguese with an English translator. He is from Brazil, and combines Brazilian Shamanic traditions with Hindu practice. His energy was absolutely beautiful, his smile was completely open, and I really got a buzz from him and from the energy of the people who came to see him. There were at least ten people playing instruments and chanting, people dancing, just a ton of good energy. We’ll go again this morning.

We also had a good yoga class at an ashram near the hotel where we are staying. There are many ashram possibilities and we are considering spending three days in one.

Rishikesh is a very holy city, a power spot. Last night we attended Ganga Arti, which is a nightly ceremony on the banks of the Ganges. About ten people lead prayers and chants amplified for everyone around to hear. Then, candles and lamps are lit, and many are set afloat on the Ganges as the ceremony ends. It reminded me of the Jewish Tashlich ceremony during High Holidays where we cast bread crumbs into the river to release our sins. Beautiful.

The food is all vegetarian, and delicious! There is no alcohol here. There is no western music anywhere. I met a musician from Italy and we are trying to find a way to jam together, but many ashrams and gathering places are not open to anything but sacred music.

Today we are going with a Spanish woman we met yesterday and an Indian man she knows to experience Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, about 30 kms away. Kumbh Mela happens every four years in different holy spots, and this year it is in Haridwar. Over a million pilgrims come at some point between mid January and mid April. Today is a special day, with bathing in the Ganges the main focus. It will be a mob scene, but since we happen to be here at this time, I really want to experience it at least for the day. Then we’ll escape back to the relative quiet of Rishikesh.