Overnight at Rishikesh.
India has attracted many visitors in search of spiritualism, nirvana or moksha. It has a centuries old tradition of rishis, munis and sadhus travelling up to the Himalayas, to mountain shrines in search of enlightenment. During this sojourn - soul searching / cleansing and leading an ascetic life through prayer, meditation and yoga. For Indians, a pilgrimage to holy places marks many landmarks in their life. In India, in ancient times, many Gods and Goddesses have supposedly come down to Earth, epics are inter-woven around the Himalayan mountains and holy rivers and the peaks (Nanda Devi...) and rivers (Ganga...), to name just a couple, are worshipped as forms of Goddesses.
An exploration of this India and its many interpretations on the philosophy of life, its many ways of worship and its innumerable deities in various forms presents a different experience for each individual. You can be a mere observer, mesmerized; you can be a student participating in a first over-awing lesson; you can be an ardent follower, imbibing the best from what spiritual India has to offer. In this tour we try to take you through a short journey traversing through the holy cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh along the Ganga and Alaknanda rivers, stopping at many holy confluences (Bhagirathi and Alaknanda at Deoprayag from wheron it is known as Ganges; Mandakini coming down from Kedarnath and Alaknanda from Badrinath meeting at Rudraprayag) and the journey finally taking you to Badrinath, the abode of Lord Vishnu, where Rishi Ved Vyas wrote the Mahabharat and the Pandavas passed through on their way to Swargarohini, the Ascent to Heaven.
This itinerary is confined to the Garhwal Himalayas in North India. The legendary valleys and mountains of Garhwal abound with breathtaking natural beauty. Ranging from snowclad Himalayan peaks, deeply forested hill slopes, emerald green alpine meadows, offbeat quaint hamlets, silver streams gurgling down the mountain slopes, furious rivers hurtling down the valleys, sunsets and sunrises a riot of ethereal images. Besides a taste of spiritual and holy India at the hill abodes of the Gods at Badrinath or down in the plains at Rishikesh or Haridwar, it offers sightseeing to river rafting, skiing to snow sports, from long walks and soft treks – this Garhwal region offers it all. Discover the magic of Garhwal with the Caravan’s specially designed tour packages which take you through the enchanting towns of Haridwar, Rishikesh, Deoprayag, Rudraprayag, Auli, Badrinath.
