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nurturing 21st Century Children

              leisure &

                 travel































                                                                                                  Rishikesh



         for its 445-strong population of wild elephants. Tigers,   weeks are priced between Rs.100-300 per day including
         leopards, chital (spotted deer), sloth bears and sambars also   basic accommodation and simple vegetarian food.
         inhabit the park. Chilla (13 km) northeast of Haridwar is   Accommodation. There are several accommodation
         the starting point for elephant rides in the morning and at   options here but facilities are basic and cater mainly to
         dusk. For a fee of Rs.50 one can ride an elephant through   the budget traveller. Some of the better known hotels are:
         the park and be almost sure to sight some wildlife.  Hotel Baseraa (Rs.860-1,260 per night); Hotel Bank Peas-
                                                          ants Cottage (Rs.3,800-4,700) and Green Hotel (Rs.1,450-
         riShiKeSh                                        2,250).
         Rishikesh (pop. 260,000) is quieter than Haridwar despite   Excursions. There are innumerable treks, trails and walk
         its claim to being the ‘Yoga Capital of the World’. Lush   options in the grassy foothills of the Himalayas. Neelkan-
         hills on three sides and the river Ganges on the fourth   tha Mahadev temple (17 km) is a picturesque four-
         endow Rishikesh with a perfect atmosphere for yoga and   hour walk from the town. The temple is also accessible
         meditation. The yoga revolution started here in the 1960s,   by road and regular taxis and buses ply from Rishikesh.
         following the visit of the Beatles and sundry spiritual   Uttarkashi (155 km) is an important pilgrim town on the
         seekers who came here in search of yoga guru Maharishi   way to the Char Dhams. The famous Nehru Institute
         Mahesh Yogi.                                     of Mountaineering where Bachhendri Pal — the first
           A visit to Rishikesh would be incomplete without a walk   Indian woman to climb Mount Everest — was trained is
         across the Lakshman Jhula— a suspension bridge built   situated here.
         in 1929, facing the 13-storey temples of Swarg Nivas and
         Sri Trayanbakeshwar. These orange structures taper   char dhaM
         to narrow turrets, with dozens of small shrines on each   Char dham — the four most sacred and revered Hindu
         level dedicated to various deities of the Hindu pantheon.   temples (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath)
         A pleasant 2 km walk along the east bank from Lakshman   — are on the itinerary of every pilgrim visiting the state.
         Jhula takes one to Swarg Ashram, where several yoga   All four sites are in scenic locations and thousands of pil-
         schools converge.                                grims throng the dhams every year. The yatra or pilgrim-
         Meditation and Yoga centres. Numerous ashrams    age concept has been well acknowledged by the govern-
         offer courses in meditation, yoga and Hindu philosophy.   ment and entrepreneurs resulting in a well-established
         Reputable among them are: Swarg Ashram & Koyalgati,   network of hotels and restaurants which provide food and
         Gita Ashram, Sri Ved Niketan Ashram, Omkarananda   shelter to pilgrims and trekkers alike.
         Ganga Sadan etc. Courses ranging from two days to three   Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna — the second-



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