Mountains always call me for the new adventurous trip but this time Ganga Ji called me to Rishikesh. Rishikesh always brings me closer to my inner peace.

Rishikesh is the city of the divine. When we think about the Rishikesh first things comes to the mind are adventure sports and spirituality. It's a perfect blend of adventure and spirituality at the same place.

The coin always have two sides, head, and tail and similarly, Rishikesh also has two sides. First one for adventure junkie and the second one for devotional ones who are in search of some peace.

Being a little adventurous

April 2015 I did all the things, I craved for a long time. It was a lifetime achievement for me :).

Bungee Jumping - I got the guts

Got the guts
Got the guts

I did Bunjee Jumping and jumped at the height of 83 meters. No words can explain how I felt at that time. I'm Not afraid and my mind went all relaxed, just one voice I heard “ WELL DONE SONIA".

Went for River Rafting

Taking the feel of Ganga JI before Rafting
Taking the feel of Ganga JI before Rafting
Our pahadi guide
Our pahadi guide

The second thing I did on the same day of my Rishikesh trip was rafting for around 16 km. Rafting started with floating with the current of Ganga and everyone roar in a single sound “HAR HAR GANGE”, those words energies everyone's souls.

Rafting was awesome
That was awesome

After that, the only thing on everyone's mind was "Hume usse aage jana hai or tej”. It feels nice to play with water and going on this adventure with a different group was a great experience.

Camping near Ganga Ji

Some alone time with Ganga Ji
Some alone time with Ganga Ji

Camping is always been one of the things I wanted to do in Rishikesh. It's an amazing feeling to camping near Ganga Ji. The sound of flowing water meets your inner soul.

It was really cold ;)
It was really cold ;)

And the thing I was feeling at that time was “Ye puri raat shanti se m baith skti hu do pal sukun k lie".

Finding the inner peace in Rishikesh

Beautiful view of Laxman Jhula
Beautiful view of Laxman Jhula

In Dec 2016 I saw the other side of Rishikesh which is filled with spirituality. This time I went to attend the marriage of our elder brother. If I would have missed the marriage then defiantly I would have missed the chance to see the totally different side of Rishikesh because no one talks about it.

Are you waiting for me to tell you about this place, then I will stop your curiosity, it's Parmarth Niketan Ashram. Because the marriage was in the ashram so we got a lot of time to explore this place.

Soaking in the view
Soaking in the view

None of the adventure junkies will explore this place. It's beautifully situated near Ganga Ji. It's a real heaven for a person who is looking for some peace in life. Parmarth Niketan Ashram is the largest ashram in Rishikesh. The ashram is spread in a large area with beautiful gardens and Lord Shiva idol. There is 1000 rooms in the ashram and located in Swargashram on the main road.

Lord Shiva idol at Parmarth Niketan Ashram
Lord Shiva idol at Parmarth Niketan Ashram

"If we set the Divine example other will follow" - Pujya Swami Ji. Pujya Swami Ji is the president and spiritual head of Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh.

Daily activities at Ashram include morning universal prayers, yoga, and meditation classes and Satsang. The best part of this Niketan is Ganga aarti at the time of sunset. It's like all Gods are standing near you and all dias are spreading the positivity and energetic rays in nature. Or Kya chaiye life main Shanti Shanti Shanti.

It's nice to explore this ashram. When I saw the flow of waves, dimag main ek hi gaana aaya "Kabhi tera hath pakad kar chal du, kabhi tera hath chod kar chal du".

So if you are looking for something different in Rishikesh, then make sure to visit some of the Ashrams for some peace.

"Travel light on your journey in life your desires and expectations are heavy baggage, which slow you down and thwarts your progress let them go." - Pujya Swami Ji, Parmarth Niketan