Rishikesh is an ancient town considered a gateway to the Himalayas. Once a sacred idyll on the banks of the Ganges, where men sought an inward life, this small town has held, for hundreds of years, the promise of peace and respite for the dwellers of the plains.
From Badrinath, we traveled 7 hours to reach the small town of Rudraprayag – home to another sacred confluence of two rivers that form the Ganges. We stayed by the river banks in a comfortable resort before leaving early the following day to drive towards Rishikesh.
We made a brief stop at the river confluence. It had been raining heavily in the high mountains leading to heavy muddy torrents flowing full force. We stood right at the confluence and washed ourselves briefly. As we got up the stairs, we were the only visitors in a small but ancient temple, and it was time for the aarti.
Alakananda and Mandakini - two major sources of the Ganges, uniting at Rudraprayag
Along with the monkeys in residence and the villagers, we were the only tourists that witnessed the beautiful aarti to Shiva and Durga on these blessed banks, where sages have meditated for thousands of years. The sound of the bells blended with loud splash of water on both sides of the temple from the two rivers. The quiet morning transported us to a sacred place – within and without. We spent most of the rest of the day on the road to Rishikesh.
Although what is called Rishikesh today is more of a shell for what it once was, the place still reflects the quintessential essence of the Indian subcontinent and its spirituality. No longer a quiet hamlet in the Himalayas, the place is overrun by tourists with every possible interest. The tiny roads remain choked with traffic and smoke for most of the day.
The devout Indian villagers, curious city dwellers, savvy shoppers, adventure travelers, pilgrims from foreign lands, yogis, sadhus - everyone comes together in this small hill town and joyfully greets Ganga – the one mother to all.
Evening ganga aarti at Rishikesh
Pilgrim offering floating lamps to carry prayers
We spent a couple of days in Rishikesh, enjoying the sights and scenes and celebrating mother Ganga each evening with the traditional aarti.
On the third day, we moved an hour north of Rishikesh to a quite retreat called Anand lok. It is reached via an hour-long drive to a sacred meditation cave called Vasishta gufa, and from there, crossing over the Ganges on a footbridge and walking up the mountains for another 15 mins. Our hosts sent us horses to greet and take our bags to the room.
Our plans at this point shifted a bit, and we were fortunate to get to spend two full days here at Anand lok – anything less than that would not have done justice considering how spectacular this place is in every way possible. The place offers everything Rishikesh once promised – peace, quiet, constant sight and sound of the holy Ganges, and sacred forested land to meditate and go inwards.
Anand lok is a resort founded by a Swiss guru a couple of decades ago. His name was Swami Shin Shiva Svayambhu Maharaj. He passed away unexpectedly a few months ago (in 2022), leaving this grand work in the hands of his close disciples. Most of his disciples are from Europe and just one devoted family from India, who manage this retreat.
The retreat is one of a kind - A beautiful food forest with fruit trees all around, rustic yet very comfortable rooms where all basic needs are met (no air conditioning, but lots of windows and fans), all milk and milk products supplied by the resident cows on the land, loving kitchen staff that served us whatever we asked for, and the serene setting right above mother Ganga.
The sacred meditation cave Vasishta gufa is only a 20 min walk from the retreat, and the Ganges had sprawling beaches that offered warm invitation at all times.
Here is Shin (as he is referred to by his students) describing the work in his own words:
A view from our room at Ananda lok
“The great vision of a green land where culture is unfolded together with nature led to the beautiful area of Garhwal in Uttarakhand. On a mountain top, about 22 km from Rishikesh following the Ganga upwards, together with his Indian friend he discovered a sandy, mostly unoccupied land at a river knee on the other side of the Ganga, from which he felt out of his inner vision directly that parts of his pioneer ideas will realize themselves here.
Maybe it would even be possible to build a city without noise and pollution where the people can be offered, in a market place formed in the shape of a sun, the best fruits and ayurvedic spices of purest agricultural cultivation as well as finest products from the Garhwal culture.”
Shiva temple under construction at Ananda lok, seen from Sirasu village
Also on this property is under construction a magnificent temple for Shiva like none ever built. Shin himself created the sketches and design for this temple through superconscious inspiration and then spearheaded the project. Great progress has been made and it looks likely that the temple will be dedicated and opened for public on the day of Shivaratri in 2024.
We visited the massive 20 feet shiva lingam inside the temple and saw the many unique features of this beautiful space. And through them, we also got a glimpse into who Shin was – a truly inspired and inspiring Yogi channeling high consciousness to uplift the land and its people in this part of the Himalayas.
One after another, in every conversation I had, no one failed to mention to me how in losing Shin they had lost a very dear friend. It was deeply moving watching all the locals and villagers act with such a high sense of integrity and devotion, all moved by the work of one man.
On the second day, I also had the opportunity to visit the nearby village of Sirasu and the home of one of the property caretakers, to enjoy late afternoon chai (made from herbs from his garden and milk from his buffalos) outside his hut in one of the most beautiful and humble settings there may exist – and yet more fulfilling than any experience I have had.
Ganges, near Vasishta gufa, right below Anand lok
The next morning we made our way back to Delhi after a brief stop at Anandamoyi Ma’s samadhi mandir in Haridwar.