Rishikesh
Just south of Swarg Ashram is what’s left of the original Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, where the Beatles stayed and wrote much of the White Album (and a…
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Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand is a place of myth and mountains. Hindus think of it as Dev Bhoomi – the Land of Gods – and the dramatic terrain is covered with holy peaks, lakes and rivers. Twisting roads and high-altitude hiking trails lead to spectacular pilgrimage sites where tales from Hindu epics are set. Though the presence of Shiva and Parvati (in a few of her forms) tower over the state, the imprint of British colonialism is equally apparent: the legend of hunter Jim Corbett lives on in the famed tiger reserve that bears his name; popular holiday towns were once Raj-era hill stations; and the Beatles turned Rishikesh into a magnet for spiritual seekers and yoga practitioners worldwide.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Haridwar
Har-ki-Pairi (The Footstep of God) is where Vishnu is said to have dropped some divine nectar and left behind a footprint. Every evening, hundreds of…
Uttarakhand
This pretty lake is Nainital’s centrepiece and is said to be one of the emerald-green eyes of Shiva’s wife, Sati (naina is Sanskrit for eye) that fell to…
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Uttarakhand
Kedarnath is in the most dramatic location of the char dham temples, located at the base of 6970m peaks and 22km from the nearest road. The puja offered…
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Valley of Flowers National Park
Uttarakhand
The bugyals (high-altitude meadows) of tall wildflowers in the Unesco World Heritage–listed Valley of Flowers are a glorious sight on a sunny day,…
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Mussoorie
Only 3km northwest of town, this scenic outlying region of Mussoorie is famous as the site where the Dalai Lama and fellow exiles arrived in 1959, after…
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Uttarakhand
Badrinath Temple, in a superb setting below the sacred, snow-topped pyramid-shaped peak of Nilkantha, is holy to Lord Vishnu. Vividly painted, this is the…
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Uttarakhand
This famous reserve was established in 1936 as India’s first national park. Originally called Hailey National Park, then Ramganga National Park, it was…
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