Rishikesh The town of Rishikesh lies in the foothills of the Garhwal region. It is the gateway to the upper Garhwal region and the starting point for pilgrim routes to the four dhams of Uttarakhand -- Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The Ganga flows through the town and is worshipped here. After this it descends to the plains at Haridwar.

Ganga at Rishikesh Credit: Govt of India

The road to the north from Rishikesh leads to Narendra Nagar (named after Maharaja Narendra Shah) and beyond to Tehri. These roads branch off and reach the upper parts of Garhwal. In Rishikesh there are numerous temples and sages. There are plenty of ashrams and dharamsalas for the pilgrims and at many places yoga lessons are given.

The road from here leads up to Narendra Nagar and then up to Devaprayag. It is one of the widest roads in the region and is well maintained even in the higher parts. The primary reason is that being close to the International Border, the area is under the control of the army, for whom good roads are essential. Secondly, a major dam is being built at Tehri, so that goods and equipment have to be transported regularly.

Devaprayag or Deoprayag
While flowing through the Lesser Himalayas, the Ganga joins a principal tributary , the Alaknanda, at Devaprayag, 71 km from Rishikesh. The confluence at Devaprayag is considered to be the second most holy confluence in Hinduism after the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna at Varanasi in the Indian plains. It is from Devaprayag that the river starts taking the name Ganga.