 The nightly Ganga Aarti ceremony, Rishikesh |
by Philip Game
At Rishikesh the sacred Ganges breaks free from the Himalaya, the glacial milky-blue waters spilling out onto the plains. Here, where Lord Rama did penance for killing a demon king, is the starting point for pious Hindus embarking on the Char Dham pilgrimage into the mountains.
From the Sixties onwards, westerners in search of Eastern wisdom have also made the pilgrimage to the ashrams of Rishikesh. In 1968 the Beatles arrived to immerse themselves in Indian spiritualism at the feet of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. A young Canadian photographer was staying at the ashram at the same time, and stumbled upon the band; Paul Saltzman’s rare pictures were published only recently.
Even if you take your peace and love with a dose of scepticism, the ‘yoga capital of the world’ still repays a visit. At the nightly candlelit ceremony on the banks of the Ganges, young saffron-clad devotees clap and chant and sway. As the chanting builds to a crescendo, western women take up the rhythm with unseemly gusto.
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