Ganga Dhyan Part 2- Lakshman Jhula

22/01/06

After washing myself in cold water (i couldnt get the geyser to work), i slept for a few hours. The amount of dirt collected during a train journey is incredible. I was feeling so dirty and grimy that i didnt care about the cold water. The lunchtime bell woke me from my morning nap. The ashram serves lunch at noon, dinner and breakfast at seven, pm and am respectively. The food is fantastic- its light but filling, tasty but everything in moderation, salt, spices etc. All the meals begin with a chanting of the purushottama yoga, chapter fifteen, Bhagavad Gita. Beans, lentils and green leafy vegetables are a mainstay of the cooking, with rice and wheat alternating as the staple food.

After a delicious meal, my first in two days, i met Ashok, one of the people involved in running the ashram, who helped and guided me during my stay. So after a short talk with Ashok, i decided to check out Rishikesh and then head to the Lakshman Jhula (Lakshman's swing). It is a steel suspension brigde which stands at the location where Lakshamana crossed the Ganga during his exile in the epic, Ramayana. But before i went there, i took a wrong turn and found myself walking thru the 'town centre' of Rishikesh. It is a fairly typical north Indian town, except that every so often one comes across ashrams, meditation centres, ayurvedic clinics and of course, the little alleyways that lead to the banks of the Ganga. Even after becoming fairly certain that i was heading in the wrong direction, i continued on just to see more of Rishikesh. Eventually i came to the town council building, which has a large map outside where i got my bearings and headed off in correct direction. Along the way, i got on an overcrowded tempo to hasten my journey. Once we came outside the town limits, all the buildings were ashrams of one sort or another. And the main road also gets much closer to the Ganga, and the terrain slopes upward. The change from the plains to the foothills, while not drastic, is something that you will certainly notice as you head north out of Rishikesh.

We passed the Ram Jhula, kind of like the Lakshman Jhula, but for Rama, which for some strange reason is not as popular as the Lakshman Jhula. It is also called the Shivanand Jhula as the Shivananda Ashram is just opposite the bridge. The road winds around for another kilometre or so before finally coming to the Lakshman Jhula. Actually the road is on a ridge-like structure overlooking the site of the bridge. From the setdown point, it is a ten minute walk down to the Jhula. On the way, predictably, there are lots of shops selling all sorts of things- mainly handicrafts, jewellery, woollen clothes and food. There is also the odd internet cafe with a few foreign tourists busily typing up their blogs or whatever else they do.

On the way down, there is a larger-than-life statue of Lakshmana, standing their with his crown of matted locks and bow in hand. I wanted to take a photo of Lakshmana, but i never managed to do it, i dont know why....A little further, there is a shrine dedicated to Lakshmana, which is sort of wierd, its not a temple, its not a samadhi.....so what is it, exactly?? I never understood.

Anyway, after waltzing down some steep steps, I finally came to the Lakshman Jhula. It is a surprisingly solid construction, that appears to my amateur eyes to be made entirely of stainless steel. It is disappointingly narrow- what with idiots riding their motorbikes and scooters on it and the odd cow, there is hardly enough room to walk comfortably across. But the views of the Ganga are breathtaking. The river comes crashing round a large bend and slows down over a deep spot. Then as it heads downhill to the plains it picks up speed again. The foothills can be seen to be increasing in height into the distance until the haze disrupts visibility. The slopes are a fresh green, a welcome sight for sure. The other bank is dotted with little shops, but the focal point is the bizarre Kailashanand Ashram. It is an ordinary three storey building with an extraordinary Buddhist-style pagoda-ish bit stuck on top it. It is better to see it than read a description of it; its simply too bizarre. So of course, i made a beeline for this building to check it out. As it turns out, the 'ashram' is full of deities- mostly krishna, rama, shiva and durga- arranged around the perimeter of the building. You go clockwise round and round each floor, each floor with less shrines than the previous, until you get to the top. The views from here are fantastic- unfortunately photography is not allowed. This is to stop people taking photos of the deities, but anyway, why cause trouble.

There are lots of shops on this bank as well- i picked up a few trinkets and just walked around the narrow alleys to get a glimpse of life at the foot of the Himalayas. Apart from the roar of the relentless Ganga, there is very little noise. Only the tourists seem to create much noise, whatever noise is produced by the locals seems to merge into the surroundings without standing out harshly to the listening ear. This is odd, because on the plains, the noise is deafening. As the sun began its downward descent, i decided to head back to the Dayananda Ashram. Dinner was again delicious, though by the time i finished eating, the boiling glass of milk i picked up had become no more than lukewarm. The temperature plummets after dark- the cold turns the extremities numb in seconds. But there was something soothing about the cold wind as i stood at the bank of the Ganga that night.