Geographical Facts

Occupying a position in the lower Himalayas, the town of Rishikesh is popular worldwide as the 'Yoga Capital of the World' and the 'River Rafting Capital of India'. The town is located in the Tehri Garhwal region of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is dispersed with innumerable temples and ashrams along the riverbanks of the Ganges. Perched at an elevation of 1,360 feet above the sea level, Rishikesh also serves as the gateway to important Himalayan religious towns including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Geographically, Rishikesh occupies a place on the world map between 30.7 North Latitude and 78.42 East.

TRAVEL INFORMATION
For tourists, the town of Rishikesh lies at an easy striking distance from India's capital New Delhi. It is just at a distance of 240 km. It only takes a 6 hours road journey to reach Rishikesh. It is well connected to all the major cities in northern India by rail and road. Those who want to travel to Rishikesh by air can take a flight to the Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun, 42 km from Rishikesh. However, it is not a feasible option to travel by air to Rishikesh.

ROAD DISTANCE FROM NEARBY CITIES
Getting to Rishikesh by rail and road is the best option. By rail route, the town of Rishikesh has connectivity with places like Haridwar (24 km), Howrah, Mumbai, Varanasi, Delhi, Lucknow and Dehradun (42 km) among others. Tourists can undertake a road journey to Rishikesh from places like Dehradun, Mussoorie (77 km), Kedarnath (228 km), Badrinath (301 km), Srinagar (105 km), Gangotri (258 km) and Joshimath (252 km).

CLIMATE
No time is bad time to travel to Rishikesh. Due to being located in the lap of the lower Himalayas, the town experiences a pleasant climate. During Summers (March-June), the average temperature records 35 degrees centigrade. Temperature during Winters (November-February) ranges between 19 degrees and 33 degrees centigrade. During winters, the temperature can reach a minimum of 5 degrees centigrade. The average annual rainfall recorded in Rishikesh is 80 inches. Monsoon season continues in the town between the months of July and September.

Though you can make a trip to Rishikesh anytime of the year, it is advisable to avoid the month of May due to summer heat. River rafting season continues from the month of September till April.

PEOPLE & POPULATION
According to the 2001 census, the population of Rishikesh was recorded to be 59,671. The town has a high literacy rate of 75%. It is interesting to note that the town's literacy rate is higher than the national average literacy rate which is 59.5%. People of the town are strictly vegetarians and there is ban on non-vegetarian city in the town. However, the variety of the vegetarian food available here is enough to keep you in good taste. Whether you are looking for delicious north Indian cuisine or south Indian cuisine, the town offers you a wide variety to savour. Languages spoken here include Garhwali, Hindi and English.