Taken From All About My Hat The Hippy Trail 1972 ISBN 978-0993210716
(Pics found on line)
When Al awoke it was really early in the morning. He left the station and found a small café where he ate some breakfast. Whilst he was in there, the waiter recommended that Al go by train to Rishikesh, another of India's sacred Ganges cities. He headed back to the station and yes there was a train in an hour. By now Al had just less than one hundred rupees and his ticket back to Delhi. He wanted to stay at that ashram for a week and then felt sure that money would be in Delhi when he got back.
All he had was a few dirty rupees notes and a fifty rupee note. The fare to Rishikesh was just five rupees return.
Al queued for over an hour for the tickets which were sold just before the train arrived. When he finally reached the ticket office window and presented his fifty rupee note, he was told that it was no good because it was torn. He was told to go to a bank to change it. Of course that would mean we would miss the train.
So he decided to board the train and he could show the ticket inspector his ticket from Delhi and pay the extra few rupees.
It was not long before the inspector arrived, the train chugging slowly onwards.
Al showed his ticket and explained the problem back in Haridwar.
The ticket inspector said that as Al had no valid ticket, he would have to pay 100 rupees fine on top of the fare. Of course he didn't have one hundred rupees and said so.
There was a short argument between them and suddenly the inspector turned away and pulled the emergency cord. The train stopped.
The petty official ordered Al to get off the train and feeling that there was no alternative he did.
He climbed down, heard the blowing of a whistle and watched as the train pulled away up the track towards Rishikesh. All around seemed like jungle! Al imagined monkeys in the trees and then thought about tigers.
All he could think to do was follow the railway line.
“Bloody petty bureaucrats!” thought Al; “Here I am between two of the most holy cities on the Ganges and I get kicked off a train by an official without compassion.”
After walking for about ten minutes and enjoying it, the track crossed a road. As Al reached the road he spotted a car heading towards the direction of Rishikesh. He waved down the car and it stopped.
There was a man and woman and two children, presumably a family, and the man speaking English asked Al if he wanted to go to Rishikesh and offered a lift. The man, told Al that he was a Hindu and his name was Ashok. He told Al that he was very happy to meet him and that, if Al wanted, he could spend the day with them. They were planning to visit the ashram of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi near Rishikesh. Al quickly agreed.
Al could hardly believe his luck. Travelling with this family could be far better than on the train.
Ashok told Al a few things about Rishikesh.
Al already knew that it was a special holy city on the Ganges, but he was surprised to hear that it is also known as 'The Gateway to the Garhwal Himalayas'.
Apparently the name means means Lord of Senses or Lord Vishnu.
The ashram was within a complex of lecture halls and sparse concrete cells where paying students stayed. The contrast between the luxurious lecture halls and the cells was shocking, as is the contrast between rich and poor throughout India. There were pleasant gardens with many trees where people could stroll or maybe meditate.
It did not appeal to Al at all. He felt he wanted no part of that. How could anyone charge money to supposedly teach peace?
After leaving the Maharishi's ashram, Ashok drove first to a small restaurant for a delicious vegetarian lunch. Ashok told Al that Rishikesh was vegetarian by law. That suited Al.
Ashok explained to Al: “Legends say that Lord Rama did penance here for killing Ravana, the demon king of Lanka; and Lakshmana, his younger brother, crossed the river Ganges using a rope bridge."
Now there was a new bridge for locals, tourists, cows and monkeys.
Rishikesh was quite full of people in all sorts of styles and colour of clothing, Many women dressed in bright coloured sarees. There were also the sadhus and babas that had renounced worldly goods and wealth and lived beside their holy river Ganges. At this point where two rivers met it was the origin of their holy waters.
The sounds also bells and chimes was everywhere.
It was almost like a supermarket for the occult and spiritually-minded, offering courses on well-being and some form of enlightenment, as well as services like palmistry, massages, healing and yoga.
The streets were lined either side with stalls and shops offering, as well as food and drink, amongst other things, gems and semi-precious stones, sarees, all sorts of clothing and shoes and boots, kitchen utensils, wooden goods, books, sweets and cakes. There were street-side barbers, dentists and pharmacies, travel agents and shops offering to tell one's future.
The streets were full of the smells of incense and wood fires, mixed sometimes with the smell of cooking or unpleasant drains.
The most astounding site was the thirteen-story red temple, called the Tarah Manzil, believed to have been built over five hundred years ago.
The bridge itself, built where Lord Rama's younger brother Laxman was believed to have crossed the Ganges by a rope bridge, was a narrow and swaying suspension bridge. It was used by rickshaws and bicycles as well a pedestrians. At the entrance to the bridge there were monkeys ready to grab what they could from unsuspecting travellers.
The plaque there read:
"Lahshman Jhuala Bridge - first Jeepable suspension bridge of U.P.
"Span - 450 feet; Carriageway - 6 feet.
"This bridge was constructed by U.P.P.W.D. during 1927 – 1929. It replaces the old bridge of 284 feet span which was washed away by great floods of October 1924. This was opened to traffic on 11 April 1930".
The views both from and of the bridge with the beautiful mountain backdrops were stunning.
After a pleasant afternoon with Ashok and his family, they drove back to Haridwar and Al was dropped off back near the railway station where, once again, he slept on the wooden bench.
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