Attraction · Rishikesh
Triveni Ghat
The main bathing ghat in the middle of town, and at dusk the place where several hundred people gather on the steps to watch lamps go down the Ganga.
Time needed1 hour, at dusk
WhereCentral Rishikesh
The aartiDaily, at dusk
Arrive30 – 45 minutes early
CostFree
FootwearRemoved on the steps
About
Triveni Ghat
Triveni Ghat is the principal bathing ghat of Rishikesh, a broad flight of steps down to the Ganga in the middle of the town, and it is busy from before dawn until well after dark. The name refers to the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, which is understood here as a spiritual rather than a physical meeting. Through the day it is a working ghat: people bathe, priests perform rites, and families come to make offerings. At dusk it becomes something else. The Ganga aarti is performed daily on the steps — lamps, bells, chanting, and small leaf boats of flowers and flame set on the water — and several hundred people gather to watch it. It is free, it is not staged for visitors, and it is the most concentrated hour Rishikesh offers.
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What to See
What to see
A ghat by day and a ceremony at dusk, and they are two different visits.
The aarti
- The evening ceremony on the steps — lamps, bells and chanting, performed daily at dusk and lasting about an hour.
- The diyas, small leaf boats of flowers with a lit wick, floated onto the river by the crowd afterwards.
- The crowd itself, which is overwhelmingly Indian pilgrims and families rather than visitors.
The ghat by day
- Bathing from before first light, which is when the ghat is at its most ordinary and most interesting.
- Priests performing rites on the steps, and families making offerings.
- The fish in the shallows, which are fed by visitors and are a fixture.
Around it
- The lanes behind the ghat, which are the commercial centre of central Rishikesh.
- The Bharat Mandir a short walk away, which is held to be the oldest temple in the town.
- The market, which sells to pilgrims rather than to tourists and is the better for it.
Getting There
Getting there
In the middle of central Rishikesh, and reachable on foot from most of it.
From around town
- Central and walkable from most of the town centre; auto-rickshaws run to the top of the ghat.
- It is about three kilometres from Ram Jhula and rather more from Lakshman Jhula.
- Vehicles stop above the steps; everything below is on foot.
For the aarti
- Arrive thirty to forty-five minutes before dusk to get a place on the steps.
- Timing moves with sunset through the year; ask at your hotel for the day rather than working from a fixed hour.
- There is no ticket and no reserved seating; it is first come.
Combining it
- With the footbridges, which are the other half of a Rishikesh day and are upstream.
- With Parmarth Niketan at Ram Jhula, which holds a different and equally well-known aarti — you choose one, not both.
- With the market lanes behind the ghat, which are best before the ceremony rather than after.
Best Time
When to visit
Dusk for the ceremony, dawn for the ghat. The middle of the day gives neither.
Time of day
- Dusk for the aarti, arriving well before it starts.
- Before sunrise for the ghat at its most ordinary — bathing, rites and almost no visitors.
- The middle of the day is hot and comparatively empty of interest.
Time of year
- October to March is the comfortable season and the busiest for pilgrimage.
- The monsoon raises the river and the lower steps go under; the aarti moves up the ghat.
- April to June is very hot and the evening is the only usable part of the day.
How long
- An hour for the aarti itself, plus the wait beforehand.
- Half an hour at dawn, which is enough to see the ghat working.
- The two together make a good bookend to a single day in Rishikesh.
Visitor Intelligence
Visitor intelligence
A religious ceremony that welcomes onlookers, which is not the same as a performance.
Behaviour
- Footwear comes off before you go down onto the steps, and there are places to leave it.
- Sit on the steps rather than standing in front of people who are already seated.
- It is worship, not a show. Applause, loud conversation and pushing for position are all conspicuous.
Photography
- Photography is generally accepted but a phone held up in front of a seated crowd is not.
- Do not photograph people bathing. This should not need saying and regularly does.
- The lamps on the water after the ceremony are the shot, and they need a fast lens rather than a flash.
Practicalities
- Offerings and diyas are sold at the top of the steps for a small amount. Buying one is normal.
- Donations are collected during the ceremony. Give or do not; nobody presses.
- Keep valuables minimal and close. It is a crowd, and it behaves like one.
Access
- The ghat is a long flight of wide stone steps and there is no step-free route down to the water.
- The upper level above the steps gives a view of the ceremony without the descent.
- The steps are wet at the bottom and slippery for some distance up.
Nearby
Nearby
The rest of Rishikesh, upstream and across the water.
The Rishikesh Footbridges
Upstream — Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula, and the ashram quarter across the river.
The Beatles Ashram
On the east bank beyond Swarg Ashram — Chaurasi Kutia, reopened and covered in murals.
Rishikesh
The town, on both banks where the Ganga leaves the mountains.
Bharat Mandir
A short walk behind the ghat, and held to be the oldest temple in the town. No page of its own.
Good to Know
Frequently asked
A daily ceremony of light performed at dusk on the ghat steps — lamps, bells, chanting and the offering of fire to the river — after which the crowd floats diyas, small leaf boats holding flowers and a lit wick, onto the water. It lasts about an hour, it is free, and it is not staged for visitors: the crowd is overwhelmingly Indian pilgrims and families. It is the most concentrated hour Rishikesh offers.
It is performed daily at dusk, so the time moves through the year with sunset — ask at your hotel for the day rather than working from a fixed hour in a guidebook. Arrive thirty to forty-five minutes before it starts if you want a place on the steps. There is no ticket, no charge and no reserved seating; it is first come, and by the time the ceremony begins the ghat is full.
You choose one; they happen at the same time about three kilometres apart. Triveni Ghat is in central Rishikesh, larger, and predominantly a pilgrim crowd. Parmarth Niketan, at the Ram Jhula end, is at an ashram, somewhat more organised, and draws more visitors. Neither is better — Triveni is the more ordinary and the more local of the two, which for most travellers is the recommendation.
Footwear comes off before going down onto the steps and there are places to leave it. Sit on the steps rather than standing in front of people already seated, and keep conversation down — it is worship rather than a performance, and applause and jostling for position are conspicuous. Photography is generally accepted, but a phone held up in front of a seated crowd is not, and nobody should ever photograph people bathing.
Yes, and specifically before sunrise. That is when the ghat is at its most ordinary and its most interesting: people bathing, priests performing rites on the steps, families making offerings, and almost no visitors at all. Half an hour is enough. The middle of the day is hot and comparatively empty of anything, so the two ends of the day are what reward the walk down.
Not to the water. The ghat is a long flight of wide stone steps with no step-free route down, and the lower steps are wet and slippery for some distance up. The upper level above the steps does give a view of the ceremony without the descent, which is a workable partial visit for anyone unsteady, though it is a considerable distance from the ceremony itself. Vehicles stop above the steps in every case.
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