84 YOGA JOURNAL
PHOTO: CHANDRESH BHARDWAJOPPOSITE (LEFT TO RIGHT): FANCYCRAVE/UNSPLASH, CHANDRESH BHARDWAJTrying to come up with the perfect itinerary to fit your time
frame—and not sure where to start, given India’s vastness? Here,
Chandresh Bhardwaj, author of Break the Norms, and a seventh-
generation spiritual teacher in New York and Los Angeles who
leads multiple retreats in his homeland of India each year, shares
his top picks for the holy cities, historical sites, and spiritual
pilgrimages every student of yoga should consider.VARANASI
One of the oldest inhabited cities on Earth, Varanasi is also one of
India’s holiest. Walk on the river’s banks, and you’ll hear the near-
constant clanging of puja ceremonial bells and see the flicker of
lamps illuminating the holy river at night. You’ll also see pilgrims
bathing—and a maze of funeral pyres, where bodies burn along
Varanasi’s cremation ghat, or river bank. “This is a city where death
is honored, welcomed, and celebrated in a sacred way,” Bhardwaj
says. “Many Indians believe that if the right rituals are done at the
time of their death, they’ll achieve the ultimate goal—liberation of
the constant cycle of being born, suffering, and going through the
drama of living—if their body is burned or their ashes are scattered
in Varanasi.”RISHIKESH
Want to practice in the footsteps of the ancient yogis? Rishikesh,
considered by many to be the yoga capital of India—of the world,
really—is where yoga, tantra, and mantras were created, Bhardwaj
says. “There’s such powerful energy here that even if you don’t
practice asana or meditation and just keep yourself receptive and
open, big things can happen,” he says. On the banks of the holy
river Ganges you’ll find ashrams, temples, and shops, as well as
a diverse, international group of spiritual seekers. When you’re
there, don’t miss Ganga Aarti, a fire ceremony at the sacred bank
called Triveni Ghat.13
IMPORTANT
PLACES
TO VISIT
HOLY CITIES
PRAYAGRAJ
This lesser-known holy city, formerly called Allahabad and
renamed in late 2018 by a new government trying to build a
more spiritual India, is located at the confluence of the Ganges,
the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati Saraswati rivers.
When the Kumbh Mela festival happens here (most recently
in January 2019), it’s the largest: Up to 150 million pilgrims will
travel from across the country and the world, and wait for days
to bathe in the holy river.HARIDWAR
The Ganges—or Ganga, considered a living goddess—descends
from its source in the Himalayas, called Gomukh, to the north
Indian plains in Haridwar before making its way across the
country and pouring into the Bay of Bengal. That’s why this
city’s name means “gateway to god” and has been a center of
Hindu religion and mysticism since ancient times. In Hindu
mythology, Haridwar is also one of the four sites where drops
of amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over
from the celestial bird Garuda’s pitcher. This manifested in the
Kumbh Mela, a religious festival that’s celebrated four times
over the course of 12 years at four different pilgrimage sites,
including Haridwar. Even when this famous festival
isn’t happening, you can experience nightly Ganga Aarti
ceremonies here.RISHIKESH