Rishikesh in December

The December story

December strips Rishikesh back to what it was before the rafting companies and bungee operators arrived: a temple town on the Ganges. The morning aarti at Triveni Ghat in 6°C fog, with maybe 40 people huddled in shawls watching fire pierce through mist — this is Rishikesh at its most honest. The Ganges at low flow is meditative rather than dramatic: you can sit on exposed rocks mid-river that are submerged 10 months of the year. Parmarth Niketan's evening aarti, smaller in December, feels more intimate — 100 people instead of 500, the priests closer, the chanting more personal. The yoga ashrams run winter intensives for serious students. Beatles Ashram in December light — low sun, long shadows through the trees — is arguably more atmospheric than October's bright version. Ram Jhula with nobody on it. Cafes with wood fires and blankets on the chairs. Room rates bottom out: ₹500-900. Rafting, if you brave the cold water, is uniquely peaceful — the clear river, visible fish, snow-dusted foothills in the distance. AIIMS is 15 minutes away. December Rishikesh asks a question: do you actually like this place, or do you like what happens here in October? If the answer is the place itself, December is your answer.