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One of the holiest cities for Hindus, Rishikesh is located in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand. It is around 25 km away from the other holy city of Haridwar. Visitors will notice the Ganga gurgling down the Shivalik ranges of the Garhwal Himalayas here, as it finally makes its way to the plains of north India. Surrounded by hills and bisected by the Ganges, the two banks of the Rishikesh town are linked by the famous Lakshman Jhula, a suspension bridge whose origins according to Hindu belief lie in a rope bridge that was built to enable Lakshmana to cross the river. In fact folklore has it that Lord Rama did penance here for killing Ravana. Three of its most important temples Shatrughna Mandir, Bharat Mandir, Lakshman Mandir are believed to have been set up by Adi Shankara in 8th century CE. Rishikesh shot into international prominence in February of 1968, when a group of greatest rock musicians in the world at that time led by the Beatles, including the likes of Mike Love of the Beach Boys, Donovan and Paul Horn arrived here to learn Transcendental Meditation (TM) training session at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In all about 60 people landed here including several newspaper reporters which gave this small town the kind of international prominence whose benefits it is still reaping. Its fame as one of India' s biggest yoga centers was established at that time. The Beatles were reported to have written most of the songs that appeared on their classic The White Album here, as well as some of the songs on the their next album Abbey Road. Besides being a major pilgrimage centre itself, these days Rishikesh is a starting point for a visit to the four important shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri. It is also famous as a centre for the study of yoga and Hindu philosophy. For adventure enthusiast Rishikesh is a place for both river rafting and trekking.
Located at a height of 1,800 meters, Mussoorie is one of the most important hill stations that the British set up in north India and which continues to be popular even today. It is in the state of Uttarakhand, 35 km away from its capital of Dehradun. Uttarakhand has many places at higher elevations ' like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri ' that draw visitors in large numbers from India and abroad. But these are religious tourists. Like Nainital the other popular hill station in the state, people go to Mussoorie with one purpose in mind: unwinding and recharging their jaded batteries amidst the beautiful weather and the verdant landscape. From Mussoorie one can see the peaks of Bandar Poonch, Srikantha, the Gangotri group and the Chaukhamba. Its mountains attract climbers, trekkers and adventure sport enthusiasts. The Ganga is visible from one end of Mussoorie and the Yamuna from the other. A sign on Mussoorie' s Mall area during the British times declared: 'Indians and Dogs Not Allowed'. This racist sign was ignored by Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru' s father, whenever he came to visit Mussoorie and he always ended up deliberately paying the fine. The hill station was a favorite with his family and they came here very often, staying at the famous Savoy hotel. Jawaharlal Nehru' s sister Vijayata eventually settled down in Dehradun.