Muni Ki Reti Tourism

Muni Ki Reti, located on the bank of River Ganga adjacent to the holy city of Rishikesh, is a popular place of pilgrimage. Earlier, it was the favorite haunt of the recluses, who spent their time seeking the eternal truth away from the hassle and bustles of daily life. While many of them went inside the deep forest for their meditation others chose the sandy bank of the river for their penance.  As sand in Hindi is known as reti and hermits as muni, the place is known as Muni Ki Reti or the sand of the hermits. Today, the town is dotted with many temples and hermitages (ashrams). Let us start our tour with Adi Badrinarayan and Shatrughna Mandir.

Shatrughna Mandir in Muni Ki Reti

This temple is known as Adi Badrinarayan and Shatrughna Mandir. It was built by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century AD. Prince Shatrughna, the youngest brother of Lord Rama and inseparable companion of Prince Bharata, is the main deity of this temple.  It is well known fact that the town is closely associated with the princes of Ayodhya. While Rama did is penance for killing Ravana at Rishikesh his brother Bharata chose Muni Ki Reti for the same purpose. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that one of three Shatrughna Temples in India is located at Muni Ki Reti.

Radha Govinda Temple in Muni Ki Reti

Radha Govinda Temple is located on NH 58 (Hardwar Road) inside the Madhuvan Ashram Complex.  Radha Govinda is the main deity of this temple. Apart from that it also houses the idols of Gaura Nitai, Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra. The Rathayatra is the main festival of this temple. Radha Govindaji’s Boat Festival also draws a large crowd.

Ashrams in Muni Ki Reti

As we have already said, there are quite a few ashrams in Muni Ki Reti and your visit to the town cannot be complete without a visit to these places. These ashrams not only have spiritual ambience that is sure to calm your soul, but some of them also hold regular religious discourses and conduct yoga classes.

Kailash Ashram in Muni Ki Reti

The famous saint Dhan Raj Giri constructed this ashram in 1880. In fact, the Kailash Ahrams is the first ashram to be built in Muni Ki Reti. Before that, the area was inhabited by lone sadhus, who preferred to meditate in solitude. Today the ashram has become center for Vedic studies. It also organizes religious discourse regularly. There is also a guesthouse within the complex.

Shivananda Ashram in Muni Ki Reti

Shivananda Ashram, also known as Divine Life Society, is another old establishment in Muni ki Reti. It was built by Swami Shivananda in1936. In addition to regular yoga classes the society also runs residential courses for those who are interested in advance yoga training. Moreover, it has a big guest house where students as well as guests can put up and also runs a big charitable hospital in Muni Ki Reti.

Omkarananda Ashram in Muni Ki Reti

ashram is not only the biggest in Muni Ki Reti, but also in whole of Rishikesh area. It was founded by Paramahansa Omkarananda Saraswati and is now run by his Sanyasin disciples. It runs many educational institutions and guesthouses. 

The Omkaranand Kamakshi Devi Mandir Complex, situated within the ashram area, is one of the must visit places in this town.  It has been built in South Indian tradition in accordance with the ancient Vastu Shashtra. Parmahansa Omkaranand had done intensive tapasya and Shrividya-Sadhana at this very place in the 1950s and 1960s.

Apart from the main temple of Shri Kamakshi Devi, there are few more smaller temples located within the complex. A temple dedicated to Meeakshi Devi stands on the left of the main temple while Shri Chamunda Devi Temple stands on its right. Facing these Devi temples are two more temples. While one is deicated to Lord Venkateshwara and Padmavati-Devi the other is dedicated to Paramahamsa Omkarananda Saraswati.  There is also the Navagraha Temple on the north. In addition to these temples, a Yajnashala has been constructed in the east.

Swami Dayananda Ashram in Muni Ki Reti

Swami Dayamand Ashram is another of the must see places in Muni Ki Reti. It was established by Swami Dayananda Saraswati in 1960 for the propagation of Vedantic studies as well as of Sanskrit language.

The ashram is located right on the bank of the River Ganga.  A temple dedicated to Lord Shiva stands within its premises. The deity is known as Gangadhareshwar or the One Who Holds Ganga. There is also a library inside the complex. It houses more than 5000 titles on various subjects such as Vedanta, Sanskrit grammar, Indian as well as western philosophy, religion and yoga. There is also a Yoga studio where regular Iyengar Yoga camps are held and a lecture hall where discourses on religious matters are held regularly.

Ram Jhula in Muni Ki Reti

Ram Jhula is the town’s most prominent landmark. It is a suspension bridge that connects Mun Ki Reti with Swargashram. The Shatrughna Mandir is located close to it. The bridge was constructed in 1986 and has a span of 230 meter (730 feet).

Herbal Garden in Muni Ki Reti

The Herbal Garden in Muni Ki Reti is another interesting place to visit. It houses almost 200 species of ayurvedic plants. The garden has been created by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam not only for preserving different types of herbs grown in this region, but also for generating awareness among common people.

Accommodations in Muni Ki Reti

Muni Ki Reti offers all kinds of accommodations at a very reasonable rate. All you need to do is to choose one that suits your lifestyle and your budget best. Apart from hotels run by private entrepreneurs the ashrams located in this town also offer accommodations at a very reasonable rate. In addition, there are a few guest houses run by the Government of Uttarakhand. Following is a list of accommodations in Muni Ki Reti:

Vasundhara Palace
Kailash Gate,
Haridwar Road,
Beside ISKON Temple,
Muni-Ki-Reti, Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249192
Phone: 0135-2442345

Hotel The Great Ganga
Muni-ki-Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249192
Phone: 0135 244 2243

GMVN Tourist Guest House – Rishilok
Near Kailash Gate,
Muni Ki Reti, Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249137
Phone: 0135 243 0373

Muni-Ki-Reti Forest Rest House
Haridwar Rd
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249137

Tourist Guest House
Near GMVN
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249409

Chevron Pure Inn
Near Ram Jhula Parking
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249192
Phone: 098100 06395

Shri Kailash Ashram
Haridwar Road (NH-58)
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand 249137

Shivananda Ashram
Ganga Vatika
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249137

Swami Dayananda Ashram
P.B.No:30, Purani Jhadi
Hardwar Road
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249137
Telephone: 0135-2430769 / 2431769
Fax: 0135-2430769
E-mail: dayas1088@gmail.com

Omkarananda Ganga Sadan,
Swami Omkarananda Saraswati Marg,
Shivanandanagar
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249137
Phone No: 0135-2430763 / 2431473

Omkarananda Gita Sadan,
Swami Omkarananda Saraswati Marg,
Shivanandanagar
Muni Ki Reti
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249137
Phone No: 0135-2436346 / 2436347

Madhuban Ashram
Kailash Gate,
Haridwar Road,
Beside Iskon Temple,
Muni-Ki-Reti,
Uttarakhand
Pin Code: 249192
Phone No: 0135-2431297
Fax: 0135-2430597
Mob: 098978-99970 / 71
Email Id: madhubanrishikesh@gmail.com