A short note on Rishikesh

This note is not historical. Part musing, part historiography.

Once, the town was Haridwar’s poor cousin.

I remember my first visits to Rishikesh during my time in consumer sales. Rishikesh was like a lonely, forgotten backwater town, lost in Haridwar’s ephemeral glitter. We’d book our hotel stays in Haridwar’s tiny hotels, travel to Rishikesh for a day trip before concluding our business, and return to Haridwar for…