Lakshman Jhula - Religious Suspension Bridge in Rishikesh.

 

Lakshman Jhula is one of the famous hanging bridges across the holy river Ganga. The jhula is a link in between two important villages in Rishikesh. It connects the Tapovan village in Tehri Garhwal and Jonk village in Pauri Garhwal. Lakshman Jhula is an iron suspension bridge and it almost 450 feet long, which is suspended at an elevation of almost 70 feet above the river. Lakshman Jhula has been one of the centres for tourist attraction since its inception for its amazing association of the Hindu Mythology.

 

 

As per legends, here Lord Rama younger brother Lakshman crossed the river Ganga on a jute rope. Later on a jute rope bridge was built here to honour Lakshman. There was a 284 feet long hanging jute rope bridge which was washed away in floods of October 1924. After that a new bridge was built and opened for public in the year 1929. In recent times, in order to boost the tourist footfall, many other developments have been carried out around the famous Lakshman Jhula. Tourists now love to spend a considerable amount of time in these places in the course of their Rishikesh Trip. Lakshman Jhula also offers a panoramic view of river Ganga and Rishikesh city having number of temples. Trayambakeshwar Temple, Sachha Akhileswar Mahadev Temple, Lakshman Temple and Sri Raghunathji's Temple are the major temples located near Lakshman Jhula.

 

However, the Lakshman Jhula is no more used for communication from 12th July 2019 for safety concerns. This bridge is almost 96 years old and it is not capable of handling the load of the current traffic. In order to preserve this iconic tourist attraction, one more bridge has been built and the Lakshman Jhula stands as a mere tourist attraction near to it.

 

 

If you want to take away all the spiritual significance of the place, then it would be better if you come over to this amazing place in between the months of December and February. Rishikesh receives tourists from all over the world in these months as the climate is perfect for tourism. You can come down to the Lakshman Jhula from 5:00 AM in the morning and stay till 10:00 PM in the evening. There is no entry fee for tourists to visit Lakshman Jhula.

 

The famous Lakshman Jhula is located at Tapovan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. The nearest railway station is Rishikesh Railway Station, which is just 4 Km and The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun and is just about 22 Km from Lakshman Jhula. You can take a local bus or hire an auto rickshaw to take you to the Lakshman Jhula from the nearest railway station and airport.