Not long ago, on a hike to the Kunjapuri Temple in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, retreat participants came upon a view of Rishikesh. Their gu

India’s Famous Luxe Wellness Retreat Is An Antidote To 21st-Century Life

submited by

Style Pass

2024-05-10 11:30:05

Not long ago, on a hike to the Kunjapuri Temple in the foothills of the Indian Himalayas, retreat participants came upon a view of Rishikesh. Their guide asked what the city is famous for. “The Beatles,” I offered, knowing that Rishikesh is where the musicians went to meditate with the Maharishi in the 1960s.

This was not wrong, but the guide was looking for more relevant answer: Rishikesh is said to be the birthplace of yoga, where Patanjali wrote his Sutras more than 2,000 years ago.

Now it’s the landmark city for another kind of spiritual seekers—maybe not rock stars but often high-profile, and certainly successful—who travel in search of life change. Their destination is Ananda in the Himalayas, a luxury wellness resort that regularly scoops up awards.

Like other retreats along the Ganges River, Ananda takes yoga, Ayurvedic medicine and Vedanta (Hindu philosophy) as its main pillars. Unlike those other places, it does so in a natural setting that’s transcendent, with luxurious facilities to match. The crown jewel of the 100-acre estate is the palace built for Maharaja Narenda Shah in 1895.