On a Royal Enfield Bullet to Devprayag in India

It is one of the holiest towns on the road along the Ganga in the Garhwal Himalayes, the meeting point f two rivers that have mythological importance and have been revered through the ages – the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanka. The first, which starts as a trickle at the Gaumukh glacier, reputed to be the source of the Gaga, joins the Alaknanda to form the Ganga, the holiest river in India. The Ganga then flows through Rishikesh Haridwar, Allahaad and Varanasi to finally meet the Bay of Bengalnear Kolkata.

But it is in Devprayag that the Ganga takes on its majestic form and the confluence is so revered that bathers risk the vicious, combined pull of the two rivers and bathe in and worship the river on the bathing ghat at the confluence.

Devprayag, a peaceful and simple town, is the ideal getaway for those who find Rishikesh with its busy bazaars too frenetic. Here the bazaars have little alleyways where you’ll find lethargic cows, giggling schoolchildren racing each other, and holy men making their way to pray at the rivers.

The coming together of the two rivers also makes for a very picturesque sight – you can actually see the Bhagirathi’s olive green water merge with the bottle-green of the Alaknanda. Devprayag is a lovely place to unwind, explore ancient temples and get a little glimpse of holy India.

Our starting point for this trip is Delhi, and the earlier you ride out from Delhi the more relaxing the ride will be, as you will avoid pedestrian and local traffic in the towns en route. The Muzaffarnagar bypass sometimes has maniacs driving on it since it is one of the few fast stretches on this route – do watch out for them. After the bypass, you’ll come across dhabas lining both sides of the road and these make good breakfast stops.

You will invariably find traffic in Khatauli and Roorkee, so the best thing to do is be patient; it usually takes about 10 to 20 minutes to ride through these towns. The scenery turns greener and the traffic thinner as you approach Haridwar and while you will come across traffic through Rishikesh town, once you cross Ram Jhulla, the river views are truly refreshing.

There have been innumerable landslides on the first 30 kilometers form Rishikesh to Devprayag and expect traffic jams as trucks try to cross each other on narrow sections.

The road is quite good after Camp Silver Sands and from then on it’s a pleasant ride to Devprayag. As always, we advise that you sound your horn liberally around corners while riding in the hills.

River views, a quiet Himalayan holy town, some hill riding and the possibility of a bit of adventure in the form of an easy off-road riding were the key points of a extended weekend plan. Factoring in all of these, Devprayag was an apt destination and so the two of us set off on a humid Delhi morning riding or mechanically checked Royal Enfield Bullets.

Stay tuned for part two…