Shivas Matted Locks.

Shiva's Matted Locks., originally uploaded by The Wandering Hermit.

Shiva's statue as the Mahayogi on the banks of the Ganga in the night with Orion shining bright.

Rishikesh: Is named after the Matted Locks of Shiva (thus he is also known as Jatadhari as per Hindu Myths he used these locks of hair (Jata) to dissipate the force of Ganges as it descended to the Earth from the heavens o to make whole earth pious, fertile and wash out the sins of humans. For Hindus in India, the Ganga is not just a river but a mother, a goddess, a tradition, a culture and much more. Another name for Shiva in connection with the Ganga is Gaṅgādhara ("Bearer of the river Gaṅgā"))

Rishikesh is where the now fully formed Ganga first emerges from the embrace of the Himalayan Mountains and meets the Great Gangetic Plains (The Terai). The young bubbling river gives way to the meandering river which irrigates most of the Northern Indian Plains all the way to its eventual drainage almost 2500 kms away in the Bay of Bengal

The Story of the descent of Ganga

Legends associated with the river Ganga