Ananda in the Himalayas - A place of unspeakable beauty and perfect for solo travellers

Dr. P V
Jun 21, 2021
5 min read

Updated: 12 hours ago

Hogwarts and the Scottish Highlands meet the Indian Himalayas and a princely palace. And like Hogwarts, it is a place of magic – that blends ancient Vedic wisdom with modern practices to unleash the joy and ease that often become dormant in us.

Ananda's spectacular outdoors includes a mini gold course

The Ananda experience is one that is not easily conveyed in words because it is an experience to be ‘lived’. If your heart feels weary this is the place to heal, if your mind needs a change this is the place to restore, if your soul feels tired this is a place to overcome.

Lounge at Ananda nestled between Sal trees

Factually, Ananda ticks all the boxes of a one of its kind experience – it won the Conde Nast Traveller 2019 and 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards for the Best Destination Spa in the World. Yet the experience offered here can’t be captured in such accolades for it is one that works gently on your subtle self – the energy that is the life force within each of us and which determines how we show up to life. Especially if you reach beleaguered, the space surrounds you with its rejuvenating cast, giving you a firm clasp within which to replenish to full energy and health.

View of the meandering Ganges from my bathroom

Spread across 100 acres of which the resort of Ananda occupies 25 acres, the signature of this sprawl it that it slows you down, and tenderly allows you to make ‘you’ your centre, and brings to your awareness ways in which the clutter of life may have crept up on you in little ways, that tire your ‘wings’. To then begin the uncluttering in the embrace of nature’s nurture and some of the best experts in the field of wellness.

An hour’s climb by car, up into the mountains from the ancient Indian city of Rishikesh and the gates open to the Palace of the Maharaja (King) of the region, i.e., Tehri Garhwal. Alluring in its stature, this palace holds many enchanting stories of power and splendour, of history and healing. The building houses Ananda’s stately reception, the tea house and a yoga and meditation hall. It also has the historic Viceregal Suite and among India’s oldest, century old billiard tables. However, the room this is most striking, that is a metaphor for Ananda’s serenity, that stayed with me even after I left and that is with me even now as I write, is the room of Anandamayi Ma. Plain and spartan, it will cast its spell of calm on you. Its white aura will ask you to stay.

Anandamayi Ma was an Indian ascetic who lived a nomadic life, preached compassion and gathered many followers as she travelled mainly around India’s Gangetic plains. The room was given to her by the Raja (King) at the time and she is known to have lived there for some time before continuing onward on her unworldly, peripatetic journeys. Love and tranquillity pervade the aura of the room even after all these years.

Entry into my room at Ananda was also indelibly spiritual. Before the member of staff could guide my attention to any of the pampering amenities, I was drawn to the balcony and to one of the most arresting vistas imaginable. A view that stretched into the bathroom. The clear, teal blue of the sacred Ganges made it feel like an artist had painted a river snaking its way through the landscape of a busily built city on its banks. From this mesmerising altitude of 35,000 feet, all of Rishikesh was in one consolidated view. Lunch on the chaise lounge sofa and coffee table in my balcony with this panorama of the meander of the Ganges in the distance, and the surround sound of the mountain air, was one of my most enduring experiences of Ananda. Coupled with this beauty, were my experiences of outdoor breakfasts overlooking the descent of Sal forests. Together with several species of birds, monkeys were occasional visitors. There are two types in the region and they are delightful. But hotel staff warn of keeping balcony doors shut when leaving the room lest they may invade scouting for food!

Food at Ananda is a celebration – each meal is meticulously prepared and served. The daily menu offers innovative options catered to suit your Ayurvedic dosha or body type. This is determined during your initial consultation with your Ayurvedic doctor soon after your arrival. The doctor then briefs the chefs on your diet plan for your stay. However, you also have the option to opt for some of the sumptuous Western options and Indian delicacies on offer. My favourite Ananda-specials included protein pancakes, the freshly brewed cumin, corinander and fennel tea and the nutritionally dense amaranth cookies in my room.

Mornings begin with yoga sessions, then breakfast. Daily pranayama or breathing exercises follow. Morning gym sessions are also an option. Stairs from the tree top restaurant lead you to a room with a treasure trove of books written by the Vedanta scholar A. Parthasarathy. Each day, I spent part of my mornings with his books. Adjacent to the restaurant, the temperature controlled pool appears through yellow bamboo like a shy, blushing bride. It is the perfect spot to read, relax or just be. It is annexed to the spa that offers close to a hundred ayurvedic face and body treatments to restore health and vitality. Courses on nutrition, cooking and the ancient philosophy of Vedanta happen most afternoons with meditation in the evenings.

Ingredients platter for my cooking course

My last evening at Ananda was simply divine. Meticulously arranged by the resort, I attended the Ganga aarti (a prayer and worship ritual) at Parmarth Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh. On the gush of the river, in crepuscular light, with the statue of the ultimate ascetic Lord Shiva serenading us, diyas (earthen lamp lights) were set afloat. Descending night made the flames shine brighter. Chants and conch shells reverberated. Saffron robes of the saddhus (ascetics) added to the aura. And it felt as if, somewhere one had touched divinity, the divinity within. Aarti over, the rush and chatter of Rishikesh took over but the aura stayed within. The next day, as my car drove out of Ananda, the peacock that had been a regular - sat, feathers all layered out neatly like a lady in her most elegant element, to bid me adieu.