Ananda is located on a hill overlooking the ancient spiritual city of Rishikesh.
By Air
There are frequent flights from Delhi International Airport to Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun. Flight time is 45 minutes followed by a 40 min picturesque drive to Ananda in the Himalayas.
Vistara, Indigo, Spice Jet and Air India operate daily flights from Delhi to Dehradun. Please check their updated schedules on their respective websites.
By Train
Daily trains operate from Delhi. The train journey takes 4.5 hours from Delhi to Haridwar followed by a 90 minute drive to Ananda in the Himalayas. Please check updated train schedules on www.irctc.co.in
By Helicopter
Ananda in the Himalayas can organise helicopter transfers from Delhi and other specific locations to Ananda. The journey from Delhi to Ananda’s private helipad (5 minutes away) takes approximately 2 hours. Please contact Ananda Reservations (reservations@anandaspa.com) for further information.
Drive From New Delhi
The drive to Ananda from Delhi takes approximately 4-5 hours depending on traffic conditions.
Please note that the car transfers can be provided for pick-up or drop from the Railway Station or Airport. Please inform Ananda Reservations of your requirements and the respective transfer rates will be provided.
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Shravan month starts from July 22nd – August 20th, 2024. This is when the Kanwad mela takes place. Please note the following details:
• A trip from Delhi to Ananda or a return trip by road could take an additional 2-3 hours or more, compared to the usual time taken. Sometimes traffic is also diverted via Meerut-Hapur-Bijnor-Najibabad to Haridwar. It is recommended that people avoid driving and if they do, they should come via Mohand through Dehradun avoiding Haridwar.
• All reservations should have guest mobile numbers so that they can be contacted in case of any sudden emergency.
• All guests arriving by trains and de-boarding at Haridwar Railway Station on the above-mentioned dates must instead get down at Dehradun Railway Station. All transfers requests would be entertained only from Dehradun Railway Station during this period.
• All guests departing by trains from Ananda and planning to board their train from Haridwar Railway Station, will instead, have to board their train from Dehradun Railway Station. All drop requests would be entertained only for Dehradun Railway Station during this period.
• There will be no additional charge for the car pickup or drop to Dehradun Railway Station for this period, and all bookings that need to pay for their car transfers would continue to be charged INR 5900, which is the normal charge for one way transfer to Haridwar Railway Station. Furthermore, all bookings for Suites/ Villas or any such rate plan where a complimentary ‘two/one way’ transfer is included in the Room Tariff, would continue to be provided this service from Dehradu Railway station if needed at no ‘additional’ cost.
• During the Kanwad festival, Ananda will not be in a position to take car bookings for Ganga Aarti or any local run to Rishikesh or Haridwar due to the high amount of traffic in these towns. Alternatively, all guests can enjoy a visit to the Kunjapuri temple.
• Traffic between the Jolly Grant Dehradun airport and ‘Ananda’ during this period, would remain mostly normal.
About the Kanwad Festival
During the month of Shravan in Hindu calendar (July 22nd – August 20th this year) tens of thousands of devotees throng Haridwar to collect holy water of the Ganges from Brahmkund in Har ki Pauri and carry it back on foot to their native place to offer it to the Shiv temple in their towns and villages or temples in the near vicinity like Neelkanth Mahadev temple.
It is a belief that water taken from Brahmkund at this time of the year does not go bad throughout the year. Some of the more devout and determined devotees carry the holy water from Gaumukh in Gangotri, which is the origin of the river Ganges. The devotees who carry the water are called Kanwads. Hence, Kanwad Mela is the name given to the entire festival.
The Kanwads carry the water on foot all the way to their native place, due to which the roads leading out of Haridwar are full of devotees in colourful clothes walking back to their native places. More often than not, the traffic is thrown out of gear in most areas and diverted in certain other.
Should you require any further information or clarification, please contact us at reservations@anandaspa.com.