Many legends are related to this holy place Rishikesh. One of such legends says that when the devils and the gods were trying to churn the sea(known in Indian mythology as the act of Samudra Manthan) in order to get Amrit (nectar of immortality) at first venom came out of the sea.

All the gods and devils got worried as unless the venom was discarded Amrit would not come out and to completely discard it from the world, someone had to drink it. But, as almost all of them were eager to drink Amrit only, nobody dared to volunteer. So all the gods and devils prayed to Lord Shiva who agreed to drink the venom. On drinking the venom, Lord Shiva's throat became Neel (blue) in color. And as legend reveals, this was the place where Lord Shiva stood and drank the venom.

Some other legends are related to the Indian epic Ramayana. According to a belief, Lord Ramachandra stayed in this jungle area when he was sent for Vanvas (living in exile in jungles) along with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman. The evidences of their stay is said to be the Lakshman Jhula, a hanging rope bridge to cross the river. The bridge was been rebuilt in AD 1939 but the original bridge is said to be of jute ropes.

The holy city of Rishikesh lies at the bank of river Ganga. The region is surrounded by the Himalayas and falls under the climatic conditions of the western part of the Himalayas. The day remains pleasant and sunny with comparatively cold evenings. The winters are very cold and the summer season is mild and moderate followed by a good rainfall in monsoon.

Rishikesh had a population of 59,671. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Rishikesh has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 68%. In Rishikesh, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.