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Haridwar

Rishikul Government Ayurvedic College Heritage Campus

Haridwar, Uttarakhand · monument

Open dailyEntry Fee: Free EntryWorking college and hospital; heritage grounds are best viewed on weekday daytime hours (reported roughly 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). The OPD keeps its own morning clinic hours — confirm locally.

The Rishikul campus at Devpura is one of the oldest surviving institutions of classical Ayurveda in northern India, and it forms a quiet but historically significant chapter in Haridwar's story beyond the ghats. Founded in the early twentieth century (its Ayurvedic teaching is commonly dated to around 1919, growing out of the older Rishikul Brahmacharya Ashram tradition), it was created during the era when Indian reformers were working to revive and systematise Ayurveda — the indigenous science of life — as a formal, examined discipline alongside modern medicine. For more than a hundred years it has trained vaidyas (Ayurvedic physicians) in the classical Samhita texts, dravyaguna (materia medica), rasashastra (mineral pharmacy) and panchakarma therapies. Today it functions as the Rishikul Campus of Uttarakhand Ayurved University, one of the state's two heritage Ayurvedic campuses in Haridwar alongside the Gurukul campus at Kankhal.

Get Directions

Where to Eat Nearby

  • ✦Mohan Ji Puri Wale (Upper Road / Bara Bazaar area) — a long-standing pure-vegetarian institution famed for aloo-puri and kachori; confirm the current outlet locally.
  • ✦Hoshiyar Puri (Bara Bazaar) — a celebrated old pure-vegetarian, no-onion-no-garlic thali house; times can be limited, so check before going.
  • ✦Mathura Walo Ki Prachin Dukan (near Har Ki Pauri) — pure-vegetarian sweets, chaat and thalis popular with pilgrims; entirely satvik.
  • ✦Local Devpura-bazaar stalls — pure-vegetarian lassi, chole-bhature and mithai; as always in Haridwar, everything nearby is vegetarian and alcohol-free.

About

The Rishikul campus at Devpura is one of the oldest surviving institutions of classical Ayurveda in northern India, and it forms a quiet but historically significant chapter in Haridwar's story beyond the ghats.

  • Founded in the early twentieth century (its Ayurvedic teaching is commonly dated to around 1919, growing out of the older Rishikul Brahmacharya Ashram tradition), it was created during the era when Indian reformers were working to revive and systematise Ayurveda — the indigenous science of life — as a formal, examined discipline alongside modern medicine.
  • For more than a hundred years it has trained vaidyas (Ayurvedic physicians) in the classical Samhita texts, dravyaguna (materia medica), rasashastra (mineral pharmacy) and panchakarma therapies.
  • Today it functions as the Rishikul Campus of Uttarakhand Ayurved University, one of the state's two heritage Ayurvedic campuses in Haridwar alongside the Gurukul campus at Kankhal.
  • Architecturally, the campus rewards a slow, respectful walk.
  • Its older blocks carry the restrained colonial-era institutional idiom of the early 1900s — long colonnaded verandahs, high ceilings, arched openings and lime-plastered facades — set among mature trees and open lawns that feel a world away from the crush of Har Ki Pauri a short distance east.
  • A herbal garden (herbarium) of medicinal plants is maintained for teaching, where students learn to identify tulsi, ashwagandha, brahmi, giloy and dozens of other classical drug plants in living form.
  • The campus also runs a busy Ayurvedic teaching hospital with outpatient departments and a panchakarma therapy wing, so the place is not a frozen monument but a living institution where the tradition is still practised daily.
  • For food, the setting could not be simpler: Haridwar is a Saptapuri pilgrimage city that is entirely vegetarian and alcohol-free by long custom, so every eatery around the campus and toward the bazaars is pure-vegetarian, and many follow satvik, no-onion-no-garlic cooking.
  • That makes a short walk from Rishikul toward Devpura and the Bara Bazaar lanes an easy, reliable place to pair a heritage stroll with a simple thali, kachori-sabzi or a glass of lassi.

A note for visitors

this is a working college and hospital, not a ticketed tourist attraction. There is no formal sightseeing circuit, guides or entry counter. Heritage-minded travellers, students of Indian medicine and architecture enthusiasts are generally welcome to view the older buildings and gardens from the public areas and to visit the OPD as genuine patients, but you should keep to public spaces, avoid disturbing classes, clinics or wards, and always ask permission before photographing people or interiors.

Timings & Entry Fee

Entry FeeFree Entry

Verified: August 2026

Location & How to Reach

Address

Rishikul Campus, Devpura, near the old Haridwar city centre, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, 249401

📍 Get Directions🗺️ View on map

How to Reach: Devpura, central Haridwar, a short distance west of Har Ki Pauri and close to the old bus stand and Haridwar Railway Station. From Haridwar Railway Station an auto-rickshaw or e-rickshaw costs about ₹30–60 (5–10 minutes); from Har Ki Pauri it is a ₹40–70 e-rickshaw ride or a walkable 15–20 minutes. There is no metro in Haridwar — shared e-rickshaws (Vikram/tempo) along the main road are the local norm.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Rishikul Ayurvedic College in Haridwar?

It is one of India's oldest institutions of classical Ayurveda, at Devpura in central Haridwar. Founded in the early twentieth century (its Ayurvedic teaching is commonly dated to around 1919), it has trained Ayurvedic physicians for over a century and today functions as the Rishikul Campus of Uttarakhand Ayurved University, with a teaching hospital and a medicinal-plant garden.

Can tourists visit the Rishikul campus, and is there an entry fee?

There is no entry fee — it is a working college and hospital, not a ticketed monument. Heritage-minded visitors are generally welcome to see the older colonnaded buildings and gardens from public areas, but you should keep to public spaces, not disturb classes, clinics or wards, and ask permission before photographing people or interiors.

What are the visiting hours?

As a functioning institution it follows office and clinic timings rather than tourist hours. The heritage grounds are best seen on weekday daytime hours (reported roughly 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM), while the outpatient department keeps its own morning clinic schedule. Hours are not fixed for sightseeing, so it is best to confirm locally and avoid Sundays and holidays.

How do I reach Rishikul College from Har Ki Pauri or the railway station?

It is in Devpura, a short distance west of Har Ki Pauri and close to the old bus stand and Haridwar Railway Station. From the station an auto or e-rickshaw is about ₹30–60 (5–10 minutes); from Har Ki Pauri it is a ₹40–70 e-rickshaw ride or a 15–20 minute walk. Haridwar has no metro, so shared e-rickshaws and tempos are the usual way to get around.

What is there to see at the heritage campus?

The appeal is the early-1900s institutional architecture — long verandahs, arched openings and lime-plastered facades among mature trees and lawns — plus a teaching herbal garden where medicinal plants such as tulsi, ashwagandha, brahmi and giloy are grown for study. Because the Ayurvedic hospital and panchakarma wing still run daily, it is a living institution rather than a static monument.

Where can I eat vegetarian food near the campus?

Everywhere nearby is pure-vegetarian — Haridwar is a Saptapuri pilgrimage city that is vegetarian and alcohol-free by custom, and many kitchens are satvik (no onion or garlic). A short walk toward Devpura and the Bara Bazaar lanes brings you to long-standing pure-veg names like Mohan Ji Puri Wale and Hoshiyar Puri for puri-sabzi and thalis, and Mathura Walo Ki Prachin Dukan near Har Ki Pauri for sweets and chaat. Hours at the older shops can vary, so check locally.

Categories

Heritage & Culture

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Rishikul Government Ayurvedic College Heritage Campus, Haridwar — TasteYatra