Ridi is situated on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River where it joins the smaller Ridi River to form a confluence and changes its direction of flow from north-south to west-east. Ridi is also called Ruru Kshetra in Sanskrit. There are a number of temples in Ridi, the most prominent ones being those of Rishikesh and Mukundeshwar. This area also contains a number of caves, including Kanya Gufa which has been the abode of sadhus, or holy men. Among the many festivals and fairs (melas) held in Ridi, the Maghe Sankranti draws the maximum number of pilgrims who take a bath in the waters of the Kali Gandaki River. Ridi is also known as the place where Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumshere spent his last years of life as Rajarshi after voluntarily renouncing the all powerful Prime Minister’s Office.
Access: Ridi is connected by road from Tansen (north) and Butwal (south).
Nepal Tourism Board is a national tourism organization of Nepal established in 1998 by an Act of Parliament in the form of partnership between the Government of Nepal and private sector tourism industry to develop and market Nepal as an attractive tourist destination. The Board provides platform for vision-drawn leadership for Nepal’s tourism sector by integrating Government commitment with the dynamism of private sector.