Haridwar and the Ganges

About Haridwar
 Haridwar is considered to be one among the seven most holy pilgrimage cities as per the Hindu traditions. Haridwar actually means “Gateway to the Abode of Gods”. One has to pass through Haridwar to reach Kedarnath and Badrinath. The ideal period to be in Haridwar is during September to June. You surely will be able to spot groups of sadhus belonging to different mutts, clad in saffron clothes moving around Haridwar. Don’t forget to carry Ganga Jal (water) back with you…you get cans, bottles and even small copper vessels for this.

How to Reach

Haridwar is the place where the Ganges touches the plains after flowing through the Himalayas. It is easily accessible by road from the capital of India, Delhi and also other major cities in North India. The distance between Haridwar and Delhi is 200 kms. Share autos are available for moving around Haridwar.

Nearest Railhead : Haridwar
Nearest Airport : Dehradun (65 Kms)

Where to take the holy dip in Haridwar

Har-Ki-Pauri is the place to take bath at Haridwar as the Ganges enters the plains exactly over here. It is said to be the place where Lord Vishnu’s foot print is present on the wall. It is considered to be a very auspicious to take bath here and the Ganga Aarti is also performed here.

What to see –
 There are many old and new temples and tourist attractions in Haridwar.

Ganga Aarti :
 Ganga aarti is a sight surely not to be missed at Haridwar. It is performed daily at 7 pm. It is absolutely splendid to see aarti being performed simultaneously in all the temples in the banks of the Ganges. After the aarti, thousands of lamps are lit and floated in the Ganges.

Mansa Devi Temple :

This beautiful temple is situated on the top of the hill overlooking the Ganges. The goddess is said to be very powerful and a fulfiller of wishes of devotees. One can reach the temple either by climbing up the hill or through the Ropeway.

An extraordinary view of the Ganges and Haridwar is possible from the temple.

Chandi Devi Mandir :
 This is another temple of a goddess atop a hill on the other side of the Ganges. There is a ropeway here also like Mansa Devi Temple to go up. A superb view of Haridwar and Ganges can also be had from here.

Sapta Rishi Ashram :

This place is around 5 kms from Haridwar and is said to be the place where the Ganges splits into seven channels. The history goes on to say that Ganga split into seven parts so as to keep moving without disturbing the seven sages or Rishis who were doing meditation there.

Bharat Mata Mandir:

This is a very famous tourist attraction and a temple dedicated to Bharat Mata (Mother India). There are seven floors in this temple with each floor being dedicated to some special personalities like freedom fighters, saints etc. The ground floor has a statue of Mother India and a huge 3-D Map right in the centre.

Vaishno-Devi Temple :

This temple is an exact replica of the very famous Vaishnodevi temple in Jammu, India. One has to pass through small tunnels and caves like in the original temple to have darshan of Mata Vaishnodevi, another powerful goddess in India. This temple is on the way to Bharat Mata Mandir.

Of late, several new and fantasy temples have come up in Haridwar that are increasingly becoming famous tourist attractions.

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