HEADLINES:  

INTRODUCTION

Haridwar has been a centre of religious and historic importance from the early ages. A religious city that has been remembered by different names in our scriptures and ancient historic epics. Some times it was Mayapuri and at other times Gangadwar.Situated on the foothills of the Himalaya on the right bank of the Ganga,this city is a beautiful place for the tourists and pilgrims.Haridwar is one of those four chief religious places where the festival of Kumbh takes place in every twelve years. In Hindi language Haridwar literally means 'Gateway to God'.Haridwar has a lot of spiritual retreats or Ashrams carrying on the lineage of providing the way to body soul perfection via various yoga and meditative techniques.

HISTORY

According to legend the forefathers of King Bhagirath were reduced to ashes due to sage Kapil's anger.So, King Bhagirath did severe penance and made Ganga descend from the heaven for the salvation of his forefathers. It is believed that if one bath in its sacred waters, he is relieved of all sins and achieves supreme salvation. According to Hindu mythology, as the Gods are believed to have left their footprints in Haridwar.Haridwar is the first town where the River Ganga descends to touch the plains. There are legends which also say that this is where a drop of nectar fell as a result of the manthan - churning of the oceans. It was initially under the Maurya Empire during 322-185 BC, and later under the Kushan Empire during the 1st-3rd century.

LOCATION

Haridwar, a part of the erstwhile Saharanpur Divisional Commission, rests at the foothills of the lofty Shivalik ranges. The city is enclosed between Dehradun district in the north, Muzzaffar Nagar and Bijnor districts in the south, Pauri Garhwal and Dehradun districts in the east and Saharanpur district in the west.

BEST SEASON

The best time to visit Haridwar is between October and March during winter.

FAIRS AND FESTIVELS

KUMBH MELA

The Kumbh mela is one of the major festival of Haridwar which is held once in twelve years and its date vary from Makar Sankranti (14th January 2010) to Shakh Purnima Snan.The main feature of the festival is the holy dip on the banks of the rivers to wash away the sins committed in the lifetime. The main bathing place is at Hari-ki-Pairi and bathing begins early in the morning and goes to around 11:30 am. At this time, Hari-ki-Pairi is closed so the Sadhus can take bath from around 12 noon to 2 pm. After this, it is open again for general public. It attracts millions of pilgrims and tourists from different parts of the world.

ARDH KUMBH

This Ardh Kumbh mela is held once in every six years and a holy dip in the Ganga during the festival is believed to give salvation.

PLACE OF INTEREST

HAR KI PAURI

Popularly known as Brahm kund,is a sacred place and the main bathing ghat in Haridwar.Every six years,Ardhkumbh and every twelve years a full Kumbh's festival take place. People take a dip in the sacred Kund as penance for their sins and thus achieve supreme salvation. The performance of aarthi here early morning and evening is worth watching.

BHIMGODA

This place is situated on the Haridwar-Rishikesh road, about 2.5kms away from the bus station. It is believed that the most powerful Bhim constructed tank with the force of his knee at this place.

MANSA DEVI TEMPLE

This place is about 2kms away from the tourism office. It is a very famous temple which can be reached either by the ropeway or on foot. The presiding deity of this temple Goddess of power, Durga or otherwise known as Mansa Devi.Mansa devi temple is considered as a shaktipeeth.

CHANDI DEVI TEMPLE

This place is situated on the NH to Najibabad.Situated on the opposite bank of the town of Haridwar, Chandi Devi temple on Neel Parvat was built here in 1929 by King of Kashmir, King Suchat Singh. The legend goes that Goddess had killed the army chiefs of demons, Chanda and Munda here. Adishankaracharya had established the image of the goddess in 8th century here then. The temple can be reached by trekking or by the cable cars.

VAISHNODEVI

This place is situated about 6.5kms away from the Tourism Office. This temple is imitation of Ma Vaishno Devi's main temple situated in Jammu, and presents a unique mix of natural phenomenon and art. Devotees visit the temple in large numbers.

MANAV KALYAN ASHRAM

This hermitage, situated at Kankhal, is also worth seeing. Here God has been presented through the idols of his twelve incarnations. The idols of God Krishna and Shiva have been shown in the form of Ardhanarishwar.

BOOMANIKEDAN

This place is situated about 7kms away from tourism office. Here one gets a splendid view of natural caves. This hermitage represents a wonderful communion of art and religion.

PAR MATH ASHRAM

The centre of attractions is the huge of idols of Durga, Gajendra Moksha and various other Gods and Goddesses.

PAWAN DHAM TEMPLE

The Pawan Dham temple in Haridwar, Uttaranchal, India is one of the important religious sites that must be visited during pilgrimage tours.

This ancient temple is located at a distance of 2 kilometers from the town and is known for the glasswork that has been done on the temple walls.

The Pawan Dham Temple is quite popular for the elaborately ornamented idols.

BHARAT MATA TEMPLE

This is not exactly like conventional temples. It is an eight storey building with each floor being dedicated to a particular group of people.

For example, one floor has all the famous early sages, another floor is dedicated to spiritual leaders, another floor has the images of all the freedom fighters and so on.

It is an interesting experience to visit this temple.

SAPTARISHI ASHRAM

This worth seeing place is situated close to the Bharat Mata Temple. The belief is that the Ganga had to split itself in seven streams in order to save the Saptarishis in deep penance.

PARAD SHIV LING

This historic temple is in Harihar hermitage of Kankhal.Here exists a unique and worth seeing Parad Shivling built with 151 kg pure mercury.

In the courtyard of this very hermitage exists a tree of holy rudraksh, on which 3 to 5 faced rudraksh grows.

According to Hindu scriptures, rudraksh is considered very sacred.

GURUKUL KANGRI UNIVERSITY

It is an age old famous centre of tradition which has been followed since long. It is a centre of imparting education in a manner which is traditionally Indian. The attraction here in the university campus is a museum housing archaeological exhibits. There is a Ved mandir inside the university campus too. This was established by Swamy Shradanand.

DAKSH MAHADAV TEMPLE

The Daksh Mahadev Temple is an ancient shrine situated to the south of Kankhal town.

This temple was constructed by Queen Dhankaur in AD 1810.

Kankhal has several other temples and ashrams too.

SHOPPING

The main shopping area in Haridwar is Kankhal, Upper Road, Gandhi Ashram, Moti Bazar and Jwalapur. The UP Handloom Emporium is a prime shopping landmark of Haridwar where buyers can get an extensive collection of exotic items. Many shops sell imitation jewellery like chains, bangles, earrings and nose rings. The shopping list also includes assorted handicrafts, auspicious stones, figurines of Gods and Goddesses in different metals and crystal stones. The Bharat Mata temple area of Haridwar is a prime shopping place where can find such articles as vermilion, rudraksh, brass and copper utensils, idols of Gods and Goddesses, bangles and sandalwood.

EAT OUTS 1.Sharma Sweets Devpura, Haridwar, Uttaranchal 2.Chotiwala Restaurant NH 74, Devpura, Haridwar, Uttaranchal 3.Maharaja Bakers Haridwar, NH 58, Devpura, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 4.Fun N Food Restaurant Haridwar, NH 58, Devpura, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 5.Kocktail Resturant Haridwar, NH 58, Devpura, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 6.Invitation Restaurant NH 58, Govindpuri, Devpura, Haridwar, Uttaranchal ACCOMMODATION 1.Ram Ghat Lower Bazar, Lower Road Haridwar, Uttrakhand 249401 India ph: +91-1334-225544,224567 2.Bhaj Govindam Ganga Kinare, Bhim Goda, Haridwar (U.A) 249401, India. 3.The Haveli Hari Ganga Pilibhit House, 21 Ramghat, Haridwar - 249401, Uttaranchal. +91- 1334 - 265207, 226443 4.Hotel Disney Inn Haridwar - Rishikesh Road, Bhupatwala, Near Jain Temple, Haridwar (Uttrakhand) India, Pin - 249401 5.Ginger Haridwar Khasara No. 48M/50M Opp. Dudhadhari Bopatwala Kalan Dudhadhari Chowk Haridwar - 249 410 Phone: 01334-663333 6.Himalayan Heritage Group Travel Desk, Hotel Chitra Heritage Chitra Cinema Street Railway Road, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India - 249401 +91 (0) 9760129990 7.Hotel Alaknanda, Haridwar Belwala, Haridwar +91-1334-226379 8.Sagar Ganga Resorts Sagar Niwas, Niranajani Akhada Road, Mayapur, Nr. Safe Parking, Haridwar +91-1334-222115, 228478 9.Hotel Khanna Palace Old Rishikesh Road, Bhupatwala, Haridwar +91-1334-261791, 261930 10.Hotel Alpana, Haridwar Ram Ghat, Lower Road, Haridwar +91-1334-224567, 225544

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GETTING THERE

BY AIR
The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant in Dehradun, but it is preferable to take a flight to Delhi and then take a bus or train route to Haridwar.

BY RAIL
The major pilgrimage center of Haridwar is well connected by trains to almost all the major cities in India. In fact, trains are the major source of the tourist inflow to Haridwar.

BY ROAD
The National Highway no. 45 crosses the city of Haridwar, so it is connected to other cities of the state as well as those in the other states too. The excellent road network links Haridwar with Delhi for a smooth and comfortable travel journey.