About Haridwar
Haridwar lies is in the Uttarakhand state of India. It lies in the Shivalik range amidst Bilva and Neel Mountains and is situated on the right banks of the river Ganga.
Haridwar means the Gateway to God, where 'Hari' - God and 'Dwar' - Gate. Haridwar is also known as Gangadwára or Hardwar. This is also mentioned in the Vishnu Purana. Haridwar was also known as Mayurapura ( Home of Peacocks) and Mayapura ( Goddess Maya Devi ) during olden times.
According to legend, Prince Bhagirath performed penance in Haridwar to purify the souls of his ancestors who had died due to sage Kapil’s curse. The penance was answered by Lord Brahma. Goddess Ganga fell on the earth held together by Lord Shiva's matted locks and revived the sons of King Sagara. Haridwar is also the starting point of the Char dham Yatra. It plays great importance in the life of the Hindus as they come here, and pray to goddess Ganga for the salvation of their ancestors and to wash away their sins. Haridwar presents a kaleidoscope of Indian culture and development. In the sacred writings it has been differently specified as Kapilsthan, Gangadwar and Mayapuri. It is additionally a passage indicate the Char Dham (the four principle focuses of journey in Uttarakhand viz, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri), subsequently, Shaivaites (adherents of Lord Shiva) and Vaishnavites (devotees of Lord Vishnu) call this place Hardwar and Haridwar individually, relating to Har being Shiv and Hari being Vishnu.
Ganga Aarti
Ganga Aarti in Haridwar is a big holy ceremony performed on the banks of the river Ganga. The aarti performed here is much bigger then the aarti performed in Rishikesh with thousands of tourists visiting the aarti every day.
Bhajans and prayers are offered to Goddess Ganga and lamps or diyas are floated in the river. The crystal clean water of the Ganga lined with hundreds of marigold flowers, hundreds of tourist and pilgrims, Hindu pundits chanting the Vedic hymns, devotional songs and prayers. On the banks of the river Ganga is a temple which is said to be have the footprints of Lord Shiva. All this is a very spiritual affair filled with divinity in the air.
Best Time to Visit
Haridwar is located in the state of Uttarakhand in northern India. However, since it is not cradled by the mountains, its weather is also affected by the conditions in other parts of Northern India. Maximum temperature in summers reaches up to 40 ºC. In winters, the temperature falls to 16.6 ºC in winters. The average rainfall throughout the year is around 2315.4 mm. The best time to visit Haridwar is the time period of October to March since then the weather remains agreeable and one can explore this religious town at leisure.
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- Transport:By Air, By Train, By Bus
Places To Visit
Har Ki Pauri
One of the most famous and most visited sites of Haridwar, Har ki Pauri is considered as one of its five main holy sites. It is believed to be the sacred place where Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, two great Hindu Gods, appeared in the Vedic era. This place is considered equivalent to the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Banaras, in religious terms. It is also said that Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation, performed a yagna at the Har ki Pauri. The ghat is also said to have the holy footprints of Lord Vishnu.
Har ki pauri is believed to be the exit point of the river Ganges from the mountains and its entry into the plains. A dip in the holy water of the ghat is said to relieve a person of all his sins. The place is surrounded by some ancient and some newly build temples. Throughout the year, religious rituals like 'upanayan' or the initiation ritual, 'mundan' or the head tonsuring ritual, 'asthi visarjan' or immersion of the ashes of the dead and 'shraddha' or prayers appeasing one's ancestors take place here.
Kankhal
Kankhal is a small colony situated in Haridwar. Kanakhal is famous form its Daksheswara Mahadev Temple and Maa Anandamoyi Ashram Kankhal and Patanjali Yog Peeth. Kankhal is one of ' Five Pilgrimages' (Panch Tirth) in Haridwar. The other fours are Har ki Pauri, Kushwart (Ghat in Kankhal), Bilwa Teerth (Mansa Devi Temple) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi Temple).
Neel Dhara Pakshi Vihar
Neel Dhara Pakshi Vihar is Bird Sanctuary located on the river Ganga, which is also known as Neel Dhara, at the Bhimgoda Barrage. This sanctuary is a heaven for bird watchers and home to many migrant birds in the winter season.
Doodhadhari Barfani Temple
Doodhadhari Barfani Temple is located in the ashram "Doodhadhari Barfani Baba", This is one of most elegant temples in Haridwar. There are temples of Rama-Sita and Hanuman with white marbles in the complex.
Sureshwari Devi Temple
This temple belongs to deity Sureshwari. The temple located in middle of Rajaji National Park. Peaceful and spiritual atmosphere makes this shrine more beautiful for devotees. Permission is necessory from forest rangers to visit this temple.
Bharat Mata Mandir
This temple belongs to Mother India. It was inaugurated by Indira Gandhi on 15 May 1983 near river Ganges. The temple has eight stories (180 feet/55 m). Every floor depicts an period in the Indian history, from the time of Ramayan until India's freedom.
How To Reach
By Air
The city of Haridwar does not have an airport and the nearest air link is provided by Jolly Grant (45 km) of Dehradun. From Dehradun, one can take a train / bus or hire a taxi to reach Haridwar. If coming from any city outside India, it will be better to take a flight to Delhi (200 km) and then reach Haridwar by train or bus.
By Rail
Reaching Haridwar by train is another good option, since the journey is not only comfortable, by also proves to be very economical. Haridwar has its own railway station, with trains connecting it with major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Dehradun, and Rishikesh, besides others. Trains like Shatabdi Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Ujjaini Express, Mussoorie Express and Doon Express regularly ply between Delhi and Haridwar.
By Road
By road, Haridwar is well connected with major destinations of the region. While NH 58 connects Haridwar with the country's capital - Delhi, NH 72 connects it with Uttarakhand state's capital - Dehradun. There is also good road connectivity between Haridwar and Rishikesh (25 km).
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