Haridwar

Famous for: 

A religious place and one of the 7 sacred cities of India. One of the four venues of the famous "Kumbh Mela" and is the gateway to the "Char Dhams".

Background:

Situated by the holi river Ganga, Haridwar is a very important religious place for the Hindus and is one of the seven most holy cities of India. It is also one of the four venues of the famous Kumbh mela (others being Allahabad, Nashik and Ujjain).

The other importance of Haridwar is that it is the gateway to Rishikesh and the Char Dhams.
Hindus offer prayers on the banks of the Ganga river to do penance and get salvation for their ancestors. The daily aartis (prayers) on the banks of the Ganga are well known especially the evening aarti when thousands devotees float small lamps in the holy river.

Video: Haridwar, the holy city

What to see:

Har Ki Pauri or Brahma Kund

Location: On the banks of the Ganges

Built by King Vikramaditya in memory of his brother Bhatrihari, this is one of the most sacred of all the ghats (holy platform for puja by river) in India and is the venue of the holy dip during the Maha Kumbh mela and Ardh Kumbh Mela. It is also known for the daily evening aartis when thousands of devotees float small lamps in the holy waters of Ganga.

Mansa Devi Temple

Location: on the top of Bilwa Parvat

It is a temple on the top of the Bilwa Parvat dedicated to Goddess Mansa Devi , which can be reached by ropeway. It has a great view of Haridwar and the Ganges.

Sapt Rishi and Sapt Sarovar
Sapt Saravor is the place where the river Ganga splits and gets divided into seven small streams. It is believed that this happened because there were seven Rishis (Saints) meditating here and Ganga split herself so as not to disturb them.

Chandi Devi
Location: 6 km from Haridwar and 3 km from Chandi Ghat, on the top of Neel Parvat hill, which is by the Ganges
Built in 1929 by Suchat Singh, the King of Kashmir, it is believed to have the statue that was established in the 8th century by Adi Shankaracharya.

Daksha Mahadev Temple
Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is believed to be the palce where King Daksha Prajapati, father of Sati (wife of Shiva) had performed a yagna (puja) in which he did not called Shiva. Sati felt insulted and burnt herself in the yagna.

Neel Dhara Bird Sanctuary
A good place to watch birds particularly in winters.

Gurukul Kangadi University

A Gurukul way of learning where education is imparted in the traditional Indian way.

Video: Ganga Aarti at Har Ki Pauri or Brahma Kund

Sites nearby:
Rishikesh  
Location: 24 km from Haridwar
Rishikesh is a popular pilgrimage center for the Hindus. It is also known as a center of meditation, yoga, spiritual well being and for adventure sports like rafting, trekking etc
 
Dehradun 
Location: 66 km
The capital of Uttaranchal, it is known for scenic beauty, picnic spots and many famous institutes.

Video: Evening Aarti at Ganga Har Ki Pauri or Brahma Kund

Reaching There:

Air:
Though Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun (42 km) is the nearest airport, but there are very few (if any) flights from here Delhi airports (202 km) are better suited to reach Haridwar by Air.

Rail:
Haridwar has a railway station, which is very well connected by trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, Varanasi and all the major towns and cities of India.

Road:
NH 45 passes through Haridwar. People normally reach Haridwar from Delhi either by tourist bus or tourist cars. Haridwar is connected by good roads with other towns and cities in the region like Rishikesh, Dehradun, Ambala, Saharanpur etc and to the Char Dhams.

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