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Haridwar Pop: 220,000 Area Code: 0133 Haridwar is on the west bank of the Ganges, at the foot of the Himalaya Mountains. Haridwar means “the gateway to Hari” (Lord Vishnu). It is also called Ganga-dwara, because the holy Ganges enters the plains here. This is one of the seven main holy cities in India. Haridwar is about 225km northeast of Delhi. It is called Mayapuri Kshetra in the Puranas and it is a very ancient town. It is also called Kapilasthan, because it is said that Kapiladeva performed penance here. The great sacrifice of Daksha Prajapati took place near here, where Sati burned herself alive. Nearby, at Sapta Sarovara, the Ganges splits into seven streams to please the seven Rishis doing austerities there. Haridwar is hot in the summer, but the Ganges’ water is always icy cold. The river is fed by melting glaciers and snow peaks. A barrage just north of Haridwar splits the Ganges. The water that flows next to the city of Haridwar is actually a fast-moving, big canal. The main natural rivulet of the Ganges, called Neel Dhara, flows about a half-km east of the city. The Ganges is known as the Ganga in India. Haridwar
is a fairly busy, fast-moving town. Most people stay here for a day
or two and then move on to Rishikesh or some other place in the mountains.
If you want a peaceful place to stay for a few weeks, most people prefer
Rishikesh, but I have meet several people that preferred Haridwar for
a long-term stay. Meat, fish, and all intoxication are banned in Haridwar. Tourist
Offices and Tours The UP Tourist Bureau (427-370) is in the Rahi Motel on Station Rd, near the bus stand. Open daily 10 am to 5 pm. There is also a tourist information booth at the railway station. Sanjeev
Mehta at Mohan’s Fast Food, Railway Rd, is a wealth of information
and is very helpful. You can change money at the State Bank of India (426-103), near Chitra Talkies Cinema on Sadhu Bela Marg. The Bank of Baroda, next to the Hotel Mansarovar only changes Thomas Cook and American Express US dollars and British pounds travelers cheques. The post office is on Upper Rd (Station Rd). Next door on Station Rd is the Foreigners’ Registration Office. Ashvani Travels (424-581; fax 423-656), 3 Upper Rd, organizes treks, white-water rafting (Sept to March), and ski trips to Auli (Jan and Feb). They rent equipment and can arrange guides and porters. Arjun Singh Bookseller, Bara Bazaar, has travel, trekking and yoga books. Note
The local name for the Ganges is the Ganga, and most people only know
it by this name. The next Kumbha-mela to be held here will be from February to May in 2010. Every six years Ardha Kumbha (half Kumbha) is held; the next being in 2004. The astrological timing of Kumbha-mela at Haridwar is when Jupiter is in Aquarius and the Sun is in Aries. There are several major bathing days, which fall on auspicious days and festivals, such as Siva-ratri, Amavasya and the Maha Kumbha day (the biggest day). On the main bathing days there is a parade at 12 noon that begins across the river from Hari-ki-Pairi, about a kilometre to the right. The parade is lead by the head of the Sankaracharya Mutts and then is followed by the Naga-babas first, and then the other sampradayas (religious groups). The members of the parade proceed to Hari-ki-Pairi Ghat and bathe there. During this time Hari-ki-Pairi is closed to the public. Many people camp out at giant campgrounds across the river from Hari-ki-Pairi and at other areas covering several kilometres. On days other than the main bathing day there is not much happening at the camp sites and most people will not consider them worth visiting. The festival extents from Siva-ratri, which is the appearance day of Lord Siva in Feb/March until the middle of May. Siva-ratri is the main day for devotees of Lord Siva and there is a big parade with many Naga-babas. The main time for Vaishnavas is during April and May. The main day is the Maha Kumbha day in April/May, when over a millions people come to bath. The main bathing place is at Hari-ki-Pairi and bathing for the public 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. When I watched the bathing from around 9 am to 2 pm everything was very orderly and not very crowded. It was a very well organized event. On
the main bathing days there are special trains that come from Rishikesh
and Delhi. There are also many extra buses. There are two special bus
stations set up a few kilometres from the downtown to the north (towards
Rishikesh) and south (towards Delhi). Motor vehicles are not supposed
to go past these points. I found it to be no problem to go between Rishikesh
and Haridwar at 6:30 am on the main Maha Kumbha day, because of all
the special transportation arranged. I took the train into Haridwar
and the bus out. There was almost no traffic on the road. There are
large crowds walking around the street, but I saw everything to be very
orderly with no pushing or shoving and it was quite interesting. The
crowds are spread out over several kilometres. This ghat is also called Brahma Kund because it is said that Raja Shveta performed austerities here and received blessings from Brahma. Kumbha-mela is held here, as this is where the nectar fell. There are temples dedicated to the goddess Ganga and Haricharan here. Every night at about 6 pm there is an arati (worship) to the sacred Ganges. The arati consists of an elaborate ritual of offering large lamps to the Ganges and the loud banging of gongs and playing of other instruments. It is a dramatic and interesting event. Before starting their “Char Dham yatra,” pilgrims are supposed to come and bathe at this ghat. One hundred thousand people can bathe here at one time. There are chains and rails that enable people to bathe safely, as the Ganges flows very quickly at this spot. Hundreds of thousands of people come to bathe at this ghat on the first day of Vaisakha in April/May, when the Hindu solar year begins. On Ganga-dasera, at the beginning of the rainy season, the Ganges is said to have come down from the heavens. Other important bathing days are on Purnims (full moon days, especially Kartika Purnim), Ekadasis, Amavasyas (new moon days), Sankrantis (when the sun enters the next zodiac sign), and solar and lunar eclipses. The
ashes of the dead are supposed to be cast into the Ganges at the southern
part of the ghat. Lord Vishnu is said to have bathed at Vishnu Ghat. Running parallel to the river, between the Ganges and Upper Rd, south of Hari-ki-Pairi, is the busy Bara Bazaar. It has an interesting assortment of religious paraphernalia along with many other items. Mansa
Devi Temple Other
Places About a half km down the road, is the Pawan Dham Temple, which is decorated with excellent mirror and glasswork. It has many shrines dedicated to different deities. One km further north is the Lal Mata Temple, which was finished in 1994. This temple is modeled after the Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu & Kashmir. There is an artificial hill, which resembles the original. Also there is a replica of the ice Siva-linga, that is located at the Amarnath Cave in Jammu & Kashmir. It is an interesting temple. Down the road is the Parmath Ashram, which has a temple dedicated to the goddess Durga. You then go further to the eight-storey high Bharat Mata Temple, which is about 5km north of Haridwar. On the top floor is a deity of Lord Shankar (Siva). You take an elevator (lift) to the top floor and then walk down. About half a km further north is Sapta Rishi Ashram. It is about 6km north of Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges. At this place, the Ganges is said to have divided to avoid displeasing the seven rishis (yogis) meditating there. About 4½ km from Haridwar on the southeastern summits of the Siwalik Hills are the Chandi Devi (1929) and Anjani Devi Temples. At the foot of the hills are the Gauri-Sankara and Neeleswara temples. The
Pareshwar Mahadev Temple is four km south of Haridwar.
The Siva-linga in the temple is said to be made of mercury. Daksha, the son of Lord Brahma and father of Sati, once performed a yajna (great sacrifice) at this place. Sati burned herself alive during the sacrifice because her father had insulted her husband Lord Siva. After which, when Siva was carrying the body of Sati, Lord Vishnu cut up her body into 51 pieces, which fell in different places around India. At many of the places where the parts of her body fell, important Shakti-pitha temples were established. You can read the full story about this event in the General Information chapter. The Dakseswara Mahadeva Siva Temple (also called Daksha Prajapati Temple) is said to have been built in commemoration of Lord Siva coming to this place to help Sati. Next to this temple on the bank of the Ganges is Daksha Ghat. Sati Kund on Kankhal Jwalapur Road is said to mark the spot where Sati actually burnt herself. Anandamoyee
Ma Ashram, about 200m away, opposite the Daksheswar Temple,
is a huge mausoleum dedicated to this famous Bengali woman guru. Where
to Stay—Middle Travel You
can get a direct train to Mumbai (40 hr), Calcutta (35 hr), Varanasi
(20 hr, 850km, Janata Express), Lucknow (11 hr), Ujjain, and Gaya. The
Doon Express #3009 (10.15 pm) goes to Calcutta via Lucknow and Gaya.
The Ujjain Dehradun Exp #4310 (6.48 am) departs to Mathura (9 hr) via
Delhi (6½ hr) on Wednesday and Saturday. From Mathura the Ujjain
Dehradun Exp #4309 (8.20 am) goes to Haridwar on Thursday and Sunday. From Haridwar, you can get buses to Manali (13 hr), Kullu, Agra, Chandigarh, Shimla, Badrinath (14 hr), Gangotri, and Uttarkashi. There are hourly buses to Dehra Dun, where you can get a connection to Mussoorie. There are regular local buses to Kurukshetra (4 hr). There is a semi-luxury (five seats across) overnight bus (Rs 100, 10 hr) from Vrindavan via Mathura that departs at around 8 pm. You
should purchase a ticket one day in advance for a Char Dham destination.
Buses to Kedarnath and Badrinath depart in the early morning. Most buses
to Char Dham destinations depart from Rishikesh very early in the morning
(before 7 am). Taxi
The Taxi Drivers & Owners Association (427-338), opposite
the bus stand, has fixed, posted rates. To Mussoorie is Rs 500, Gangotri
Rs 3,000, a nine-day Char Dham tour is Rs 9,000, Nainital Rs 1,500,
and Delhi Rs 1,500. During May and June shared taxis departing from the railway station go between Haridwar and Mussoorie or Dehra Dun. If you know of a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:
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