Haridwar: The Spiritual Door for Hindus

Since Times immemorial the hills of this region has attracted tourists and pilgrims from world over. The tourism in Uttrakhand has been envisaged to become most important industry of the state employing a significant majority of people directly and indirectly with a major contribution to the state economy. Uttrakhand awesome beauty and calm of the stately Himalayas is a virtual paradise for tourists. The dream of this newly formed state is to make Uttrakhand as the most favored destination of travelers from within and abroad. Uttrakhand abounds in places of sanctity; age-old pilgrim centers the famous Char Dham, Hemkund Sahib, Haridwar, Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, the Panch Kedar, Panch Bari & Panch Prayag, where the devout Hindus, Sikh & other communities converge to pay obeisance & feel closet to celestial beings.

Haridwar and Rishikesh

We start from Garhwal region and the first district we take i.e Haridwar.

Spiritual Importance of Haridwar :- In Hindu Mythology Lord Vishnu is known as Hari & Shiva as Har. Dwar means gate and that is the reason that this place is known as Hardwar or Haridwar, as the gateway to the Four Shrines/Dham of Uttrakhand. Mentioned as Mayapuri, Gangadwar, Mokhsadwar in the ancient scriptures & epic. Haridwar always remind as major shaktipeeth for the devotees. Legend has it that the holy Ganga, the holiest of all rivers, which flows through this sacred city has actually been sanctified by the powerful Trinity of Hindu mythology & the centre of the Pantheon Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh. According to devotees Haridwar is one of the four places (other three being Ujjain, Nasik, & Allahabad) upon which the Amrit-Nector of immortality emerging out of the dhurning ocean fell. This is manifested in two great events that take place at Haridwar – the memorable & the huge religious Mela Kumbh which happens once every 12 years & the Ardh Kumbh Mela, which comes once every six years.

Place of Interest- Well If you come haridwar for spiritual purpose then there are numerous of places like, Har-ki-pauri, Mansa Devi temple, Chandi Devi Temple, Dakash Temple, Maya Devi temple, Jai Ram Ashram, etc. The temple and the ghats , a number of Dharamshalas(pilgrims’ Shelters) all give the city a unique flavor and charm.

Har-Ki-Pauri Haridwar

And If you love adventures then an ideal place for wildlife & adventure lovers; Rajaji National park is just 10 km from Haridwar.

Har-ki-Pauri:= Har-Ki-Pauri is the main ghat, 1.5 km Har-ki-Pauri (the footstep of God) was constructed by King Vikramaditya in the memory of his brother Bharathari. It is belive that Bharathari eventually came to Haridwar to mediate by the bank of Holy Ganga. This sacred bathing ghat is also known as Bhrama Kund. This is the place where Lord Vishnu is belived to have left his foot print. At this point part of Ganga has been diverted just to the north to become the Canal. Bathing at Har-ki-Pauri washes all the away all the Sins. Every evening at sunset priests perform the Ganga Arti ceremony where lights and floral diyas are set on the water to drifdown stream and priests engaged in elaborate rituals and chanting of mantras. The reflecting of golden hues is the most enchanting sight in the twilight. The religious focus of the town is ghat at Har-Ki-Pauri.

Har-ki-Pauri Aarti (Haridwar)

Mansa Devi Temple

Mans Devi Temple:- The temple of Goddess Mansa Devi is situated at the top of the Bilwa Parvat on the southern most hill of Shivalik. Mansa is one of the form of Shakti Durga. Here one statue of the goddess has three mouth & five arms while the other statue has eight arms. It is worth taking the Ropeway or it is accessible on foot (1.5 km). The temple on the hill above the city affords a beautiful view of the city of Haridwar.

Chandi Devi Temple

Chandi Devi Temple:- The Temple of Chandi Devi erected on Neel Parvat on the other bank of river Ganga by a Kashmiri King, Suchet Singh in 1929, is reached by about three km trek to the south east from Chandighat. Legend has it that the army chief Chanda-Munda of a local demon king Shumbh-Nishumbha was killed by Goddess Chandi here after which the place got the name Chandi Devi. It is believed that the main statue was established by the Adi Shankaracharya in 8^th Cenutary A.D.

Daksha Temple, Kankhal Haridwar

Daksha Mahadev Temple:- 4km in the town of Kankhal is situated the ancient temple of Daksha Mahadev. The mythological story about is this place is that King Daksha Prajapati , father of Lord Shiva’s wife Sati performed yagna at this place, but he did not invite Shiva. Sati, in anger, burnt herself in the yagna kund. This provoked Mahadev to destroy Daksha Yagna & behead the king, but when the gods praised him back to life. Daksha Mahadev temple is thus a tribute to this legend.

Maya Devi Temple:- Said to be the place where the heart & navel of goddess Sati had fallen. This is an ancient temple of Mangla Devi the Adhisthartri denity if Haridwar, known as one of the Siddhapeethas.

Maya Devi Temple, Haridwar

There are many other temples and places which I not discussed briefly they are Bhart Mata Temple, Shanti Kunj,etc.

Rajaji National Park (Chilla):- 10km , covering 820 sq km in the forested foothills east of Haridwar, is best known for its elephants. The vegetation ranges from riverine, to the Chir pines forests interspersed with areas of scrub & pastures which support a wide variety of fauna with over 23 species of mammals , 200 bird species, and 320 avi fauna species. One may watch a herd of elephants roaming majestically in the jungle or may find oneself excited by other mammals, including tiger, leopard, spotted deer, sambhar, nilgai,wildboar, ghural, languor & macaque. Birds life includes peacocks, jungle fowls, cuckoos, hornbill, woodpeckers, bee eaters etc.

Well this is the overview of Haridwar but it is more beautiful then what I said. Hope after read this post you want to come here.

In Next post I’ll tell you about my first adventure tour, which is in Rishikesh. If you like this blog post hit the like button and comment your views. If you think this article is useful for others then share with your friends and relatives. And to get notification for more relative posts don’t forget to subscribe. “Till then Stay Bless and Take Care.”