The Holy City of Haridwar

One of the 7 holy sites of Hindus in India. It’s a district in the Uttarakhand state of North India. River Ganga enters the north Indian planes for the first time in Haridwar. Pilgrims, tourists and enthusiasts visit the town in large numbers. It’s also a gateway to the holy city of Rishikesh, which is around an hour’s drive further to the north. It is known to be the site of the holy KumbhMela considered to be the largest peaceful gathering of people on the globe.

Places to Visit:

A)  Numerous temples like:

• Chanda devi temple,
• Mansa devi temple,
• Daksh mahadev,
• Chandi devi etc.

B) Ashrams like:

• Kanva rishi ashram,
• Anandmayi ma ashram,
• Patanjali yog peeth ashram
• Prem nagar ashram
• Saptarishi
• Soham ashram etc.

C) Famous educational institutes like:

• Gurukul kangri university,
• State ayurvedic college etc.

Other famous places to visit are the nearby Rajaji National Park, Kankhal, to name a few.

Things to do:

•  Attend the Ganga Aarti at one of the Ghats in the evening.
• Chat with a local pundit for spiritual know how.
•  Visit the holy town of Rishikesh- an hour’s drive towards north.
•  Meditation sessions in one of the ashrams.
•  Buy authentic Ayurvedic medicines in one of the local pharmacies.
• Shop for souvenirs in Bada bazar, Moti bazar and Central bazar.
• Visit Har ki Pauri- the most famous Ghat of Haridwar which is said to be the footsteps to the home of the lord.
• Perform a ‘pooja’ at the Ghats, said to clear one’s karmic cycle of sins from the previous lives.
• Take a dip in the holy Ganges for spiritual purification.
• Something that is not well known to Indians settled abroad, the local pundits called pandas keep records of family genealogy of generations of millions of families throughout India, even for cases where the ancestral villages have been left behind in Pakistan and Bangladesh. An interesting thing is, to discover the roots of one’s ancestors through the registers of these Pandas.

Climate:

Summers:

25-44 degree Celsius.

Winters:

6-24 degrees.

Best time to visit:

October- March

How to reach:

Air: nearest airport is Jolly grant, Dehradun (35km).

Rail: Haridwar has a railway station having good connectivity with Delhi, Amritsar etc.

Road: well connected by roads to cities like Delhi, Dehradun. It is 220 km from Delhi via National Highway no.58

Categories: Best Time to Visit, Har ki Pauri, Haridwar Pilgrimage Tour, Haridwar Tourist Places, How to Reach, Pilgrimage Tour, Pilgrimages Tours, Places to Visit, Spiritual Tour