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Haridwar Tourism

Ganga River, Haridwar, Uttaranchal

Haridwar - the land that signifies god. It is one of the twelve most holiest places revered by Hindus and also believed to be one amongst the seven cities touched by god. Numerous legends are associated with every holy spot in Haridwar and that is what makes every bit all the more captivating. An ancient city, it finds mention in most old scriptures like in the writings of first millennium Chinese traveller, Hyuen Tsang.

At no time of the year you will find it devoid of any devotees. Reasons are many. For one, Haridwar is the place where Ganga first enters the plains. It is one of the four venues of Kumbh Mela (Nasik, Prayag and Ujjain being the other three) which is held once at each of these locations in twelve years. It is also the location of some of the ancient schools of tradition, the original kind of gurukuls, where ayurveda is taught. The entire landscape is dotted with Siddhapeeths and Shaktipeeths as well as old and new temples.

Mansa Devi Temple

Perched on a hill top, the shrine of Mansa Devi is one of the most famous temples of Haridwar. Situated atop Bilwa hill, Mansa devi temple is considered a shaktipeeth. It is believed that the heart and naval of Goddess Sati fell here, hence the name Mansa Devi, Man meaning heart. Many people take the climb uphill and down easily as it is not a difficult journey but there are cable cars available too.

Chandidevi Temple

This is the temple of Goddess Chandi and is considered a Siddhapeeth. Situated on the opposite bank of the town of Haridwar, Chandi Devi temple on Neel Parvat was built here in 1929 by King Of Kashmir, King Suchat Singh. The legend goes that Goddess had killed the army chiefs of demons, Chanda and Munda here. Adishankaracharya had established the image of the goddess in 8th century here then. Either you can go trekking upto the shrine as the distance is not much or you can go by the colourful cable cars.

Daksha Mahadev Temple

Daksha Mahadev temple here is a tribute to a famous legend. King Daksha Prajapati had performed a yagna here, but he didn't invited Lord Shiva, his daughter Sati's husband. Sati felt insulted and offered herself to the fire in Yagna. Lord Shiva's disciples were provoked by this incident and they killed king Daksha. However Lord Shiva gave back the king his life, the temple today stands in memoir of this famous legend.

Gurukul Kangri University

It is an age old famous centre of tradition which has been followed since long. It is a centre of imparting education in a manner which is traditionally Indian. The attraction here in the university campus is a museum housing archaeological exhibits. There is a Ved mandir inside the university campus too

Bharat Mata Temple

This is not exactly like conventional temples. It is an eight storey building with each floor being dedicated to a particular group of people. For example, one floor has all the famous early sages, another floor is dedicated to spiritual leaders, another floor has the images of all the freedom fighters and so on. It is an interesting experience to visit this temple.

Shopping

If you`re looking for souvenirs to take back, there are some very innovate wicker products available. Children`s toys, brassware, and sindoor or vermilion are some of the other popular purchases. Those interested in Ayurveda, will find Hardiwar a treasure trove of roots and shrubs that are brought here from the upper Himalayas.

By Air

The nearest airport from Haridwar is Jolly Grant Airport near Dehradun, 35 kms from here.

By Rail

Haridwar is connected with all the major cities via train. Haridwar railway station is halt of some major trains coming from Ujjain, Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Calcutta, Allahabad, Gorakhpur and Sri Ganganagar. The trains from and to all these cities are till Dehradun and halt at Haridwar.

By Road

Haridwar is amongst the most easily accessible cities. It is located on National highway number 45. There are state run buses from some major cities, or one can also arrange his own conveyance. Distance from some major cities is Delhi - 214, Agra - 386, Ambala - 168, Badrinath - 325, Dehradun - 52, Kedarnath - 250, Saharanpur - 81 and Nainital - 386.