Har ki Pauri, Haridwar

Ganga Temples at Hari Ki Pauri

Haridwar- a popular Hindu Religious place, presents an overview of Hindu Culture and civilization. It is one of the four sacred places (other three – Ujjain, Nashik and Dev Prayag)  where after Samudra Manthan drops of nectar or Amrit(the elixir of immortality) fell from the pitcher , while Garuda was taking it for Devtas as per Hindu Mythology.

The place is known for attaining Moksha.  This is why Kumbh Mela is celebrated once in 12 years in Haridwar.

Millions of visitors visit this place every year.

Ganga river flowing by the resort

View of clock tower at Har ki Pauri from the foot bridge

Haridwar is situated at the banks of river  Ganga  , that flows out into the plains of northern India. The place is a heaven for people from all across the world. Also a point of entry to Dev Bhoomi and Char Dham Yatra (Main centres of pilgrimage – Badrinath , Kedarnath , Gangotri and Yamnotri ) , the place is a paradise for nature lovers.

Being a sacred religious place , alcohol and non-vegetarian food is not allowed in haridwar. People from all walks of life come to this place.

Area around Har ki Pauri

Ganga Aarti in the evening

The most sacred place or Ghat in Haridwar is Har ki Pauri – A place where Lord Krishna placed his foot. The place is sacred for Shivaites (who call this place Hardwar – ‘Har’ for lord Shiva) and Vishunites (Haridwar – hari for lord vishnu). It was constructed by King Vikramaditya. The clock tower is a landmark located at  Malviya dwip  , which offers a spectacular view of Famous Ganga Arti , held at 7 pm everyday. A spectacle of sound , light and colour is seen when after the ceremony, pilgrims float Diyas (floral floats with lamps) and incence on the river , to commemorate their deceased ancestors.

Another view of Aarti at Ganga Ji

Ganga river at its high

Several temples are present in the Vicinity of Har ki Pauri , most important being Ganga mandir . Other temples of importance are – Chandi Devi Temple , Maya Devi Temple, Daksheshwar Mahadev temple , Kankhal , Pawan Dham , Dudhadhari Barfani temple and Bharat Mata mandir 

Pre -independence historical documentation of ancestral family tree

The place is also rich in  hindu culture and maintainence of family lineage tree or genealogies , by Pandas or Hindu Brahmins .You can actually find your family tree of 7-10 generations.

Beautiful clouds over Mansa Devi temple

Another popular temple and tourist attraction is Mansa Devi Temple  – A temple on Hill where people can  reach by cable car. It gives a spectacular view of the Ganga river.

Our Experience

On the way to Haridwar

We combined our Haridwar –Rishikesh trip , as most of local travelers do. We started off from Delhi at 4 am to actually cross delhi NCR before 6 AM. The traffic increases many folds by 7 am and  road trip becomes hectic due to Traffic jams after that. We took the bypass road via Roorkie. Since it was rainy season , we saw beautiful landscapes and sugarcane fields on the way.

Cheetal Grand Midway joint of Delhi to Haridwar highway

On the way, we got off to Cheetal Grand , a midway highway Joint and had our breakfast over there. Soon we reached Haridwar. It was about 8.30 am.

Ganga Ji at her high

Kids were happy to see the Mighty Ganga under the bridge as we reached our hotel at the banks of River Ganga.

The view was awesome, as we could see river Ganga at its full flow. Since it was cloudy, the view was lovely from our resort. River was at its high.

Throughout the day, we just kept gazing Ganga Ji. Weather being pleasant, we were outdoors all the time.

Hanuman Ghat

Another side of Hanuman Ghat

Next day, we had to change our hotel and also had to go to Rishikesh. But, since we started at 11am for Rishikesh, the route was very congested so we reversed. That day we did some local shopping and visited Daksheshwar temple and Har Ki Pauri. We also went to Hanuman Ghat.

Next day, we started a little early for Rishikesh. It was a short trip to Rishikesh , which itself was an amazing experience. We came back tired to our new hotel SRS Lakshya and relaxed for a while.

After having snacks we went for shopping at Har Ki Pauri. We also attended Aarti at Ganga Ji. It was nice to see diyas floating with flowers and the sound of Aarti. Overall a memorable evening.

But, one should beware of pickpockets as the place is highly crowded.

Where to stay in Haridwar

Hotels

Radisson Blue starting approximately at Rs.5,371; Haveli Hari Ganga starting at approximately Rs. 5000; Hotel Ganga Lahari starting atapproximately Rs. 4,500; Hotel Teerth starting at approximately Rs.2000; Hotel Aditya; LA Casa; SRS Lakshya

Ashrams and Dharamshalas

There are many options of staying in Ashrams. These Ashrams charge minimal fee from pilgrims and provide basic necessities for accommodation. More than 15,000 visitors can be accommodated in more than 300 Ashrams and Dharamshalas. Listing a few of them- Jairam Ashram, Kanva Rishi Ashram, Maa Anandmayi Ashram, Prem Nagar Ashram, Santoshpuri Ashram, Saptrishi Ashram, Soham Ashram

source –
http://www.haridwarrishikeshtourism.com/haridwar-ashrams.html

Where to eat in Haridwar

Chotiwala at Subhash Ghat and upper Road, Hoshiyar Puri at Upper Road, Big Ben at Railway road Hotel Ganga Azure, Haveli Hair Ganga at Heritage hotel, 7 days restaurant for Chinese and Continental, Dosa Plaza opposite railway station.

Where to shop

Market near Har Ki Pauri is a famous one. You will get Prashad, bangles, garlands and other cheap stuff in the market.

Otherwise there are many little shops in the streets selling little little stuff like religious books, girls jewellery items, photos of Gods, chandan, chakla belan etc etc.

How to reach

By air

Jolly Grant Airport is connected with Delhi. It is just 36 kms away from Haridwar. One can take a taxi or bus from the airport.

By train

Haridwar has well connected railway network with important cities of India. From Delhi, its a journey of 4-5 hrs and from Dehradun, its one hour journey.

By road

One can take a taxi to Haridwar on NH-58. It is connected with major cities in India. ISBT Kashmiri Gate hosts luxury and regular buses that ply at regular intervals from Delhi

Did you know?

• Haridwar is fast emerging as industrial estate of SIDKUL and BHEL
• Bhimgoda tank is located 1kms from har ki pauri , where Bhim drew water by thrusting his knee (goda) to the Ground
• Neel Dhara Pakshi Vihar is a bird Santuary which offers home to many migratory birds in winters and loved by bird watchers
• On the night of Dussehra , or few days before that , Ganga canal is dried in Haridwar to clean the Riverbed. It is said that Ganga ma goes to her father’s house on Dussehra

Nidhi KM

Copyright Viharin.com