HARIDWAR CITY GUIDE

HARIDWAR CITY GUIDE

Haridwar is a religious place and it represents the Indian culture and its varied civilisation. It is known as the Gateway to God and is also known as the Mayapuri, Kapila and Gangadwar. It is the point of entry to the Dev Bhoomi the land of the Gods and is among the four places of pilgrimage in the state of Uttarakhand and the other places of pilgrimage are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The city dates back to the age of the terracotta culture and is based 1700 B.C and 1200 B.C existed in this area. King Bhagirathi is believed to bring the Ganga from the heaven to the earth to give salvation to his ancestors and is also said that Haridwar has been blessed by the lord Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Haridwar is the first among the four places where the kumbh mela happens in a rotation of every twelve years and also every six years. 1998 was the last maha kumbh celebrated at Haridwar and it makes the visitor spell bound and casts a mystical spell and magic over the tourist or the visitor. Haridwar is the abode of the Gods and it draws people from all across the country as well as from abroad. Haridwar has a maximum visitor from the West and foreign internationals folk here for the mystic spell and the lovely ambience it has over them which is way far different from their own culture and traditions and it’s a journey of finding oneself amidst the mountain, the holy river and also the green pastures all across.

The district of Haridwar covers an area of 2360 square kilometres and lies in the Western side of the State of Uttarakhand of India. It is 247 meters above the sea level and the name of the district cam into being in the year 1988 and earlier it was included into the part of Saharanpur Divisional Commissionary before it became a part of the Uttarakhand. It is surrounded by the Saharanpur in the West, Dehradun in the North and East, Pauri Garwal in the East, Muzzaffar nagar and Bijnor in the South. The headquarter of the Haridwar district is at Roshnabad which is 12 kilometers away from the railway station. The district is subdividedand administered into three tehsils they are Haridwar, Roorkee and Laksar and has six blocks which are developed and they are Bhawanpur, Roorkee, Narsan, laksar, bahadrabad, and Khanpur.

 Haridwar is the first town from where the holy gangabouts from the mountains to come flowing into the plains. According to 2001 census the population of district Haridwar was approximately 14, 44,213 and the source of water is the oy Ganga itself being just by the banks of the river. The river is the source of water for almost all the need starting from agriculture to all the other requirement of water in the district.

 Haridwar itself is a religious place and has other places of religious interest like the Har Ki Pauri, Chandi devi Temple, Mansa Devi temple, Daksha Mahadev temple, Bhimgoda water tank, the ashram of the seven saints and the Seven sarovar, Piran Kaliar, Parad Shivling, Gurudwara sahib sri Guru Amar Dass ji and the other set of places of interest are ShantiKunj, Jairam Ashram, Bhuma Niketan, Bharat Mata Mandir, Vaishnav Devi Temple, Radha Krishan temple, Shravan Nath Math, Pawan Dham, Doodhadari temple, Bilkeshwar Mahadev temple, Shahi Gurudwara, Parmarth Ashram, Prem Nagar Ashram, Ma Anand Mai Ashram and all of these places are worth a watch and should not be given a miss because of its grandeur and holy atmosphere.

Besides the holy shrines at Haridwar it gives ample opportunity for the people who have a streak of adventure in them. Rishikesh is the most amazing place to visit around Haridwar and though it is yet another place of pilgrimage it is along the bank of the holy river ganga and over it the Ram Jhula bridge is the longest man made bridge with the cantilever  technique of ways of building a bridge.  It is the longest bridge in Asia over the river Ganga and made only to walk across the bridge and no means transport is allowed over the bridge The place come with a wide variety of adventure sports like trekking, and the most widely known is the white water rafting on the river ganga and it is a wonderful thrilling experience for any individual. Children below a permitted age aren’t allowed for the rafting and it’s an adrenaline rush for those seeking for adventure and thrill. Rishikesh is center for learning and for research in Yoga and the famous Patanjali yogpeeth is situated at Haridwar and houses the headquarter of the yogpeet. Rajaji National park is yet another place of interest at Haridwar, Piran Kalier, Surehwari devi, Dehradun, Kodiyala, Mussoorie are the yet another few places of interest in and around Haridwar.

Haridwar has loads of place for accommodations and the most affordable and reasonable place to put up with free food and just few pennies for lodging are the famous Dharamshallas wherein these places are the most clean and well-kept with white bed spreads for very mattress and the best part about these dharam shallas are that they are like staying in the dormitory with just the mattresses and no bed and it is being like living with the minimalist of things in life just for a few days who seek to live by nature and wants to know the old culture and tradition of India.

There are loads of agencies that give out their motorbike for the eager bikers for mountain biking and it is a sheer pleasure to travel by the valley and going through the narrow roads of the hills of Rishikesh. Mostly foreign nationals flock to Rishikesh and it is like the second home to the people of New Delhi to make a visit by road during the long weekends. The city can be accessed by rail and is well connected by the network of roads. The national highway provides the stretch from New Delhi to Haridwar to Rishikesh and to its adjoining places.  The nearest domestic airport terminal is known as the Jolly Grant Airport which is situated at Dehradun and which is thirty five kilometres away from the district of Haridwar and the other airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport at new Delhi .

Hardwar is rapidly growing and with industries coming up the SIDCUL being set up at 2002 and has integrated into an industrial estate inviting many more industrial investments to come and set up their plant . Haridwar has ancillary unit of the BHEL which was set up in the year 1964 and has over eight thousands of workers working in that particular unit of BHEL.

Haridwar is regarded as the most holiest place to immerse the ashes of the family member as it is believed that the soul gets salvation after their ashes are immersed into the holy water of ganga at Haridwar and helps the soul from not getting into the vicious circle of life and death  and goes directly to heaven after getting salvation into the holy water as the name complies Haridwar which means the door to the Lord.