No Hindu, a theist or atheist, can avoid being drawn to Haridwar. Commonly called a ‘Gateway to Gods’, Haridwar stands out with several innate attractions — botanical, ecological, environmental, academic, religious and anthropological, to mention a few. Even as Hindus regard it as one of the seven holiest places in their religious lexicon, modern entrepreneurs have identified the scenic Haridwar as a nerve-centre for hydroelectricity, manufacturing, handicrafts, ecological studies, botanical expeditions, herbal cure, ayurvedic research, academic pursuits and many others.
As would happen with every nascent developing region, occasional law and order issues also crop up for immediate attention by the authorities of Haridwar This particularly when national and international events take place, such as Kumbh Mela, Ardha Kumbha Mela, Sadhu Samaj conglomeration or very important Snans.
According to the legend, the divine bird Garuda was carry. ing the ‘Amrita’ (Nectar), which was churned after stirring mic Sheshnag in the waters for the gods in their wars against the Asuras. It was believed the side which would drink Amrita would be immortal and invincible at wars. Garuda was in a hurry lest he be caught by the chasing Asuras and during the flight he accidentally spilled part of the Amrita (Nectar) at four places. Haridwar is one of them, other three being Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad.
Ever since, Kumbh Mela is organised every third year at these places in turn, and on every 12th year the Maha Kumbh Mela takes place at Allahabad.
At Haridwar, the spot where the ‘Amrita’ had spilt down is named as ‘Brahma Kunda’, which today is termed as ‘Har ki Paurhi’, meaning thereby, the Footprints of Maheshwara. The Hinuds revere the spot as the place where one must take a snan (a bath) to smoothen his/her road to Moksha (Salvation of soul by unifying with the Almighty). The snans, therefore, are the most imporatnt events in Hindu calendars and all sadhus, ascetics, tapasyins and the righteous individuals. It is also believed that Lord Vishnu had left His footprint on an upper wall stone of the Har-Ki-Pauri. That site is a must-see spot for a pilgrim.
THE MYTHOLOGICAL RIVER
Touching the 295-meter-long bank of Haridwar is sharp flow ing Ganga. Haridwar offers a placid environment of life because of the mythological river. This legendary water source was flowing in the Heaven, as the legend would have it, and was asked to go down to ‘Martya’ (Earth) to help humans, who were gods’ creations. As there hangs the tale, Ganga was about to drop on ‘Martya’ on a very mighty fall, which could have devastated the entire ‘Martya’ altogether, the gods had approached the Lord of Destroyer, Shiva, to find a solution, who broke the flows of Ganga to pacify the intensity of flows and arrested Her in His locks. Ganga was a daughter of the Himalayas, and eventually became Lord Shiva’s second wife, the first being Parvati.
Having entered the ‘Martya’, Ganga came out of the Goumukh, the spot which resembles the mouth of a cow, and so was named. The spot is in the southern side of the Indian Himalayas, near Tibetan border. The river is 1,560 miles (2,510 kms) long, flowing through a small part of what today is China, India and then Nepal, touching 29 small and big cities and 48 towns.
The legend mentions that for charting its route, Prince Bhagirath cut lands straight from Heaven. The Prince was offering his penance for salvation of his 60,000 ancestors who were accursed by angry Sage Kapila.
This action of the Prince is said to have set in action the tradition of immersing in the Ganga the ashes of the dead of a Hindu family. The reference is also a discreet exhibition of knowledge in Civil Engineering in those halcyon times. Eventual development of nascent Nature at Haridwar is today a hot-bed of research in biotechnology and environmental aspects. The place is veritably called Gangadwar, Mayapuri and Kapilsthan (where Sage Kapila attained salvation, that means enlightenment about the truth, after very hard penance). Ganga has a paradise in Haridwar where Naturelovers like to visit and live.
The devotees of Lord Shiva, Shaivites, call the place ‘Haradwar’ and the devotees of Lord Vishnu, ‘Vaishnavites’, call the spot as ‘Haridwar’. The veracity of knowledge coalesing here, the pilgrimage is rightly most coveted for every Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist.
According to findings by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), there existed a terra-cotta culture as early as in 1,700 BC and 1,200 BC in the Haridwar region. In 629 Ad when Chinese traveller Huan Tsang visited Haridwar he had written about it in his travellogue, which later became the first written document of and on Haridwar.
Today after the region was brought under a new state and identified as a separate district, it was only expected that the region would be monitored and groomed as a new development area.
The old and famous regional engineering college of Roorkee has been upgraded as an IIT and new industrial ventures as well as hydel projects are lining up in the programme of the authorities. It would be a miss for travellers in not knowing the latest about the Haridwar.
As an ancient city, Haridwar is mentioned even in very old scriptures. The founder Guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev’s supra-sensitive realism is also mentioned in the scriptures. In one of the famous ghats of Haridwar, Kushwan Ghat, once Guru Nanak Dev took his bath. There happened an enlightening episode of “watering the crops”. Guru Nanak Dev created an everlasting impression in the mind of the people present there at that time taking bath at that ghat. Realism and rationalism both dawned in the mind of those people who were fruitlessly trying to give water to their ancesters who just could not take them. He also ignited lessons for the posterity on how rational should be the approach to social behaviour and how futile are our popular rituals.
PLACES PILGRIMS MUST VISIT
● Har-Ki-Paurhi
● Chandi Devi
● Mansa Devi Temple
● Maya Devi Temple
● Daksha Mahadev Temple
● Neel Dhara Pakshee Vihar
● Sati Kund – 4 km.
● Bhimgoda Tank
● Rajaji National Park
● Jairam Ashram
● Sapta Rishi Ashram and Sapta Sarovar
● Parad Shivling
● Doodhadhari Barfani temple
● Sureshwari Devi Temple
● Pavan Dham
● Bharat Mata Mandir
● Anandamoyee Maa Ashram
● Piran Kaliyar
● Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee – 30 km.
● Gurukul Kangri University – 4 km.
● Vishwa Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya
● St. Mary’s Senior Secondary School
● Delhi Public School, Ranipur
● DAV Centenary Public School
● Kendriya Vidyalaya,
● BHEL BHEL Township
● BAHADRABAD – 7 km
● State Industrial Development Corporation Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL)
● Cheela Dam
● Jwalapur
● Shivalik Nagar
● Research laboratories particularly in Ayurveda in such areas of pursuits as cardiology, Neurology, BioChemistry, Haematology, Pulmonary, Electrophysiology, Psychosomatic sciences, Phytochemistry, Psychometry, Yagyopathy and others – at Research Institutes such as ‘BrahmVarchas Shodha Sansthan’.
● Haridwar is also the centre for learning Naturopathy and Astrology.
HOW TO VISIT THERE
Distance from Delhi is about 300 kms.
Altitude above 294 metre from the sea level.
By Flight
● Nearest airstrip is at Jolly Grant in Dehradun. However talks do rounds about the heritage city’s getting an airstrip soon.
By Train
● Haridwar is well connected by a sprawling railways Station where trains from all parts of the country arrive.
By Road
● Very efficient bus services are sustainably carried out both from all parts of UP, and Delhi.
● This apart moist states have their chartered bus and tourist service arrangements, which land up in Haridwar regularly.
● These apart thre are taxi services from everywhere in the state and Delhi.
