Haridwar- A complete travel guide

Haridwar is an ancient city and it's one among the foremost important pilgrimage sites for Hindus. it's within the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand state. Here in Haridwar, the holy river Ganga reaches the Indo-Gangetic plane after a 157-kilometer journey. This earned the town the name Gangadwara, which literally translates to "Ganga's Gate."

Haridwar is considered one among the seven most holy places for Hindus. Legend believes that a drop from the elixir of immortality fell on the Har ki Pauri ghat, and since then it's believed as a sacred place. Haridwar presents a kaleidoscope of Indian culture and development Haridwar has a noisy yet reverent atmosphere due to the large number of people gathered around Har ki Pauri Ghat.

History of Haridwar:

Hari is another name of Lord Vishnu and therefore the name Haridwar literally translates to ‘Gateway to Lord Vishnu’. It is correct in the sense that one must begin their journey from Haridwar to reach Badrinath, a Vishnu temple. Haridwar is a historical city that has survived the ravages of numerous empires while retaining its spiritual significance. This city has been mentioned in several texts and manuscripts from before Buddha period. within the archaeological surveys in Haridwar it had been found that earthenware culture thrived in Haridwar during the amount of 1700 BCE to 1300 BCE.
Haridwar was also mentioned within the travel texts of ancient Chinese traveller Husang Tsang. During the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1596-1627) Thomas Coryat, an English traveller who visited the town mentioned it as ‘Haridwara’, the capital of Lord Shiva.

Geography of Haridwar:

The district of Haridwar covers a neighbourhood of 2370 km square and lies within the South western zone of Uttarakhand. The river Ganga flows through Haridwar through a series of well-wooded channels that are separated from one another. Ranipur Rao, Begam Nadi, Pithri Rao, and Harunaii Rao are seasonal streams in Haridwar.
Haridwar is found to the south of Rishikesh at 20 kilometers. Haridwar is well connected to the capital Delhi, and there's no dearth of an in-depth network of transportation joining Haridwar to the remainder of the country. Haridwar is 210 kilometres away from Delhi, and it can usually be reached in about 4 hours from Delhi.

Climate of Haridwar:

Haridwar features a pleasant climate during the year. The climate is usually chilly due to its position within hilly terrains, and it does not exceed exceedingly common temperatures. Thus, Haridwar are often visited at any time of the year.
The maximum temperature recorded thus far is 46.9 degree Centigrade and therefore the minimum temperature of Haridwar is 14.6 degree Centigrade. within the months of summer, the temperature in Haridwar varies from 35 degrees to 45 degrees Celsius. The temperature ranges from 10 degrees to 30 degrees Celsius within the months of winter. The weather of Haridwar is usually unpredictable.

Things to see and to do in Haridwar:

Har ki Pauri: Har ki Pauri is one among the foremost famous landmarks in Haridwar. This ghat is supposed to be the exit point of the holy river Ganga. an enormous procession called because the Ganga aarti takes place in Brahmakund area of Har ki Pauri. The famous Kumbh mela also takes place in Har ki Pauri.

Chilla wildlife sanctuary: The Chilla wildlife sanctuary is spread across a neighbourhood of 249 square kilometers. it's situated on the eastern banks of the river Ganga at 10 kilometers from the town of Haridwar. This wildlife sanctuary showcases various animal species like tigers, deers, elephants, peacocks, quails, hawks, hornbills etc. One also can enjoy the scenic view of the mighty Ganges gushing past the sanctuary.

Shantikunj Ashram: Shantikunj ashram is well renowned ashram in Haridwar. People all around the world visit this ashram in search of spiritual and moral enlightenment. it's located 5 kilometers from Har ki Pauri and it's also frequented by Dalai Lama.

Mansa Devi Temple: Mansa Devi temple is one among the foremost revered temples in Haridwar. it's located at the Bilwa parvat and this is often a sanctum to worship the Goddess Mansa Devi. Mansa Devi temple may be a famous Sidhpeeth and temple offers a tremendous bird's eye view of the town.
Swami Vivekananda Park: Haridwar has only a few parks and amongst them, Swami Vivekananda park is that the most beautiful and a serene park. This park is situated on the banks of the river Ganga and it's enveloped in lush green plantations. The park contains an enormous statue of Swami Vivekananda and Lord Shiva. This park is a perfect picnic spot and it also offers a tremendous view of Har ki Pauri.
Chandi Devi Temple: Chandi Devi temple may be a very fashionable temple situated in Neel Parvat in Haridwar. Located at 4 kilometers from the town, the idol is believed to be erected by Adi Shankaracharya within the 8 century AD. this day temple structure was built by the king of Kashmir.

Khankal: Khankal may be a small colony in Haridwar. Khankal is one among the five important pilgrimage spots referred to as Pnach teerth in Haridwar. it's known for housing the Daksheswara Mahadev temple.
Bhimgoda Tank: Bhimgoda tank is known as after the second of the five Pandavas, Bhim. it's believed that Bhimgoda tank came into existence after Bhim hit his knee against the bottom which caused an enormous tank.

Food in Haridwar:

Since Haridwar may be a spiritual city, non-vegetarian food and alcohol isn't consumed. to guard the spiritual integrity of the place, even the sale of meat and alcohol is banned during this pure city. Vegetarian food is available in Haridwar.

Here are several restaurants which serve the foremost delicious food in Haridwar:

•             The village restaurant

•             Big Ben restaurant

•             Guru Nanak foods

•             Dada Boudir hotel

•             Hoshiarpuri

•             Mashoor Mathure wale

•             Maharaja bakers

•             Aura restaurant

•             Hotel Raghuvanshi

Where to shop and what to buy in Haridwar:

Moti bazaar: Moti bazaar is one among the famous and therefore the oldest markets in Haridwar. it's located on the Northern side of the upper road of the canal. Here one can find colourful bangles, beads, sweets, Ayurveda medicine and far more.
Jwalapur market: Jwalapur market sells everything from traditional items to modern products. The streets are lined with delicious food stalls and restaurants which can cause you to say ‘goodbye’ to your diet.
Bara bazaar: Located on the railway road, this market sells religious and traditional products. it's also famous for the sale of ornaments. Ayurvedic medicines are sold at a cheap price during this market.

How to reach Haridwar:

By Air: Haridwar is found at an in-depth proximity to the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun district. the space between Jolly Grant airport and Haridwar is about 20 kilometers. There are multiple flights to Jolly Grant airport from the closest metropolis; i.e Delhi. There are flights to Jolly Grant from Mumbai, Trivandrum and Kolkata also. The simplest thanks to get value for money is to book your round-trip ticket at an equivalent time. Air India offers economical flights from few of the main Indian cities to Jolly Grant airport. One can hail a cab from Jolly Grant airport to succeed in Haridwar.

By Train: Haridwar features a well-maintained train line and it houses the Haridwar junction which connects it with the remainder of the country. The Haridwar junction has trains coming in and going out from it at a daily frequency. Haridwar also has trains that connect it with Rishikesh, another important pilgrimage site within the Uttarakhand.

By Road: Haridwar is found at 225 kilometers from the capital of Delhi. Haridwar is well serviced from Delhi and therefore the other cities in Uttarakhand by a well maintained and an in-depth network of roads. Via the national highway 334, one can reach Haridwar from Delhi in about 6 and a half hours. The roads within the hilly Uttarakhand region are well maintained to supply free movement from one place to a different.