Hardwar is one of the holy cities in India. It is situated on the banks of the Ganges in the State of Uttarakhand. Haridwar is the place where the River Ganges touches the plains for the first time after descending from the Himalayan Mountains. The name Haridwar suggests that it is a gateway to divinity. It is said that during the ‘Samudra Manthan’ a drop of nectar fell over four cities of India. Haridwar is one among them (other three are: Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad). So, once in twelve years the famous ‘Kumbha Mela’ takes place here. It is called the ‘Maha Kumbhamela’. Millions of devotees visit the city to take a dip in the Ganges. Haridwar has roots in Indian Mythology. It was known as Gangadwar earlier and had been the abode of many great sages like Kapila, Bhageeratha and Agastya. It has been an ancient city with great cultural and religious heritage. Haridwar is a growing industrial city now. The outskirts of Haridwar have been marked for industrial potentiality and the units belonging to BHEL, PSU have been operating since 1960.
Haridwar is well connected by road and railways. It is just 200 km away from Delhi. Rishkesh is the nearest city for Haridwar. One can hire a taxi from Delhi to Haridwar. The nearest airport is situated at the Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun which is just 20 km drive from Haridwar.
Places to See: Hari Ki Pauri: It is the main Ghat on the banks of the Ganges. There is a small temple near the Ghat. Lord Vishnu is believed to have left his footprints over there on a wall. Therefore it is known as Har Ki Pauri. Devotees come here to take a dip in the Ganges and in evening if you happen to be there, you would witness thousands of earthen lamps floating on the Ganges.
Mansa Devi temple is another site to visit in Haridwar. It is on the top of the Bilwa Mountain. You can reach the topmost point through cable cars. The journey in a cable car would give you a glimpse of the vegetation in and around the city of Haridwar. Sapta Rishi Ashram and the famous Patanjali Vidyapeeth are the two other sites to be visited. Patanjali Vidyapeeth is run by the famous Yoga guru Baba Ramdev. That is center for Yoga.
