Haridwar (also spelled Hardwar) is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. Located on the banks of River Ganges (Ganga), at the point where the Ganges descends from the hills to the North Indian plains, Haridwar attracts a large number of Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. The River Ganga, after flowing for 253 kilometres from its source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier, enters the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India for the first time at Haridwar which gave the city its ancient name, Gangadwára.
Haridwar is considered one of the seven holiest places to Hindus. The city also stands as a gateway to three other important pilgrimage destinations: Rishikesh, Badrinath, and Kedarnath. According to the old story of Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela being celebrated every 3 years in one of the 4 places, and thus every 12 years in Haridwar. Amidst the Kumbha Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganga to wash away their sins to attain Moksha. Brahma Kund, the spot where the Amrit fell, is located at Har ki Pauri (literally, "footsteps of the Lord") and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.
HOW TO REACH
By Air - Jollygrant at Dehradhun is the nearest airport i.e. 35 Kms from Haridwar. It is well connected to the major cities like Delhi etc. Regular flights are available by Indian Airlines and Jet Airways.
By Rail - Haridwar is well connected to the major cities of India with regular and express trains. The major trains are 4309/4310 Ujjain-Haridwar-Dehradun, 2019/2020 Bombay-Haridwar-Dehradun, 4041/4042 Delhi-Haridwar-Dehradun, 4265/4266 Varanasi to Haridwar to Dehradun, 3009/3010 Howrah-Haridwar-Dehradun, 2017/2018 Delhi to Haridwar-Dehradun (Shatabdi Ex.),4213/4214 Allahabad-Haridwar-Dehradun (Link ex.), 5005/5006 Gorakhpur-Haridwar-Dehradun, 4711/4712 Sri Ganganagar-Hardwar.
By Road - Haridwar is well connected to the major cities, it lies on the National Highway no. 45 and road network is good. The distances in km from some cities are Delhi-214, Agra-386, Ambala-168, Badrinath-325, Dehradun-52, Kedarnath-250, Saharanpur-81, Nainital-386. There are regular buses from Delhi in every 30 minutes. You can take the Delhi Transport Corporation(DTC) or private deluxe coaches.
WHEN TO GO
Haridwar can be travelled round the year
Back to India Travel Information Back to Religious Places India |