Places to visit in Haridwar

Haridwar: The gateway to the Char Dham Yatra

My maiden trip to Uttarakhand started off with a visit to the holy city of India, the gateway to the Char Dham yatra; Haridwar. A crawling bus ride from Delhi with bumper to bumper traffic from Roorkee right up till Haridwar meant we had to miss the famed Ganga aarti in the evening. 

Har Ki Pauri


We finally reached our hotel, got fresh and rushed off to Har Ki Pauri; our first place of visit. For first timers in Haridwar it is a task trying to find our way through the narrow by-lanes. After asking fot directions from multiple people we finally made it to Har Ki Pauri. The Ganga aarti was over and most of the people had started returning. This wasn't such a bad thing since it meant there was very less crowd. "Less crowded" in places like Haridwar was like a luxury :)

Har Ki Pauri @ night

Coincidentally it was full moon on the day we visited Haridwar which meant our visit was even more cherished. Har Ki Pauri is considered to be the most holy spot on the Ganga river to take a dip and rid oneself of our sins. The words "Har Ki Pauri" means the footsteps of Lord Shiva. There is a huge rush here during the Kumbha mela which takes place every 12 years. Here the Ganga river is the deity and the temple. People pray to the Ganga river for blessings and seek solace. We also performed the Ganga Puja & offered the set the traditional "diyas" floating on the river. 

Shree Ganesh Mandir @ Har Ki Pauri

Brahma Mandir @ Har Ki Pauri

There are many small temples around Har Ki Pauri dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Lord Brahma, Raja Birla Tower, etc. The place is always lively and has an utterly divine feeling. There are many shops all around selling items ranging from brass utensils, idols & photo frames of all Indian deities, food stalls, beverages, jewelry shops, toys, etc 

Shree Shringeri Shankaracharya Math Mandir @ Har Ki Pauri

Since we had reached pretty late in the evening, we made it a point to visit again in the morning. This time round we got a clear view of the Ganga river flowing in all its might. We went ahead and at least took a semi dip in the chilled waters to get a feel of the holy Ganga river.

Raja Birla Tower near Har Ki Pauri

Me @ Har Ki Pauri

Mansa Devi Temple

An early morning trip was planned to the Mansa Devi Temple. After some inquiry with the locals we finally reached the entrance of the Mansa Devi temple on the Upper Road. The Mansa Devi Temple is perched atop the Bilwa Parvat in the Sivalik range. The temple can be accessed on foot through a trek or by a rope-way. The locals refer to the rope-way as "Udan Khatola".  The return ticket for the rope-way was priced at Rs. 84/head while the child ticket was priced at Rs. 55/head. 

Mansa Devi Mandir entrance @ Upper Road

The temple, considered to be very holy, is believed to have emerged from the mind of the great sage Kashyap. The presiding deity in the temple is Mansa Devi, to whom the temple is dedicated. This is one of the trio which forms the Siddhpeeth. 

Mansa Devi Mandir entrance after Ropeway

Mansa Devi Mandir from Har Ki Pauri

The ride up the rope-way provides a panoramic view of the entire city of Haridwar. Even if you desire to take the 3 km trek up to the temple, would recommend to take the rope-way just to enjoy the view. The temple premise houses various other deities with a large number of pilgrims & tourists flocking the temple.  

Maya Devi Temple


The second temple constituting the Siddhpeeth is the Maya Devi Temple. The temple is located off the Upper Road in between some residential buildings. One will need to check with the locals to reach the temple. The temple does not have too much crowd. So, it feels peaceful to spend some time here.

Maya Devi Mandir just off Upper Road

Chandi Devi Temple

The third temple in the Siddhpeeth trio is the Chandi Devi temple. It is located at about 6 km from Haridwar towards Najibabad. This temple is also perched atop a hill Neel Parvat. It can be accessed through a 3 km trek or by rope-way. The ticket to the rope-way can be purchased from Mansa Devi itself. The joint ticket is Rs. 190/head. Since we were short on time we could not visit this temple. 

Haridwar Market

The local market is another highlight of Haridwar. Anyone who is fond of shopping for artificial jewelry, idols of Hindu deities, brass or bronze utensils would absolutely love this place. The numerous shops serving the local delicacies like aloo puri, aloo parathas, lip smacking sweets, etc flock the entire area.

Colorful bangles in Haridwar market

Colorful Idols in Haridwar market

Many more memoirs to share ...... Sachin