Haridwar is situated at the base of the Shivalik hills, where the Ganga, comes down from the mighty Himalayas meets the plains. Haridwar, literally is 'The gateway to the Gods'. "This place is very beautiful", at one sight one will say so and fall in love with the scenic beauty of the blend of height and plains. A Gateway to the four pilgrimage of Uttarakhand, Haridwar is also known as Gangadwar, Tapovan and Mayapuri. In its long history back to pre-historic time, the Haridwar got it name from the rishis. According to the mythology it is known as Kapilsthan. legend goes that the suryavnshi Prince Bhagirath performed penance here to salvage the souls of his ancestors who had perished due to the curse of the sage Kapila. The penance was answered and the river Ganga trickled forth from Lord Shiva's locks and its bountiful waters revived the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara. Mythologically, drops of nectar churned out from the primordial ocean fell at the four sites of the Kumbh mela including Haridwar. The Kumbh mela, happening once every 12 years and the Ardha Kumbha Mela (Coming once every six years) are big draws. One of the oldest living cities, Hairdwar has been in people's mind from the period of Buddha to the British advent and now even is the 21st century. Besides being a religious place, it has served as the center for learning arts, science and culture.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Area: 12 sq. km.
- Climate: Summer :- Max 35.6ºC, Min 16.9ºC.Winter :- Max 28.3ºC, Min 10.6ºC.
- Rainfall: 162 cm average yearly
- Clothing: Summer :- cottons/tropical. Winter :- woolens.
- Languages spoken: Hindi, English , Garwali.
- STD Code: 01334
PLACES TO VISIT - Har Ki Pauri
- Chandi Devi
- Mansa Devi
- Kavand Mela
- Daksha Mahadev Temple
- Sapt Rishi
- Maya Devi
Others
- Gurukul Kangri University
- Beauty Point
- Neel Dhara Pakshi Vihar
HOW TO GET THERE?
Air : In the region Air Services are available only upto Jollygrant airport in Dehradun which has one airport, Jolly Grant. Haridwar is 35 kms. from Jolly Grant.
Rail : This major pilgrimage center has been well connected by trains to all the major towns of India. In fact trains bring the major load of pilgrims and tourist inflow to Haridwar.
Road : Haridwar, on the main highway, is connected to all major centres in the region and other parts of the country by road. The national high way no.45 crosses through the city so it is connected to other cities of the State as well as other towns in India in an efficient manner. There are buses available from Delhi to this place. The state transport has ordinary as well as deluxe and semi-deluxe buses on this route for long distance travel. There are private buses which take you to nearby places and also some of these private deluxe buses run on the long distance routes.
