Haridwar
Haridwar is one of the major religious places to visit in India. ‘Haridwar’ means the Gateway of God. It was also known as Mayapuri and Moksha Dwar at past time. Here are 5 places of pilgrimage from Uttarakhand that are called Panch Tirtha. These are Har Ki Pauri, Mansa Devi, Chandi Devi, Ghat and Kankhal. The Ganga Arti in each pauri plays a very important role according to Hindu Legends. Haridwar is the entry point to visit Char Dham: Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. The old belief is that it is one of those four places where the drops of nectar fell during the sea churning.
Things to do in Haridwar | Places to Visit in Haridwar:
Har Ki Pauri
It is believed that Vishnu was the first step here. That was elaborated, Har-ki-pauri means the feet of Hari in the Hindu scriptures. Here Ganga Aarti is of great importance to Hindus takes place. In 1910, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya started Ganga Aarti here. Every day, Ganga Aarti takes place twice here, one in the morning (sunrise, 5.30 to 6.30) and one in the evening (sunset, 6.00 to 7.00). If you want to see a beautiful form of aarti, sitting on the ferry, you must reach the Har Ki Pauri Ghats at least an hour before aarti of the evening. Ganga Aarti is done by the Pandits here. You can also make a lamp in the Ganges after the aarti. The sound of the bells during the night aarti in the Ganges coast and the thousands of eyes that flow after the aarti are very beautiful. This place is also famous for bathing in the Ganges. Every day 5 thousand to 10 thousand devotees come to the Ganges to bathe. In Makar Sankranti, Shivratri, Baisakhi and Somvati Amavasya and other holidays, this number reaches 30 thousand in this ghat.
Har ki pauri is in the middle of the city. Here is the local market where you can enjoy local fruits and dishes. There are 2-3 bridges on which you can walk far and wide. Some hotels are at the edge of the ghat where you will have to walk a few minutes for Ganga Aarti.
Mansa Devi Temple
A famous temple of Mansa Devi is located on the hill of Bilwa, Haridwar. It can be reached by a distance of about 3 km from Har-Ki-Pauri, or you can also take a cable car at the entrance, where it climbs to the height of 178 meters to reach the temple of Mansa Devi. Mansa Devi is considered as a form of Parvati ji. Here you can see the beautiful view of the Ganges and Haridwar rivers. The temple is open from 8am to 5pm. It is said that the wishes of those who come here are fulfilled. The devotees bind thread in a tree located here and reach the thread when the validity is completed.
Chandi Devi Temple
Chandi Devi is a temple situated on the Neel Mountain. It is located on a hill at an altitude of 2,900 meters, where you can go 4 km from Har Ki Pauri or cable car (Chandi Devi Udhana Khotla). This temple was built by Adi Shankaracharya (700 – 820 AD). Chandi Devi is considered as a form of Parvati ji. It is said that Shumbha-Nishumbha wanted to marry the goddess, but after rejecting them, Shumbha-Nishumbha sent two demons: Chanda-Munda to fight against Parvati. Goddess Parvati took the form of a powerful Goddess Chandika to fight against them. Chandika Devi slaughtered Chand-Munda and then Shumbha-Nishumbh. This war was only on this Neel Mountain, hence the temple was built here.
Daksh Mahadev, Kakhal
Nageshwar Mahadev Temple is located in Kankhal, 6 km from Haridwar. It was built in 1810 by Rani Danakaur and was rebuilt in 1962. It is said that Mata Sati, daughter of King Daksh, married Shivaji against his wishes. Once, Daksh invited all the gods during the Maha yagya, but did not call Shivaji. Being angry with Daksha Prajapati, Sati sacrifice herself in the same yagna. After that, Shivaji became angry and sent his warrior Birbhadra to kill King Daksh. This temple has been built in the same place where Shivaji had the penance of Daksha Prajapati.
Rishikesh, situated in the lowlands of the Himalayas, is the 7th largest city of India. This is a religious place of Hindus, which is situated on the banks of river Ganges. This is Famous for its temples and yoga ashrams. Apart from this, this place is also quite famous among Adventure Sports Lover. Recently Rishikesh has been declared as Adventure Capital of Country. In particular, people come here to rafting the White-Water River. Haridwar is 20 km from here.
Rishikesh
Laxman Jhula
Laxman Jhula built in 1939 is 450 feet long and 70 feet above Ganges river. According to Hindu mythology, once Lakshman ji crossed the Ganges with a jute rope from here. It is 3 km from Rishikesh City. There are many places to hang around, in which the Third Manjila Trimbakeshwar temple is the most famous. Its top storey shows the beautiful view of the river Ganges. It has Laxman Temple in which has Kunda of Sage. It is said that Ram and Lakshman used to take bath in this pool. Around it there are local markets which are fame for wooden goods and Rudraksha, holy books and local street food.
Triveni Ghat
It is the confluence of three holy rivers, Jamuna, Ganga and Saraswati. Hence it is called Triveni Sangam. Here is the Triveni Ghat. It is said that bathing here sends all the problems away. Every evening here devotees give thanks in the Ganga. Here thousands of devotees come for liberation and take bath in the Ganga in the morning or evening. This is also a popular place for Pindand. It is 24 km from Haridwar. From the Triveni Ghat, the Gita Temple and the Lakshmi Temple are nearby, where boat ride can take place to go.
Ram Jhula
Ram Jhula is located at 3 km away from Rishikesh. This is a connecting bridge between Paradise Ashram, Geeta Bhawan and many temples. This is larger than Laxman Jhula and is 750 feet long. First it was a jute swing, now it is iron. It has two side local markets. This bridge also shows the Amazing View of the City and the Ganga.
Parmarth Niketan
Parmarth Niketan is an ashram built on the Ganges coast made in 1942. This is Rishikesh’s largest ashram, which has more than 1000 rooms. Here, devotees coming from outside get a clean, green environment. There are beautiful gardens here. Here the Ganga Aarti is famous, along with Yoga, Ayurvedic Treatment, Meditation classes are also takes place. Apart from this, there are also stress management, prana therapy, meditation, pranayama and acupressure camps.
White water River rafting
Strong and sharp waves of Ganga, surrounded by Himalayas and dense forest, make Rishikesh a best place for rafting. The time from September to June is good for rafting. Rishikesh has a good place for rafting called Brahmpuri. Some rafting packages you can select from:
Rishikesh from Brahmapuri (1-2 hours)
Rishikesh from Shivpuri (2-3 hours)
Rishikesh (5-6 hours) from exemption
Rishikesh from Kaudila (7-8 hours)
Rafting rates are between 850 and 1800.
Yoga
Yoga Capital of World, Rishikesh is the most chosen destination for Yoga and Meditation by both local and foreign tourists. Here, so many ashrams are available for Yoga. So you can take the experience of doing yoga in this peaceful environment once in your lifetime.
Other Adventure activities in Rishikesh
You can also choose other adventure activities to do here. Some of them are camping, bungee jumping, rock climbing and much more.