Haridwar
Haridwar is situated 224kms from the capital city of India, New Delhi at an altitude of 294.7mts in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand state. The district is bounded by Uttar Pradesh in the west, Dehradun district in the north, Pauri Garhwal in the east, Muzzaffar Nagar and Bijnor in the south. Haridwar is the gateway to the four divine pilgrimages of hindus situated in Uttarakhand, namely Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri. Haridwar is often spelled as Hardwar as well. The place is considered as a holy city and holds great importance amongst Indians. The municipal board of Haridwar District is situated in Roshnabad, at a distance of about 12 kms from railway station. The meaning of Haridwar in hindi language means Dwar of Hari or Gateway to God where ‘Hari’ means god and ‘dwar’ means gate. Haridwar is revered as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus and it is believed that a dip in the holy water of Ganga River is capable of washing all the sins. Haridwar district covers an area of about 2360 square kilometers.
The sacred water of Ganga River reaches at Haridwar to enter the Indo-Gangetic plains of North India after travelling 253kms from its source at Gangotri, Gaumukh. This is the reason why the place was given the city its ancient name as Gangadwara, the place where the Ganges descends to the plains after enjoying in the mighty Himalayas. Today, Haridwar is developing beyond its religious importance as major industrial developments are also taking place in this district.
Haridwar is one among the four sites where drops of the elixir of immortality (Amrita), accidentally spilled over from the pitcher, in which it was being carried away by the celestial bird Garuda. Haridwar is one of the four places where The Kumbh Mela is celebrated after rotation of every twelve Years and Ardh Kumbh is celebrated after every six years. Millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate here from all over the world to celebrate this event. They perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganga to wash their sins in the holy water of Ganga during this auspicious period. Maha Kumbh was last celebrated in 1998 at Haridwar and coming Kumbh mela will be celebrated in 2010. It will be the first Kumbh Mela of this Century.
Haridwar is the first town where Ganga emerges from the mountains to touch the plains. The water of the Ganga River is usually clear and cold throughout the year except during monsoon seasons. A large part of the district is forested as Rajaji National Park is within the bounds of the district, which makes it an ideal destination for wildlife, jungle safari and adventure lovers.
As the place is gateway to two divine temples of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu, Shaivaites (followers of Lord Shiva) and Vaishnavites (followers of Lord Vishnu) can be found here in abundant and they call this place Hardwar and Haridwar because Har means Shiv and Hari means Vishnu.
Haridwar is one of the oldest living cities; it is mention in many ancient Hindu scriptures. Haridwar has not only remained the abode of the gods, Ganga and nature but it has also served as centre of attraction for tourism, learning the arts science and culture, yoga, Ayurvedic medicines and herbal remedies. Haridwar has thus become a destination for all seasons. The famous IIT Roorkee institute of engineering comes in Haridwar district.
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