209 kms of exultating journey by car. A serendipitous drive of about 5 hours.
At a distance of 26 km from Rishikesh, 54 km from Dehradun, 86 km from Mussoorie, 192 km from Chandigarh and 208 km from Delhi, Haridwar is situated at an altitude of 314 m. Haridwar is an ancient religious city in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand. It is a popular pilgrimage site in India.
Haridwar, “ The Gateway to God”, is one of the seven holiest places for Hindus, located on the banks of the most sacred River :”Ganges”. It is a gateway to the Char Dham destinations of Uttarakhand which are Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
According to King Vikramaditya, around 2nd century BC. Haridwar is referred as Mayapuri, Gangadwar, and Mokshadwar in the ancient Hindu texts and epics.
According to the Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nashik and Prayag (Allahabad) is one of the four sites where Garuda droped Amrit (nectar)
Har-ki-Pauri, the most important place of Haridwar where thousands of people take a dip in the holy waters of the Ganges.
Chandi Devi Temple, Mansa Devi Temple at Bilwa Parvat, Vaishno Devi Temple, Bharat Mata Temple, Maya Devi Temple, Bhimgoda, Shanti Kunj are some of the important historical shrines in Haridwar. Rishikesh, Sapt Sarovar, Triveni Ghat, Kanva Rishi Ashram, Chila Wildlife Sanctuary are the other nearby attractions. Haridwar is also a fast growing industrial city as well. The city houses Bharat Heavy Electricals India Ltd and also has the first technical institute of India, the University of Roorkee, which is now known by the name of IIT Roorkee.
The famous Kumbh Mela , Maha Kumbh Mela , Ardh Mela, Baisakhi, Kanwar Mela, Somwati Amavasya and Kartik Purnima are the highlights of Haridwar.
