Haridwar - Knocking At God's Gate
In Sanskrit 'Har' means 'Lord Shiva' and 'Hari' means 'Lord Vishu', while 'dwar' means 'gateway'. So, one way or the other however one spells Haridwar or Hardwar, it translates 'Gateway to God'. In olden times this town was also known as 'Gangadwara' or the place from where the sacred river Ganges descends to the plains.
Considered as one of the seven holiest places to the Hindus it is one of sites where Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years. At other times thousands and millions of pilgrims, devotees, tourists, seer and saints performs rituals and bath on the banks of the river Ganges to wash away their sins and attain Moksha (liberation of the cycle from death and rebirth). Har-ki -Pauri (meaning 'footsteps of the Lord), one of the several ghats (river banks) is considered to be the most sacred one in Haridwar where a drop of Amrit or elixir is said to have fallen according to mythology. This ghat was constructed in as early as the 1st century B.C. by the King Vikramaditya in the fond memory of his brother.
Situated in the southwestern part of Uttarakhand state of India, it is at the elevation of 314 meters above sea level.
Considered as one of the seven holiest places to the Hindus it is one of sites where Kumbh Mela is held every 12 years. At other times thousands and millions of pilgrims, devotees, tourists, seer and saints performs rituals and bath on the banks of the river Ganges to wash away their sins and attain Moksha (liberation of the cycle from death and rebirth). Har-ki -Pauri (meaning 'footsteps of the Lord), one of the several ghats (river banks) is considered to be the most sacred one in Haridwar where a drop of Amrit or elixir is said to have fallen according to mythology. This ghat was constructed in as early as the 1st century B.C. by the King Vikramaditya in the fond memory of his brother.
Situated in the southwestern part of Uttarakhand state of India, it is at the elevation of 314 meters above sea level.