200 km from Delhi is this small holy city. Located on the Ganges river, it is a place of peace and special for religious events. Every day people come here to clean their sins on the banks of the river, make an offering to the gods and ask for forgiveness.
The story tells that here one of the four drops of the elixir of immortality was spilled so many pilgrims come to this city to collect water from the Ganges to make offerings to Shiva. It is considered one of the most important pilgrimage centers in India and a great place to visit.
How to arrive and move in Haridwar
My case was particular because at the Hostel in Delhi I met some Colombians who were carrying out a project in India and I had the opportunity to join their excursion. The traveler Juan La Vuelta Al Mundo invited me to join them on the excursion on the importance of rivers and it was a great experience.
Something that I found very useful and can help you when traveling trough India is that Uber is very cheap. A trip from Delhi to Haridwar can cost you 1,000 – 1,500 INR (13 – 20 USD) and if you manage to go with several travelers it is not expensive at all. You can use this to go to Agra as well and move around India.
I know there are buses constantly but the truth is I didn’t have the opportunity to find out how much it costs, but I’m sure it’s not expensive.
Being in the city, it is very easy to get anywhere by foot. Walking along the bank of the Ganges, reaching its markets and even going up to the temple is possible on foot.
What to do in Haridwar
Shri Mata Mansa Devi Mandir Temple
This Hindu temple located on the top of the mountain is dedicated to the goddess Mansa Devi. Mansa means “wishes” in Hindu so this is an important temple on pilgrimage and is visited by devotees so that their wishes are fulfilled.
This was my first religious encounter with the Hindu culture and it was an incredible experience to me. Observing the different statues, rituals and traditions was very nice. To enter any Hindu temple you have to take off your shoes so I recommend wearing socks. You will find different spaces to pray to different gods depending on what you want to ask for. Up there they explain what each ritual is for, I encourage you to perform one.
To go up you can use the cable car or go up the pedestrian path. By both way and on top of the temple you can see how the Ganges river moves crossing Haridwar. If you want to get on the cable car, you have to pay 50 INR each way (0.6 USD)
Ceremonies at the Ganges
I think all my life I’ve heard about the river Ganges. It is born in the Himalayas and covers almost 2,500 km before ending at the Bay of Bengal. It is the most important of the seven holy rivers in Hinduism and its name comes from the word Gáńgā which means movement.
Although I knew that it is the longest river in India, sadly I knew a lot about it because it is one of the most polluted in the world. Although the pollution in Haridwar is not that big, they recommend not getting into the water. It is impressive to see how people do their sin cleansing rituals and drink from the river.
It is common to see statues and symbols of the gods of Hinduism all over the river bank. I recommend you walk on both sides and see the different rituals they do. I didn’t understand this so good, but I think that every day at 6 in the afternoon, a special ceremony is held near the plaza. I say that I did not understand it because some people told me that it happens every day, others that only at this time of the year.
Shiva
Just outside Haridwar, you can find a giant statue of Shiva. Known as “the destroyer” he is one of the main deities of Hinduism along with Brahma and Vishnu. It is very common to see Shiva close to the Ganges as history tells that Shiva’s hair helped to bring down the goddess Ganga from the sky.
Rishikesh
I did not have the opportunity to visit it and I really regret it. I had planned to go back up here from Delhi but due to circumstances I had to return to Colombia and now its on my pending list.
Very close to Haridwar you can find Rishikesh, this city is on the edges of the Himalayas. It is the world capital of Yoga and one of the most important sacred places in the Hindu religion. If you are looking to do a Yoga or meditation course this can be a very good place. Although I have been told that it has become much more touristy, there are great academies and it is a very large spiritual place.
