From Wikitravel Shared

Haridwar (हरिद्वार) [1], also spelled Hardwar, is a city in the state of Uttaranchal.

[edit] Understand

Haridwar, literally Gateway to God, is one of the Hindu holy places in India and a center of Hindu religion and mysticism for centuries. Located on the banks of River Ganges (Ganga), at the point where the Ganges descends from the hills to the North Indian plains, Haridwar attracts a large number of Hindu pilgrims from all over the world.

[edit] Festivals

Haridwar is the site of many religious festivals. Most notably, once every twelve years it is the venue for the Kumbh Mela, humanity's largest festival, which drew a record 70 million in 2003. (The festival rotates between Haridwar and Allahabad, Ujjain and Nashik.) The Ardh Mela, or "half mela", is held every six years. Both will be held in Haridwar for the next time in 2010.

Other yearly festivals include:

• Baisakhi, April.
• Kanwar Mela, July. The largest yearly festival, drawing up to 300,000 visitors.
• Somwati Amavasya, July. Almost as large as the Kanwar Mela.
• Kartik Purnima, held 15 days after Diwali on the first night of the full moon in November.

See the Haridwar city website [2] for a complete listing. While the festivals are colorful and fascinating, they also strain the town's limited infrastructure to the breaking point and sometimes beyond. Book rooms and tickets well in advance, and avoid travel by road as the traffic jams can be horrendous.

[edit] Get in

Haridwar is about 200 kms from Delhi, the capital of India and is well connected by road and rail network from all parts of India.

[edit] By plane

Dehradun's Jolly Grant airport, with twice daily service to Delhi on Air Deccan [3], is 20 km from Haridwar.

[edit] By train

There are daily Rajdhani (overnight, Rs.900 for a 1st class A/C sleeper) and Shatabdi (daytime, Rs.400 for an A/C seat including meal) expresses from Delhi (4-5 hours) and Dehradun (1 hour). There are also a few trains per day to Rishikesh, but buses are faster and much more frequent. The train station is located on the south side of town, within walking distance to most hotels but a 2-km hike to Hari-ki-Pairi.

[edit] By bus

Haridwar's bus station, a stone's throw from the train station, is chaotic and has no signage whatsoever in English. There are regular bus services from Delhi (4-5 hours), Rishikesh (1 hour) and other important towns of North India to Haridwar.

[edit] Get around

Central Haridwar can be reasonably comfortably covered on foot. Cyclerickshaws abound, and most trips in town should not cost more than Rs. 20. Taxis and autorickshaws congregate at the train and bus stations.

[edit] See

• Hari-ki-Pairi (or Har-ki-Pairi). To the north of the center, this is Haridwar's focal point, where devotees gather to bathe and worship on the Ganges. According to legend, this is where a drop of nectar fell from the churning of the oceans when the world was created, and a stone wall has Vishnu's footprint. Each evening around 7 PM, thousands gather and worship the river Goddess by putting diyas (floating lamps) in the river. You may be asked to make a donation if you linger near the ghats. Beware of con artists posing as officials.
• Mansa Devi Mandir, atop a hill near the center of town. Can be reached by cable car (Rs 48 for a return ticket) or by a road that gently winds uphill (about 2 km), starting from Railway Rd. The temple is esthetically not particularly noteworthy, but the views are grand. Expect to queue to board the cable car and once more to enter the temple: despite some rudimentary attempts at crowd control, the crowds of jostling devotees can make this a pretty intense experience.
• Bharat Mata Mandir, 5 km north of the center. Dedicated to Mother India, this is half temple, half nation building exercise, with seven floors stacked with deities, saints, and secular heroes of all Indian faiths. Some signage in English.

[edit] Do

• Divy Yog Mandir Trust University, 16 km from Haridvar. Founded by Baba Ramdev.

[edit] Buy

[edit] Eat

Haridwar is a purely vegetarian town.

• Chotiwalas, Subhash Ghat (and other outlets around town). The closest Haridwar gets to McDonalds (not very), serves up a wide menu of South and North Indian favorites, with some Indian-Chinese thrown in. Most meals around Rs. 60.
• Chotiwalas Asli, Subhash Ghat. Claiming to be the original, unfranchised Chotiwalas, this is the first shop right below the steps when walking south from Hari-ki-Pairi. The "Chotiwalas Special" (Rs. 75) is a super-filling concoction of paneer and veggies in a creamy tomato base, topped with cheese and yogurt.

[edit] Drink

Alcohol is banned in Haridwar.

[edit] Sleep

For most of the hotels the check-in time is 12 Noon. Plenty of Dharmshalas are also available in Haridwar.

[edit] Budget

• Hotel Ganga Azure, Railway Road (near Shivmurti), +91 334-220938/9 (hotelazure@vsnl.net, fax +91 334-227101), [4]. Small, not entirely clean rooms. Hot water available from 6-8 AM only, but the shower may be broken. The hotel restaurant (Big Ben) is well liked, but somewhat over-priced. Rs 700/1500. (non-AC/AC, negotiable)

For more budget Hotels * CITY HEART HOTEL * HOTEL VIKRANT Range Rs 400 - 1000 Contact 09339424307 / 09831031895

• SHRI RAM SHARNAM ASHRAM, 511-A, SAPTA SAROVAR MARG, NEAR AGRASEN GHAT, BHUPATWALA, HARIDWAR, ( [mail to:ramsharnamashram@yahoo.com], Rooms available at Nominal Maintenance Charges, for Booking of rooms you may contact Mr. Gulshan Nayyar +919810011735

[edit] Mid-range

• Bhaj-Govindam, near Bhimgoda Bridge (entrance is through a narrow alley and around a corner, look for the signs), +91 334 261682 (fax +91 334 223656). Charming, if cramped, hut-style accomodation, with a common lawn area over-looking the river. Rs 900/1250. (non-AC/AC)

• Teerth, Subhash Ghat, Hari-Ki-Pairi, tel. +91 334 225211, [5]. Riverside accommodation right next to Hari-Ki-Pairi, the main selling point is the great river views from the balconies. Rooms are spacious and a little worn, but clean. Rooms from Rs 1200.

[edit] Splurge

• Haveli Hari Ganga, 21 Pilibhit House, Ram Ghat (in the bazaar), +91 334 226443 (fax +91 334 265207). A comfortably appointed hotel/spa with a private ghat and balconies overlooking the river. Rs 2800 and up.

A cluster of new, modern hotels has sprung up in Bhopatwala, some 5 km north of the city center.

• County Inn & Suites, Haripur Kalan, Motichur, tel. +91 13 52485900, [6]. Run by the Carlton group, this is the only international branded hotel in Haridwar and probably the best of the bunch. The main drawback is the location, some 6 km out of town.
• Ginger Haridwar, Opp. Dudhadhari Temple, Bhopatwala, tel. +91 13 34263333, [7]. Clean, minimalistic hotel operated by the Ginger chain.

[edit] Get out

• Rishikesh - "Haridwar lite" 26 km upriver, popular with backpackers

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