Haridwar

Haridwar
Haridwar

Haridwar has a very rich ancient, religious and cultural heritage. In the ancient scriptures of India, this place is well known by the name of Mayapuri.  Haridwar is also famous by the names of Gangadwar, Mokshadwar, and Tapovan. It is at Haridwar that the Ganga finally emerges into the northern plains. The Kumbh and the Ardh Kumbh melas also take place here every 12 th & 6th year. Following are some of the places of religious and spiritual significance, which are a must visit to this holy town.8.7.2 The glories of  Mayapuri (Haridwar) Teertha, from Varaha Purana

Narrating about the sanctity of Mayapuri, Lord Varah told Prithvi- “There lived a brahmin named Somsharma at Mayapuri. He was a great devotee of mine (Lord Sri Hari) and had an impossible desire of witnessing my divine powers by his mortal eyes. I tried to make him understand about the futility of his desire but to no avail. Finally I was left with no option but to fulfill his wish. One day Somsharma had gone to take his bath in the holy Ganges. Hardly had he taken a dip then he found himself experiencing the pangs of birth in the womb of a nishad woman. Evidently, Lord Sri Hari had begun giving a glimpse of his divine powers to Somsharma. It was a terrible experience for him and he vowed to lead a chaste life as soon as he came out of the womb. Unfortunately, he forgot everything about his vow once he took rebirth as a girl. In course of time, the girl grew up and married a young nishad. She had many children from him. One day, the nishad girl who in reality was Somsharma, went to take a bath in the holy Ganges. As soon as she entered into the river, she got transformed into a hermit. She was filled with extreme bewilderment but this was not the end, as there were more surprises to come. The hermit (previously nishad and originally Somsharma) came out of the river and looked all around in amazement. He then sat down to meditate and very soon he was engrossed in his meditation. In the evening, some sages arrived and said-‘Sir! how come you are sitting here? You had gone to take a bath. We became anxious and started searching for you when you did not return till evening.” “The hermit was bewildered by the turn of events as he was aware of every incident that had occurred. He was also well aware that he had spent fifty years as nishad-woman but according to the statements of hermits he had been absent only for few hours. The hermit was totally confused about his real identity. I (lord Varah) felt pity on his miserable condition and decided to lift my magic spell. I asked him whether his wish of witnessing my divine powers had been fulfilled or not. The hermit eulogized me and agreed that it was impossible for any mortal to understand the ways of the Almighty. I then blessed him and transformed him into Somsharma once again.”Such is the grandeur of Mayapuri-the sacrosanct place where lord Sri Hari has manifested his divine powers. A devotee who goes on a pilgrimage to Mayapuri never gets entangled in the worldly illusions.

Har-ki-Pauri, Haridwar

Har-ki-Pauri, Haridwar

Hari Ki Pauri: King Vikramaditya constructed this sacred ghat in memory of his brother Bhartihari, who is believed have come to Haridwar to meditate on the banks of Ganga. This ghat later came to be known as HARI-KI-PAIRI (also called Brahamakund). At twilight, golden hues of floral diyas reflected in the river Ganga present the most enchanting sight. There also is a temple nearby which enshrines the lotus foot print of Lord Hari. The ghat is regarded the most sacred and auspicious point to bathe in the Ganga during the 12 year Kumbh and the 6 year Ardh Kumbh.Aarti: At 6:30pm (local time) every day an aarti is performed on the Ganga by worshippers. Tourists can also perform the aarti, on an appropriate donation. Candles on lotus petals float down the river with religious hymns being played.  Rain or shine, summer or winter the aarti starts promptly at 7:00PM, an experience worth viewing.

 

Sapt Rishi Ashram And Sapt Sarovar: According to a legend the Saptarshis (seven sages) were deep in meditation here. The Ganga, not wanting to disturb them split herself into seven streams (sapt- sarovar) around them.

 

Mansa Devi Temple: The temple of goddess Mansa Devi is situated at the top of the Bilwa Parwat. Mansa devi, the sister of Vasuki, is supposed to fulfill the desires of all those who come and pray to her. The ropeway with its brightly coloured cable takes devotees to the old hilltop to Mansa Devi.

 

Chandi Devi Temple: The King of Kashmir Suchet Singh built The Chandi Devi temple at the top of Neel Parwat on river Ganga’s Banks in 1929 A.D. A three km trek from Chandi Ghat, it is believed that the main arca vigraha was established by the Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century A.D. It is at a distance of 6km on Neel Parwat on the other bank of River Ganga. It is here that Shumbha and Nishumbah the two demons were slain by Chandi Devi.

 

Maya Devi Temple: This is an ancient temple of Maya Devi the Adhisthatri deity of Haridwar, which is also famous as Mayapuri.  Known as one of the Siddhapeethas, said to be the places where the heart and navel of goddess sati had fallen.

 

 

Daksha-mahadev

Daksha-mahadev

The ancient temple of Daksha Mahadev stands in the south Kankhal town. According to the scriptures the king Daksha Prajapati; father of sati (Lord Shiva’s first wife) performed yagnya at this place, but did not invite Lord Shiva (Mahadev). Feeling insulted, Sati burnt herself in the yagnya kund. Provoked by this, the ganas (followers) of Lord Shiva killed King Daksha. Later Lord Shiva brought him back to life. The construction of the recent temple was done by the queen of Dhankaur in 1810. While one proceeds towards Kankhal, one can also visit the Birbhadrareshwar temple. The entire episode can be relished from Srimad Bhagavatam 4th Canto.

 

Bhimgoda Tank: Named after Bhima, one of the five Pandva brothers, the Bhimgoda tank is positioned just at a short distance of 500m, from Hari ki Pauri. According to legend, the sacred tank came into being when Bhima banged his knee against the ground, during his journey at Haridwar. Picturesque waterfalls and sprawling gardens surround the lake. Another beautiful attraction close to the tank is the dam, considered to be an engineering marvel.

 

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