I watched you very closely from my childhood though, I don't belong to you.I watched you during chaos, I watched you in peace.I followed you when we were rarely aware of the terms like cellphone,digital world & virtual world.I always moved by your sense of equality,purity of your mind which always soothes my soul whenever I touch you.You are not the symbol of a specific religion as they thought always.They don't know that the people from other religion always protected you.For me ,you are the symbol of true India,Bharatbarsha,the place of secularism.
Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus.According to the Sandra manthan ,Haridwar along with Ujjain,Nasik,and Prayag is one of four sites where drops of Amrita found.This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela which is celebrated every 12 years in Haridwar.The spot where the Amrita fell is located at Har ki Pauri ( “Footsteps of the Lord”) and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.
This was my fourth time visit to Haridwar.It was a family trip with most of the elders of my family.I think I did a good job there as a tour guide.It was winter so the weather of Haridwar was very calm and soothing for traveling.On each day, I started my tour at 7am in the morning.You could hardly see glimpse of fog in Haridwar.Though it was a chilling morning but one can easily find the soothing sunlight in their faces.Whenever we went to Haridwar we stayed in a hotel nearby the market place.If you want to reach Har Ki Pauri then the only shortest way is through the market.Because of the chill in the air you won’t mind the long walk down the congested market to the Har Ki Pauri ghat.You can find all kinds of shops on both the sides of the street selling all kinds of items like souvenirs,dresses,sweets etc.I want to mention about another thing.On the way from market to Har ki Pauri ghat, you could able to listen to a particularl song “maiya ..o Ganga maiya..” ,being played from plenty of the stores and trust me this song will help you to feel rejuvenated during your the tour.
To a Hindu,a dip in the river Ganga at the ghat is believed to wash away all his sins.Though this one is my fourth visit out there but yet to take a dip in the ghat . Every time I touch the Ganga,I feel refreshed and more energetic and that's how Haridwar blesses me, it gives me energy . I don't believe in purification of my soul but I do believe in energy.
Something that is not well-known today to Indians and Indian Diasporas,is the ancient custom detailed family genealogies of Hindu families of the past several generations have been kept by the professional Hindu Brahmins. An astonishing fact ,isn't it?
“ Haridvare Kusavarte Bilvake Nila Parvate
Snatva Kanakhale tirthe punarjanma na vidyaye.”
In Hindu traditions ,the panch tirth (five pilgrimages) within Haridwar are Gangadwar (Har ki Pauri),Kushawart (Ghat in Kankhal),Bilwa tirtha (Mansa Devi Temple) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi Temple),these are the places to visit around Haridwar . You can easily go through these places in a day.You just need to hire an auto-rickshaw from the stand which is very much near to the market.
The most incredible thing for me during my each Haridwar visit is to attend the Sandhya Aarti or you can call it as Ganga Aarti.This Aarti is very much famous all around the world. Every time I go there, I get astound to find lakhs of people waiting for the Aarti to begin in Har ki Pauri.In the evening,around the 6pm, the prists start the chanting of Sanskrit hyms, followed by the singing of devotional songs.Thousands of small earthen lamps called diyas are lit and are made to flow on the Ganges.It is an incredible sight to see them sparkling and flowing down the river .
Haridwar is the main gateway to Kedarnath & Badrinath.Most of the pilgrimagers first come to Haridwar and after that,they start their journey for Kedar-Badri Char dham Darshan.Though, it was my fourth visit to Haridwar still I couldn't make it to Kedar-Badri but some day I will .Three days are enough if you want to stay in Haridwar .Though,I had spoken to some persons personally in Haridwar.They told me that they visit Haridwar every year for seven days only to gain peace and positive energy from the nature and the spiritual ambience present there . Amazing,isn't it ? Elder members of my family had a very good time in Haridwar and thus they blessed me for making them see such a beautiful and tranquil place . “Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions",I guess.
So, this is the end of my Haridwar chapter but I will visit the place again the way I have been doing from the last few years to gain positive energy and seek peace from Maa Ganga.
© Sayan Raha.
Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus.According to the Sandra manthan ,Haridwar along with Ujjain,Nasik,and Prayag is one of four sites where drops of Amrita found.This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela which is celebrated every 12 years in Haridwar.The spot where the Amrita fell is located at Har ki Pauri ( “Footsteps of the Lord”) and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.
This was my fourth time visit to Haridwar.It was a family trip with most of the elders of my family.I think I did a good job there as a tour guide.It was winter so the weather of Haridwar was very calm and soothing for traveling.On each day, I started my tour at 7am in the morning.You could hardly see glimpse of fog in Haridwar.Though it was a chilling morning but one can easily find the soothing sunlight in their faces.Whenever we went to Haridwar we stayed in a hotel nearby the market place.If you want to reach Har Ki Pauri then the only shortest way is through the market.Because of the chill in the air you won’t mind the long walk down the congested market to the Har Ki Pauri ghat.You can find all kinds of shops on both the sides of the street selling all kinds of items like souvenirs,dresses,sweets etc.I want to mention about another thing.On the way from market to Har ki Pauri ghat, you could able to listen to a particularl song “maiya ..o Ganga maiya..” ,being played from plenty of the stores and trust me this song will help you to feel rejuvenated during your the tour.
To a Hindu,a dip in the river Ganga at the ghat is believed to wash away all his sins.Though this one is my fourth visit out there but yet to take a dip in the ghat . Every time I touch the Ganga,I feel refreshed and more energetic and that's how Haridwar blesses me, it gives me energy . I don't believe in purification of my soul but I do believe in energy.Something that is not well-known today to Indians and Indian Diasporas,is the ancient custom detailed family genealogies of Hindu families of the past several generations have been kept by the professional Hindu Brahmins. An astonishing fact ,isn't it?
“ Haridvare Kusavarte Bilvake Nila Parvate
Snatva Kanakhale tirthe punarjanma na vidyaye.”
In Hindu traditions ,the panch tirth (five pilgrimages) within Haridwar are Gangadwar (Har ki Pauri),Kushawart (Ghat in Kankhal),Bilwa tirtha (Mansa Devi Temple) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi Temple),these are the places to visit around Haridwar . You can easily go through these places in a day.You just need to hire an auto-rickshaw from the stand which is very much near to the market.
The most incredible thing for me during my each Haridwar visit is to attend the Sandhya Aarti or you can call it as Ganga Aarti.This Aarti is very much famous all around the world. Every time I go there, I get astound to find lakhs of people waiting for the Aarti to begin in Har ki Pauri.In the evening,around the 6pm, the prists start the chanting of Sanskrit hyms, followed by the singing of devotional songs.Thousands of small earthen lamps called diyas are lit and are made to flow on the Ganges.It is an incredible sight to see them sparkling and flowing down the river .
Haridwar is the main gateway to Kedarnath & Badrinath.Most of the pilgrimagers first come to Haridwar and after that,they start their journey for Kedar-Badri Char dham Darshan.Though, it was my fourth visit to Haridwar still I couldn't make it to Kedar-Badri but some day I will .Three days are enough if you want to stay in Haridwar .Though,I had spoken to some persons personally in Haridwar.They told me that they visit Haridwar every year for seven days only to gain peace and positive energy from the nature and the spiritual ambience present there . Amazing,isn't it ? Elder members of my family had a very good time in Haridwar and thus they blessed me for making them see such a beautiful and tranquil place . “Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions",I guess.
So, this is the end of my Haridwar chapter but I will visit the place again the way I have been doing from the last few years to gain positive energy and seek peace from Maa Ganga.
© Sayan Raha.