Gayanti devah Kil Geetikani, Dhanyastu te Bharat Bhoomi Bhage.
The above line connotes that Bharat (India) is an appreciative place which deities croon for and where they want to take birth. Hinduism is one of the renowned religions of the world that possesses a huge number of spiritual procedures and sacraments. Swami Vivekananda called it ‘the mother of all religions’. Modern India is famous for Yoga and Meditation as both are the key parts of ‘Karmyoga’ however Hinduism has many more aspects of spiritual life. People from different countries come to visit India and its rich culture. There are 33 crore deities in the universe that affect are life directly and indirectly; in other words we can say that the almighty governs our life and the world in 33 crore ways but Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are worshiped principally. There is no temple of Brahma. Lord Vishnu is worshiped in two other forms ‘Rama’ and ‘Krishna’ however ‘Shivlinga’ is worshiped to please Shiva.
There are numerous temples in India like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Dwarka Puri, Jagannath Puri, Prayag, Nasik, Ujjain, Hardwar and Rameswaram. These temples own great significance and famous for holy pilgrimage. Hardwar, Prayag (Allahabad), Nasik and Ujjain are famous for ‘Kumbh’ (the biggest get together).
Hardwar is a historical city in accordance with the Hindu mythology. This pious city is called the gateway to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. As Hardwar is the entryway to Badrinath, so it is called Haridwar since ‘Hari’ means Lord Vishnu and Badrinath is the temple of Lord Vishnu on the other hand it is the entryway to Kedarnath so it is called Hardwar since ‘Har’ means Lord Shiva and Kedarnath is the temple of Lord Shiva.. Haridwar is situated in the foothills of Shivalik (The Himalayas).
Hari ki Pauri, Kankhal, Mansa Devi, Chandi Devi, Maya Devi, Sapt Sarovar, Brahm Kund, Bhim Godha Tank are the main historical sites to visit.
Kankhal is one of the five Tirthas in Haridwar which is visited by the pilgrims to admire the consecrated temple of Daksheswara Mahadev. According to the mythological story Sati’s father Daksh organized a Yagya at this place (Sati was the wife of Lord Shiva). Everyone was invited on this occasion excluding Lord Shiva. It hurt Sati and she fired herself in the altar of ‘Yagya’. The king Daksh was punished afterwards by Veerbhadra. This place is mentioned in Mahabharata as Kanakhala. Kankhal is also said to be the ‘tapassthali’ of the great sage Sanatkumar.
Sri Ramkrishna temple, Anandamayi Ma Samadhi temple, Abheda Ganga Mayya Ashram, Dera Baba Dargah, Gurudwara and Gurukul kangri University are Some other places to vist Kankhal.
Hari ki Pauri (also known as Hari ki pairi) is the place where Nectar (Amrit) was sprinkled during the quarrel among Deities and Devils. In accordance with Hindu myths, one who takes a dip on Mahakumbh at Hari ki Pauri achieves the heaven after death. Over 100 million pilgrims have a holy dip in the Ganges (the second largest river in India) on MAHAKUMBH (the biggest serene gathering) after variation of every twelve years and partly after six years at Braham Kund.It is also called ‘Hari ki Pairi’ that means stairs. These stairs were made by King Vikramaditya to commemorate his brother Bharthari in the 1st century BC. Although there are many Ghats near Hari ki Pauri yet it needs to be renovated every year due to a gigantic crowd.
Chandi Devi temple is situated at the top of the hill at a distance of 4 kilometers from ‘Hari Ki Pauri’ where you may reach either by trekking path or cable Car. The temple is quite famed because of its religious implication. Chandi Devi means Goddess ‘Chandika’; an annoyed form of Ma Durga since she is the destroyer of the demons like Chand, Mundand, Shumbh,and Nishumbh. It is believed that after killing these demons Devi Chandika relaxed for a while at this place; therefore it is called a ‘Siddhapeeth’. Maya Devi temple is the Siddhpeeths in Haridwar which is essentially visited by the devotees. In accordance with the religious belief the king Daksh did not invite the lord Shiva and affronted him, as a result Sati (wife of lord Siva and daughter of the king Daksh) got irritated and fired herself in the ‘Hawankund’(altar). The lord Shiva sent his combatant ‘Veerbhadra’ to demolish the ‘Yagya’ and Siva himself lifted up the burning body of Sati and flew in the sky. It is believed that the heart and the navel of ‘Sati’ fell at this place. Haridwar is also recognized as ‘Mayapuri’ due to this temple of Maya Devi.
Mansa Devi temple is situated at the pinnacle of a small hill near ‘Hari ki Pauri’. This temple is visited by countless devotees to get their wishes fulfilled since ‘Mansa’ means Wish. Mansa is supposed to be the sister of Vasuki Nag however according to one more myth Mansa is supposed to have appeared from the mind of Sage Kashyap; furthermore the devotees tie a red thread to the branches of a tree outside the temple while offering their wishes and once the wish is complete the thread is untied. Ganga Aarti is one of the most eye-catching rituals at Hari ki Pauri every evening. Aarti is performed on the bank of the Ganges by the priests and devotees of Goddess Ganga (Ganges). Aarti is carried out by circulating the earthen lamps in a plate (clockwise) around the image of God while singing Bajans. Ganga Aarti is performed in front of Goddess Ganaga in the presence of many followers both the sides of the river. The followers flow the clay lamps with flowers in the bowls of leaves in the river and this magnificent view pleases the eyes of the viewers.
Modern Hardwar holds up big and attractive Shopping Malls and markets, well known Schools and Colleges, Hotels, Ashrams, RajaJi National Park and all the obligatory provisions that a contemporary city owns.
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