india travel shot: hari ki dwar – doorway to god – haridwar

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How and why does one small patch of river and land spanning a mere few hundred metres become the holiest site in all of the country? The answer—faith. What else can explain the millions of Hindus from across the country who make the coveted pilgrimage to the brown placid waters of the River Ganges washing 2,100-year-old steps in a pilgrimage town nestled in the plains of Uttarakhand. Day and night. Hail or rain. Year after year. For thousands of years.

When alive, it is the belief that this one tract of the Ganges at Har ki Pauri [steps to Hari] in Haridwar [doorway to Hari] has the prowess to wash away karmic sins and inch souls that much closer to god. Upon death, it is said the waters here carry the deceased’s ashes [and thereby the soul] straight to Hari, the supreme god. There are no questions in Haridwar. Nor any answers. Just an uncanny acceptance of the cycle of life.

A sea of humanity perpetually bathes Har ki Pauri. Partly meditative. Partly celebratory. The ablutions punctuated with chants and bells. According to legend, Shiva and Vishnu, both visited the site in Vedic times (1500 – 500 BC). It is also believed the River Ganges ends her travels through the Himalayas and enters the plains at this very spot.

I had reached Haridwar late in the evening last week, just in time for the Ganga aarti [worship of the River Ganges] when the crowds were about to burgeon to a peak. The picture above is my first impression of Hari ki Dwar. It was enough to make me glad I had made the journey. ❤

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[This post is a re-post. It was first published on ramaary.blog on 9 July, 2018. Due to COVID 19 restrictions, I am unable to generate new travel content. In its place I am reposting some of my favourite posts which I had blogged about earlier.]

39 thoughts on “india travel shot: hari ki dwar – doorway to god – haridwar”

    • Absolutely! And I may be disliked for what I am about to say next, but all the offerings we makes to the Ganges are only making her dirty. The masses of diyas, ghee, flowers, match boxes, paper plates … True, it is not plastic. But it is still contamination. At times I wish people would just pray [and visit places] without having this desire/ irreverance to leave more than mere footsteps. But heck, who’s listening to me? 😀

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    • Yes, it is. 🙂 It is also interesting how it is so different everywhere or at least where all I have seen it, namely, Allahabad, Varanasi, Haridwar and Rishikesh. Each place carries out the ritual in their own inimitable style.

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  8. Pingback: an urban monk’s guide to rishikesh and haridwar | rama arya's blog

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  21. Haridar is not the cleanest towns but it is certainly considered as the holiest one. I prefer Rishikesh over the crowded Haridwar. Although, in some places, the atmosphere in Haridwar is worth experiencing.

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  22. Pingback: an urban monk’s guide to rishikesh and haridwar | rama toshi arya's blog

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