Haridwar is a spiritual place. Best weekend gateway to relax and spend some serene moments near holy river Ganga. Haridwar is a pilgrimage where all religious events and ceremonies take place. Thousands of devotees come here to wash their sins and take blessings of holy river Ganga. Apart from its heritage charm there are many things to do in Haridwar.
It was Friday evening and we randomly planned to leave for Haridwar for a weekend, next day early morning. We were thinking about the destination close to Delhi and mix of spirituality and activities. We choose Haridwar. I prepared my itinerary to include a dip in holy water, attending amazing Ganga aarti, meditation and yoga, praying and shopping.
After reaching Haridwar, we check in and head towards Har Ki Pauri. Har Ki Pauri Ghat is most famous place in Haridwar where n number of devotees takes dip in holy water and Ganga aarti took place everyday in morning and evening. It is believed to be a sin for coming to Haridwar and not taking a dip in its holy water. So, we planned whole day to spend at the river Ganga.
We started taking dip in the water which is an amazing experience in itself. You may feel cold as water is cold but it will take few minutes for body to adapt. And you will start loving it. You will find every type of devotee enjoying and praying at the Ghat, be it a kid, young or old. Do not expect that you will get empty space to manage dip. There are thousands of people all time present at the Ghat.
You will find few people waiting for their turn, few just sitting on stairs and enjoying, few taking bath, few people performing religious ceremonies at the sacred place. This keeps going on. You need to carry your clothes and other essentials to take bath. The Ghat has changing rooms for public.
After taking dip, we sat on stairs and relax. Just tried to listen what river Ganga is saying. You will get lost there as the whole environment has too many positive vibes with prayers, chanting of mantras everywhere.Β We didnβt realized how time flies. We waited for Sandhya aarti to begin.
Witnessing spectacular aarti is truly an awesome experience. A number of priests hold big fire lamps, all lit up with diyas, chant prayers and songs while rotating the fire lamps in same manner. Waters of river Ganga reflect all shades of diyas along with floating diyas being floated by devotees. The whole scene turned out to be an intimate experience.Β Gleaming diyas, holy river Ganga, priests, dusk time, all creates a panoramic view to cherish.
After attending soulful aarti, we had dinner and head back to hotel.
Next day early morning, we again went to Har ki Paudi and took a dip in holy water of river Ganga. Water was cold, but once you enter into it, you will start enjoying. We planned to visit Mansa Devi Temple but there was a long waiting queue, so we had to keep it for our next visit.Β We did some shopping from markets of Haridwar.
You will number of shops selling brass and metal items, trinkets, religious items, idols of god and many more things. We picked up few for our family members and head back to Delhi.
