Ganga Darshan washes away the crowded chaos!. Review on Haridwar

We took a road trip to Haridwar and the below review is my personal experience in this land of contradictions! Haridwar or the "door to Hari" is one of the most well recognised and sanctified destinations of Northern India. It tops the list for religious tourism and lies in Uttarakhand, about 230km from New Delhi.

Haridwar had long been on my agenda for a visit and as they say, one should not delay making an offering at the door of God so when a long weekend rolled around, it was the perfect time to get ready for this adventorous road trip. The adventure began soon because all along the way the markings for the destinations are ABSENT making us thank or Google Map all the more. The route is an interesting one encompassing Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Modinagar, Meerut etc. A large chunk of the departing route took us through the countryside (about 40kms) where a canal accompanied us all along. It was very picturesque and as we had set off about 4am, we took a tea break at 6 on the banks of the canal. Perfect setting.

Upon reaching the dusty and dirty Haridwar city we were struck by the totally disorganised air of the city. All kinds of vehicles were randomly moving across the roads. There was no police to monitor the huge influx of tourists that come to this place every day. And this was a regular day. I was not surprised that during KUMBH, ANY KIND OF STAMPEDE IS NOT A REMOTE POSSIBILITY BUT A NATURAL OCCURENCE GIVEN THE CONSTRICTED LANES AND TOTAL LACK OF POLICE MONITORING.

The Central Car Park is near the Kotwali, Police Station and all the hotels have to be reached by rickshaws or Tongas(horse carts). There are some hotels along the Railway Road but they are a bit far from the hub of the Ganges, Har ki Paudi and are located on a very noisy street. We did not like that option much as we wanted to be as close to the Mighty Ganges as possible since Ganga Darshan was the objective of the entire journey.

Fortunately, upon enquiry at the Gau Ghat (Cow Ghat) we discovered 2 rooms in Hotel Teerth that is bang oopsite the Ganga River at Subhash Ghat. That was the turning point of the trip and also the point that I want to emphasize in my review . LOCATION OF THE HOTEL is one of the primary points that will DECIDE THE FLAVOUR OF YOUR HARIDWAR TRIP so go for a HOTEL ON ONE OF THE GHATS.

This room gave us the luxury to not go around scouting for a changing area after a dip in the Ganga. My aunt and I simply took off in our casual clothing and then dipped to our heart's content in the sacred Ganga to the chants of Har Har Ganga. It was a beautiful 3pm afternoon and the sky was laden with clouds but the warmth of the Sun was creeping through intermittently. We then simply walked out and walked into the hotel room for a change. Not to forget that my husband could view us frolicking from his balcony at hotel itself and then also catered steaming mugs of tea for us at the ghat steps. It was an amazing afternoon and for a few moments we forgot the slush and the chaos around us. Then it was time for the males to go dipping and so we stayed put at one of the numerous shops dotting the ghat selling trinkets and pooja related objects.

There are many eateries in Haridwar, mostly selling the staple Stuffed Kulchas, Pooris and Chole. You may go for this once or twice and if you have a robust health but my advice would be to go for the more hygenic outlets like BIG BEN, BIKANOS FAMILY RESTAURANT, TIRTH HOTEL BASEMENT RESTAURANT etc where the preparations are made in totally clean surroundings without the invasion of the flies that seem to be everywhere in this town.

Another good outing is the cable car ride to Mansa Devi Temple.To seek the blessings of the Goddess and get their wishes fulfilled, the devotees tie sacred threads on the sacred tree that stands proud in the temple premises. Once the wishes are fulfilled, the devotees mark rRajeev_Vermact by returning to the tree to untie the threads.

It is a famous Siddhpeet of Chandi Devi.A picturesque view of Haridwar awaits those visiting this temple. Mansa Devi temple is one vertex of the Siddhapeeth triangle formed between three temples, Chandi Devi and Maya Devi temples being the other two.One should try and go for the ride in early morning. It opens at 7. After that the sheer volume of people lining up for the ride is numerous and the place gets very suffocating.

Haridwar is a quaint small place and its not able to manage the sheer number of people that descends upon it, mostly for day trips. So the daytime, the place is so full of tourists that it can turn unpleasant and very crowded. All along the Ghat, on its back side, are a maze of narrow gullies(aisles) that are crammed fullthem of hole in the wall shops selling RUDRAKSH, REMEDIAL STONES, YANTRAS, POOJA OBJECTS, IDOLS, CLOTHES etc. Its a fascinating journey through them and one can, with patience and minor bargaining pick up some good stuff to carry home. Beware of buying stones/gems though. There are all kinds of fake ones on display.

We enjoyed the rest of the short trip admiring the Ganges flowing in spates right across us. Yes it has turned Green, Yes it was nauseating to see people throwing ashes and washing clothes right at the ghat where hundreds were bathing but all in all if you are an Indian and have grown up listening to the enchanting tales of Bhagirath bringing down the Pure and Divine Ganga Mata from the skies to Mortal EARTH, you will most likely just "let go" of the ugly reality and relish the dip in the river and pay your offerings to the Gods.

The famous Evening Aarti at HAR KI PAUDI was a bit of a letdown. There were about 2000 devotees thronging the ghat and finally it was just a 5 minute show with recorded bhajans of Anuradha Paudwal blaring through loudspeakers as the Akhand Jyot was worshipped. Infact we later went to the GANGA MATA TEMPLE @ HAR KI PAUDI and that was a better spiritual experience. The ritual of setting forth the lamp in the dusky shadows of the evening on the placid waters of the Ganga is a somewhat surreal experience.

Haridwar is cramped and crowded. Brave it and have a wonderful communion with the Ganges, as long as its bathable still. Go and stay at the GHATS. Jai Ma Gange!!