Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar might have been a dream for you to witness the Holy dips, Cremation, where life ends with the last ritual in Hinduism and rebirth of the soul happens. Some drop their tears remembering their loved ones, some come to just traveling. But, what’s so special about this place let’s find this out.
This article would belong to our Temple Travel Series, where you can read some authentic researched articles on religious sites and ancient temples.
Har Ki Pauri History
The Har KI Pauri In Haridwar is believed to have been built by king Vikramaditya in the 1st century BC in memory of his brother Bharthari who used to visit this place to meditate. Every evening at sunset A great Ganga Aarti is performed at the sacred site known as Brahmakund.
It’s believed that the Amrit (A divine syrup to be immortal) is spilled over by a celestial bird Garuda (A religious entity) while taken to a safer place, the receiver of Amrit is called Brahmakund.
Not only this but It’s also said that Lord Vishnu also visited the place in Vedic Times.
Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar has been revamped a lot of times as you find original photos of older times like in the 18th century or 19th century, it’s just a river flowing by nothing but mountains and plains but now many things have changed over the period of time.
Where is Har ki Pauri
Har ki Pauri is located in the Haridwar district of Himachal Pradesh which is in the northern area of India. It’s well connected by rail, bus & Air. The nearest railway station is the Haridwar railway station.
The best scenario would be to come by train because it’s just 2.5 Km away from this place. I booked an AC 3 Tier ticket for me which cost me around 600 rs from Ludhiana to Haridwar. As you get down on this holy land you will first witness the Lord Shiv Statue in the compound of the Railway station, which is definitely a masterpiece of beauty.
How to reach Har ki Pauri
Once you get out of the station, you can get a cab or auto rickshaw, which will cost you around 20-40 rs. Well, I personally preferred to walk the 2.5 Km route just to explore the city more. As you know, the best version of a travel experience can only be achieved by walking. You can also try, It’s just a 30 min walk.
Meanwhile, when I was walking I came across some beautiful Buildings, which I’m regularly posting pictures of on my Instagram. Have a look at the below building, isn’t it amazing?
Ganga Aarti
Now that you are here and waiting for that time to witness the eternal moment, which will be with you until your last mile. But before taking you deep down into it let’s just see what comes before that. What makes it so so unique?
Ganga aarti happens at sunset every day at Brahamkund, which is located just near the entrance, as you enter the main gate and go downstairs, where all the Pandits come together in a queue to offer the prayer.
On both banks of the river, devotees accumulate and a Pandits begin reading Sanskrit Shloka, which elapses nearly half an hour. Meanwhile, the Idol of Ganga ji is brought on the Ghat for worship.
Once it’s all set, Pandit ji comes with a Big size Diya, already prepared with cotton and Ghee, and begins the aarti. Just have a look at the picture below.
The whole Ganga Aarti from shlokas to final Aarti nearly takes one hour. But the final Diya Aarti would only be for 5-10 mins. So if you are like me who planned to videograph everything, just make sure you are handy with your gadgets. Because in last time you will not get time.
Last words
Well, I don’t actually know what to say, I have seen there people chanting shlokas, taking a holy dip to get all their sins washed off, people praying for fortune, and people with tears in their eyes remembering loved ones. In that crowd, one more was there sitting alone and observing everything silently and thinking. Obviously, that one was me.
You can see this place as a blend of all emotions, a place where everything begins and ends. Whatever it was, it was something so breathtaking. I wish you guys do visit Har ki Pauri in Haridwar, and if you do, let me know what you guys think about it.
