Haridwar

Haridwar हरिद्वार Hardwar
City
The Holy City of Haridwar
Aarti at Har-ki-Pauri Chandidevi Temple, Har-ki-Pauri in morning Mansadevi, Railway Station Shiv Murti near Ganga, Evening view of Har-ki-Pauri Ropeway to Chandi Devi Temple
Nickname(s): Haridwar Haridwar (Uttarakhand)
Country	India
State	Uttarakhand
District	Haridwar district
Area
• City	12.3 km2 (4.7 sq mi)
Elevation	314 m (1,030 ft)
Population (2011)
• Metro	310,562
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Urdu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	249401
Telephone code	01334
Vehicle registration	UK -08
Sex ratio	1.18♂/♀
Website	uk.gov.in

UK

Haridwar (Pron:ˈhʌrɪˌdwɑ:)  pronunciation  also spelled Hardwar is an ancient city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganga, after flowing for 253 kilometres (157 mi) from its source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier, enters the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India for the first time at Haridwar, which gave the city its ancient name, Gangadwára.

Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places (Sapta Puri) to Hindus. According to the Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nashik and Prayag (Allahabad) is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela, which is celebrated every 12 years in Haridwar. During the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganges to wash away their sins to attain Moksha. Brahma Kund, the spot where the Amrit fell, is located at Har ki Pauri (literally, "footsteps of the Lord") and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.