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| The Siva's Statue at Haridwar |
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| The city of Haridwar |
Haridwar, the holy city on the banks of the river ganga is a major tourist attraction for Indian pilgrims. Being an adventurous youngster looking for some fun I couldn't find it very appealing though. The reasons may be a bit obvious after reading this blog. A six hour bus journey from New Delhi lands someone to this tiny place bustling with tourist activity. I had travelled these six hours in an Uttar Pradesh Transport bus (with heating facility; As if I know what help would that be during Summers!). A Volvo bus would have cost four times the amount but would have been ten times more comfortable. Can't blame a soul for not getting into it. This is a common woe of cash strapped students all over the sub-continent. So after all those hours into a wooden bench with a thin strip of foam, bouncing recklessly over the great Indian pot holes I couldn't curse myself enough for my choice of a retreat.
The city didn't seem much hospitable either. A guy in his twenties moving around in a cap and glares with a bag on his shoulders was a bit of an attraction for the people of that place. The reason may be my typical tourist attire making me a customer for the numerous shopkeepers and Rickshaw wallahs there. The entire city is basically stretched along the road connecting the bus stand to Har ki paudi ( the ghats, and the soul of Haridwar). Moreover it has nothing much to offer other than the ganges and temples along its banks. Since I was too young to marry or bear a child (which is anyways a strict no no in India without marrying) and blessed enough not to lose a kin I couldn't appreciate the beauty of the overcrowded ghats or the temples that mushroomed around it.
Another factor that soiled the trip was the gruesome heat and the scorching Sun. I knew the weather is not much of a sport during the summer season in these areas and may not be of much help to travellers coming from the sub-continent but this was particularly appaling for someone who had braved a six hour long bus journey to get to this place. The over crowded atmosphere of the city makes the weather even stuffier during summers. And being the person who prefers his own company and cherishes a quiet walk I wasn't particular pleased with all the crowd.The only retreat from the dusty, overcrowded streets are the banks of river Ganga. A dip in the cool waters can completely refresh a corpse leave alone a vibrant human being. The ganga makes up for all the lacunas of the city and the sight of the holy river and a dip in its cool waters makes up for everything the city doesn't offer otherwise. I did the same and all I could mutter was "Har Har Gangay".
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| The ghats at Har ki Pauri |
What the city does offer is a variety of Hotels and Dharamshalas for the visitors. A wide range of these rest houses caters the needs of all the visitors travelling to Haridwar. Most of the hotels are quite cheap, a standard double-bed room can cost anything between Rs. 500- 750 and offers decent facilities. I chose a cheap hotel for myself. It looked as if it was a house being renovated. the room was decent and comfortable. But I know for sure that it was plain luck that I didn't encounter mosquitoes at night. I would suggest carrying a repellent. As far as I experienced there are quite a many hotels and rest rooms here.There is room for everyone, which is a high point and therefore advance bookings are generally unnecessiated (barring the festive season). Most of the luxury hotels are situated at the periphery, on the road connecting Haridwar to Rishikesh and look pretty decent for a lodging.
There are more than a dozen food joints in the city. The restaurants are mostly ( if not wholly) vegetarian and offer a decent variety of eatables. Being the foodie types the "Food" factor is a turn on for me. I expected to find atleast a couple of decent Non-Veg joints but was disappointed. Vegans don't have to sulk though-There are pizza outlets and multi- speciality restaurants for them but something which catches the eye is " The Dosa Plaza". With more than 104 varieties of Dosas it is an awesome place to eat and the dosas are a delight. I was salivating every time I had the first bite and though I was fully stuffed my tongue generally craved for more. The dosas were crisp and savoury and their fillings delicious.There are dosas of every style; chinese, italian and traditional indian ones being the hot favourites. In addition to it there are a variety of Uttapams, Rice and Punjabi snacks. I have personally had only dosas and curd rice but I was impressed with each and every dosa I ordered.The price is very pocket friendly and the ambience of the place is comfortable and cool. A must visit for a refreshingly new experience.
The main attraction of Haridwar lies in its ghats. If one really wants to enjoy these ghats, he should visit them at dawn or during dusk. The water is cool and amazing. The giant statue of Lord Siva, the flowing ganges and the mesmerising beauty of the hills in backdrop is a feast to the eyes. There are many temples on the banks of the river where important hindu rituals are performed. Priests, Sadhus and pilgrims are a common sight at the ghats. The flipside of these ghats is their being overcrowded. For people who would love to spend a quiet time by the river- go to Rishikesh, Haridwar is simply not meant for it.
