Explore Haridwar: India's Holiest Ganga Gateway with Arvind Chavan

Haridwar, also spelled Hardwar, is an ancient city in Uttarakhand, India, where the Ganges enters the Gangetic Plains, giving it the ancient name Gangadwara. According to legend, Goddess Ganga was released here by Lord Shiva from his hair locks. It's one of the seven holiest Hindu places (Sapta Puri) and a Kumbh Mela site every 12 years, where millions bathe at Har ki Pauri's Brahma Kund for purification. Known as the gateway to Char Dham (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri), it's called Haridwar (gateway to Vishnu) by Vaishnavites and Hardwar (gateway to Shiva) by Shaivites, reflecting its spiritual kaleidoscope.