HARDWAR, Uttarakhand

Main Attraction: Har-ki-Paidi or Brahm-Kund

Hardwar, one of sacred cities of India located in the foothills of Shivalik ranges. It is located on the right bank of river Ganga and from here the holy river spreads over the northern plains. The spot where the nectar fell, is considered to be the Brahma Kund at Har-ki-Paidi (literally, “footsteps of the Lord,” and symbolically the footprints of the Amrita), the most sacred ghat of Hardwar; thousands of devotees and pilgrims flock here during festivals or snan from all over India to take a dip in the holiest river of India. This act is considered to be the equivalent of washing away one’s sins to attain Moksha. Millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate here from all over the world to celebrate the events like Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh fairs that are held once in every 12 and 6 years respectively. They perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganga. The famous puja (rites performed in Hindu idolworship) and arti (worship of idol by moving a lamp round it) of the Ganga are performed daily.

Brief History

Hardwar, the gateway to Gods, is situated on the bank of river Ganga. It has been a revered centre for pilgrimage and mentioned in the Purans as Mayapuri. Hardwar as a separate district came into existence in the year 1988 by carving out Hardwar and Roorkee tahsils of district Saharanpur, 53 villages of Sadar tahsil of Muzaffarnagar district and 25 villages of Najibabad tahsil of Bijnor district. Since 2000 it is a part of the newly created state of Uttarakhand. The existence of Hardwar can be traced back to 2000 B.C. Remains of saffron coloured earthen pots belonging to the last stages of Indus Valley civilization have been found in the district. According to the Skandpurana, Hardwar was also known as Gangadwar, Haridwar, Kapila and Mayapuri. Kankhal is mentioned in the Meghdootam, written by famous Sanskrit poet Kalidas. Kankhal is now a suburb of Hardwar. Famous Chinese traveler Huen Tsang has mentioned it as Mo-U-Lo.

The tract that is now Hardwar was part of ancient country of Kosala in 6th century B.C. which became part of the Magadh empire under Nandas and then Mauryas. It came under the domination of Sungas in 184 B.C. with the fall of Mauryas and continued so till 72 B.C. The Kushan domination followed next lasting till 226 A.D. It then passed to the Gupta empire from 320 A.D. till the end of 980 A.D. The incursions by white Huns, who could held the country for a brief period, brought about the fall of Gupta dynasty and no important power came on the scene till the rise of Harsh of Thaneshwar, who ruled many provinces of India from 606 to 647 A.D. The subsequent history draws a background of the establishment of Tomar Kingdom of Delhi in the middle of 11th century, replaced by Chauhans in 1151. During the period of Delhi sultanate, the tract was part of the subah of Delhi.

In the time of Akbar and his immediate successors, the district was under a governor residing at Saharanpur, and there were mints for copper coinage at Saharanpur and Hardwar. Abul Fazl, the court historian of Akbar, refers in his works to Maya (Mayapuri) or Hardwar, and it is said that emperor always used to be supplied with drinking water from Ganga at that place. Jahangir had visited Hardwar, though his stay was brief, as he found the climate disagreeable and no place appropriate for residence.

Subsequent history of the district mentions invasion of Sikhs and Marathas. During 1858, fierce battle was fought at Roorkee, Kankhal, Jwalapur and Hardwar between freedom fighters and British forces. A British force under Boisragon attacked the freedom fighters on the opposite side of Ganga. In the following months troops were sent from various quarters to concentrate on Roorkee for the formation of a brigade intended to operate in Rohilkhand, which left Roorkee and crossed the Ganga at Hardwar on 17th April 1858. Thus ends the story of the struggle of 1857, so far as the district is concerned. An era of administrative reforms, revenue settlements, and improvement in educational and medical facilities, local self government and a general and effective consolidation of their hold on the district was started by the authorities. Boards were established at Manglaur and Roorkee in 1860 and 1884 respectively. It was also during the last quarter of the 19th century that the district came under the impact of the reformist Arya Samaj movement of Swami Daya Nand. 

The establishment of the Gurukul Kangri at Hardwar in 1900 marked birth of an institution, which was to develop in subsequent years into a prominent centre of oriental studies (based on ancient Indian culture) and also a centre for the various movements launched by the Indian National Congress in the district. In the year 1906, the Prince of Wales, later H.M. George V, visited the canal foundry at Roorkee. A few years later, the construction of the new head works of the Ganga Canal started at Bhimghoda in Hardwar itself, an agitation began among the Hindu community against the alleged impairment of the sanctity of the holy river by the projected fettering of its flow, especially to the sacred Har-ki-Pauri pool. It became evident that Hindu religious sentiment all over India was seriously concerned. After the visit of Viceroy and Lieutenant Governor and consultation with the maharajas of Jaipur, Bikaner, Alwar, Gwalior, Benares and Darbhanga an amicable settlement was reached.

Meanwhile the congress and khilafat movements continued side by side in the district. The non-cooperation movement took the form of no-rent campaign started under the guidance of Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi. The silver jubilee celebrations of the Gurukul Kangri in March, 1927, were the occasion for visits by eminent national leaders – Mahatma Gandhi, Kasturba, Rajendra Prasad and Madan Mohan Malviya. The salt satyagraha gained momentum in the district. Large processions paraded the streets of Hardwar in defiance of the Salt Act resulting in the arrest of large number of persons. In response to the call for Swadeshi picketing was undertaken by volunteers, at whose instance, the cloth merchants at Hardwar agreed to get their shops is sealed. At last the long fight for freedom bore fruit, and the country was declared independent on 15th of August, 1947.

The gateway to God, Hardwar is a beautiful town nesting at the foot of Shivalik mountain range where Ganga emerges in all its vigour. it is said that Hardwar has been sanctified by the presence of three Gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Lord Vishnu is said to have left his footprint on a stone that is set in the upper wall of Har-ki-Pauri where holy Ganga touches it all the time. Hardwar Municipal Board was created in the year 1873 and linked with railway line in the year 1885.