Piligrimage

Pilgrimage is a meaningful journey to a sacred place. It is called yatra in Sanskrit. It is not a pleasure trip. The belief that a visit to a shrine would wash off their sins and pleases God prompts them to a pilgrimage. There are numerous holy places as far as Hindus are concerned. They are not only spread all over India but also spread over other parts of globe too.

We find on the banks of river Ganga a good number of pilgrim centers. There is lot of difference between sightseeing & pilgrimage .The outcome of the pilgrimage will be the transformation that has taken place inside the person. The pilgrim will return with an impression imprinted on the soul, rather than in the memory of a digital camera.Drawn by their shared faith, pilgrims come to purify themselves by bathing in the Ganges, the river that nurtured India's 5,000-year-old civilization.

Haridwar which is known as city of Ganges is one among them. It is the place where Ganga enters plains. It is known as Mayapuri also. Those who visit Haridwar generally undertake Chardham Yatra. That is visit to Badri, Kedar, Yamunotri and Gangotri. Of course nobody misses opportunity to visit adjacent Rishikesh.

Pilgrim centers are different to different religions.They are famous for one or another reason.Mecca,Medina, are shrines of Muslims.Jerusalem; Bethlehem etc are shrines of Christians. Saranath,Gaya etc are pilgrim cent res of Buddhists. Sravanabelagola, Moodabidri are pilgrim centers of Jains .Often there is a story behind almost every pilgrim center. Lakhs of followers of a religion visit their shrines. Hindus have hundreds of shrines to visit. They are generally well developed places & Floating population is enormous at every one of them. There's no greater pilgrimage than human life.

In 2006 I had been to Haridwar to attend gala celebrations of 80th year celebrations of revered His holiness Sudheendrathirtha Swamiji of Kashimath. Swamiji in turn had turned it into an occasion to conduct Shankabhisheka at the alter of Maharishi Vyas. Time schedule for this pilgrimage from Bangalore to Haridwar was approximately sixty hours. The train passes through hundreds of railway stations on our way.The train traverses through Doddaballapur,Hindupur, Guntkal, Anantapur Mantralaym Road, Raichur,Gulbarga, Solapur, Jalgoan, Manmad, Gawlior, Jhansi, Agra cantt, Gaziabad , Faridabad, etc. It is difficult to remember the name of all railway stations that we come across. Some railway stations we come across in day time, some in the middle of night when we are in fast sleep. We are subjected to various kind of weather. Some places are extremely hot. Now-a-days stress and strains that we undergo during a pilgrimage are different than that those that one used to undergo in olden days. Now-a day there are all modes of transport to undertake a pilgrimage. We need not undertake a pilgrimage by foot.

Ours was a special train bearing the name GSB Express Shankhabhisheka Special. It passed first through Karnataka, and entered Andhra Pradesh. Then once again we came across Karnataka & passed into Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh., Delhi, Uttara Pradesh, and Uttaranchal states.While passing through Maharashtra, we came across miles of plantain gardens. Onion crop was grown abundantly all along. We came across sugar cane belts, textile etc. No separate tickets were issued to us. Instead, we were provided with identity batches. The train contained five bogies, pantry etc. It could have accommodated 500 people. But only 200 and odd people turned up. Similar trains were arranged from Mangalore, Mumbai for the occasion. We had our own separate arrangement for our food through specially engaged cooks from breakfast to supper during the pilgrimage. It was a social get together with bhajans etc. Our difficulty was that our train was not receiving signals promptly. Sometimes we languished for an hour in remote places far way from railway stations without signals. There our patience was tested. We find nothing there except either goods trains or empty stranded trains to gaze at. There was nobody to respond to our woes. We did not know when the train would move further. With numerous halts and stops on the way , we ultimately reached Haridwar at middle of night. We were given accommodation at Odoram block in Kutchi Ashram. Kutchi Ashram belongs to a community which hails from Kutch in Gujarat. In memory of their beloved parents, grand parents’ etc. people of Kutch donated according to their financial status rooms, for hall, temple, bajana mandir, bhojana shala etc that we find in Ashram. We find water coolers, security, and office room in the Ashram. The Ashram lays down rules and regulations for pilgrims. All pilgrims have to follow them strictly. The Ashram forbids use of housecoats by women while roaming in corridors. Male are not allowed to roam with shirts. There are hundred of choultries, ashram, hotels etc belonging to various communities in and around Haridwar. Majority of them are maintained well by trusts and institutions that look after them.

Daily lakhs of pilgrims flock Haridwar. Always we come across a sea of humanity at Haridwar. Chanting of bhajans pour into our ears every now and then in this holy city. Everywhere we find devotion. At the same time one may feel that how many man-hours are wasted, that many people are idling their time. We also come across thousands of saffron clad sadhus wandering here and there without doing anything. Their number is alarming. As a result we doubt whether it is renunciation or begging. Begging is an easy profession. They queue up for the free food that is generally served for one or another reason in the city. What a thrill one would have when they have a dip in Ganges. I remembered song " " Ram Teri Ganga mailee Hogayee Papiyonke Pap dhote dothe"

Haridwar is full of places of attractions. Some of them are : -

The temple of Chandi Devi atop the Neel Parvat on the other bank of river Ganga .It was constructed in 1929 A.D. by the king of Kashmir- Suchat Singh. It is 3 kms. trek from Chandighat. Legend has it that the army chief Chanda-Munda of a local demon King Shumbh- Nishumbha was killed by goddess Chandi here after which the place got the name Chandi Devi . It is believed that the main statue was established by the Adi Shankracharya in 8th century A.D. One can reach here by Trolley through rope way or on foot.

MAYA DEVI TEMPLE

This is an ancient temple of Maya Devi the Adhisthatri deity of Haridwar, known as one of the Siddhpeethas. Said to be the place where the heart and navel of goddess Sati had fallen.

HAR-KI-PAIRI

This sacred Ghat was constructed by King Vikramaditya in memory of his brother Bhartrihari. It is believed that Bhartrihari eventually came to Haridwar to meditate by the banks of holy Ganga. When he died, his brother constructed a Ghat in his name which later came to be known as Hari-Ki-Pari. This sacred bathing ghat is also known as Brahmakund. Ganga Aarti takes place on the ghat in the evening, after sunset everyday . A group of Brahmans hold huge fire bowls in their hands and offer their holy mantras to river Ganges. The devotees then offer flowers and earthen lamps - diyas - to river Ganges, in order to pay due regards to their ancestors in heaven. The reflection of golden hues of floral diyas in the river Ganga is the most enchanting sight in the twilight during the Ganga Arti ceremony. It is an unforgettable experience .

GURUKUL KANGRI UNIVERSITY is situated on the Haridwar-Jwalapur bypass road. It is an old institution known for following a unique system of education in India. The Ved Mandir Museum with archaeological exhibits in display can also be seen.

MANSA DEVI TEMPLE

The temple of Goddess Mansa Devi is situated at the top of Bilwa Parwat .Here one statue of the Goddess has three mouths and five arms while the other statue has eight arms. The beautiful view of the city can be seen from this place. The temple can be reached by trolley through ropeway or on foot.

DAKSHA MAHADEV TEMPLE

The ancient temple of Daksha Mahadev is situated in the south Kankhal town .The mythological story about this place is that King Daksha Prajapati, father of Sati (Lord Shiva 's first wife ) performed yagya at this place. Daksha Prajapati did not invite Lord Shiva and Sati felt insulted. Therefore she burnt herself in the yagya Kund. This incident provoked the disciples and followers of Mahadev who killed King Daksha, but later on Lord Mahadev brought him back to life. Daksha Mahadev temple is thus a tribute to this legend.

BHIMGODA TANK

This tank is at a distance of about 1 km from Harki Pairi. It is said that while Pandavas were going to Himalayas through Haridwar, Bhim made this tank with the blow of his knee.

SAPT RISHI ASHRAM & SAPT SAROVAR

It is said that Ganga had split herself in seven currents at this place so that the Sapt (seven) Rishis worshipping there would not be disturbed.

PARAD SHIVLING

Situated in Harihar Ashram, Kankhal. Shivling weighing about 150 kg and Rudraksha tree are main attractions here.

PIRAN KALIAR

The tomb Piran Kaliar of Shabir Shahib in Roorkee is a living example of religious harmony in India which is visited by the people of all religious sects from all over the world. 'URS' festival is organised every year on the holy dargah in summer.

OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST:

Haridwar has several other beautifully made Ashrams/temples of significance such as ShantiKunj, Jairam Ashram,Vyas Mandir, Geetha Mandir, Bhuma Niketan, Bharat Mata Mandir, Vaishnav Devi Temple, Radha Krishnan temple, Shravan Nath Math, Pawan Dham, Doodhadari temple, Bilkeshwar Mahadev temple, Shahi Gurudwara, Parmarth Ashram, Prem Nagar Ashram, Ma Anand Mai Ashram etc. All of these places are worth seeing. Many of these places of attractions at Haridwar are nothing but replica of shrines that exist at far off places in India. It enables one to have a glimpse of these great shrines without visiting them.

In Geetha Mandir, we find prototype of Char dhams. Similarly is Vaishnav Devi Temple .Bharat Mandir is a seven storied building. Every floor enlightens us about great people who contributed in one or another way to glory of mother India. Suki Nadi is near a choultry by name Chawla Bhavan. Literarily Suki Nadi means Dry River. We do not find any river there. I thought that it may be a rain fed river that goes dry during summer. But it is a place where river was flowing once . Now, the river has changed its course and the place has become dry. Now only pebbles are there. Hence its name is Dry River.

Manasa Devi and Chandi Devi Temple are on top of two separate hills that are a few kilometers apart. Uttaranchal Tourist Development Corporation plys buses from one hill to another. There is a ropeway for taking pilgrims to the top of hill at both the places. We can have a beautiful panoramic view of Haridwar from the top of these hills . Taxis, phatphatis, auto rickshaws are available for hire in plenty to cover the above places. The fare is charged according to flow of tourists into city. Always there is constant flow of tourists into Haridwar. Tourists do not mind paying a little bit more for transportation.

Those who visit Haridwar without any exception invariably have a dip in Ganges especially at Hari-Ki-Pari. Hindus believe that they can get rid of all their sins by having a dip in Ganges. At Hari-Ki-Pari, there is temple of Gangamatha. Iron Chains are put up all along there to enable one to have a dip in Ganges without any demure safely. There are pandas that help us to give argya to Sun god etc. When we have a dip in Ganges, we feel rejuvenated. It is really memorable and thrilling.Lakhs of people from various parts of globe at any time of a day hurry to take a dip in holy Ganga to get rid of their sins.Men, women and children all irrespective of status, age etc take a dip here. They forget that others look at them. They generally change their clothes then there itself. this reminds us the tune “Ram Teri Ganga Mailee Hogayee papiyonke pap dhote dhote” Local municipal people collect money to keep Ganga clean. Besides, people carry home holy water of Ganges in sealed plastic cans, sealed copper pots, etc. A main bazaar of Haridwar is near Har -Ki -Pairi only. There are shops where we get all pooja materials, rudraksha malas, navaratnamalas, and what not. Woolen shawls, sweaters dress materials etc, are available in plenty and cheap also when compared to our places.