Haridwar trip happened. It was a last minute trip and was a great family trip with all the kids. Unfortunately my phone was dead when I found out I was going to Haridwar. Haridwar according to Google a 1hr trip but due to the roads more like 2 hr trip with some sections being unfinished. It is south of Dehradun and full of temples. It is also the site where people bathe in the Ganga River. It is said your sins are washed away when you bathe in it. It is a holy river for one of the goddess’s lives in the river.
Haridwar is a nice city like Dehradun seems to be small. The first temple was very commercial. It has kids games and rides outside. Inside there are stores to buy offerings, spiritual items and food/drinks. It is dedicated to the 9 forms of the goddess Durga. Each form/reincarnation is depicted in a statue. The second temple is the India temple. It has 7 floors. On the main floor is the goddess for India and a map of India with the topography outlined. For 2 rupees you get an elevator ticket to go to the 6th floor. The 9 reincarnations of Lord Shiva are depicted. It’s a great place for Indian mythology. Each statue has a sign with the name written in Hindi and sometimes also in English. On one floor all the states of India are depicted in paintings with cultural dances depicted, important places and some states where combined especially the more recently divided states. One floor had all the saints depicted, another had all the important historical figures of India and one had all the gurus/ important religious figures for the different religions like Jains and Punjabis.
On the way back we stopped at the Ganga River where there is a huge Lord Shiva statue. The current is very strong so the place where people bath is very shallow so a person can sit on the rocks. We got to diyas with flowers to put in the river. Me being a foreigner wanted to watch but it was a spiritual trip for me as well. I got to put the second diya in the river though the flame went out before it touched the water due to the strong breeze. Haridwar is nice that its evenings are not as cold as Dehradun so in long sleeves I was fine though during the day I was hot. You are supposed to use your right hand to pour the river’s water on your head which I neglected to do so instead water was sprinkled on me afterwards.
We stopped for some chat and pani puri before heading back to Dehradun. This time the ride made me nervous for the road isn’t lit and with all the diversions and unpaved sections. We made it back in 2 hours.
