Haridwar is situated on the right bank of the river Ganga, Uttarakhand. Haridwar is the sacred place which is venerated as the gateway to Hari. In Hindi language Haridwar stands for Dwar of Hari, with Hari meaning God and Dwar meaning gate. This celestial place is the gateway to the holy pilgrims Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamnotri, nestled in Uttarakhand. Haridwar is regarded as one of the holiest places among the seven holy pilgrims to Hindus. Haridwar is the holy spot where the celestial river Ganga rushes down from the flourishing Himalayan edges; this is the place where the Yakshas and the Devas got the spectacle of Lord Vishnu. According to the Hindu mythology, Hindus take dip in the sacred Ganges to liberate from the worldly sins.

History of Haridwar, Uttarakhand
In the initial years, Haridwar was known as Mayapuri, Gangadwar and Tapovan. Haridwar is a sacred spot of pilgrimage, it is said that few drops of nectar (amrit) fell at four spots namely Haridwar, Prayag, Ujjain and Nasik. The four Lords ran round the Earth continuously until twelve days to save the Amrit vessel to prevent it from going to the hands of the Asuras. Thenceforth Kumbh Mela is held after every twelve years revolving around the four divine spots as a memorial of this event.

Geography of Haridwar, Uttarakhand
Haridwar district is located in the southwest part of Uttarakhand state, India covering an area about 2360km. Its latitude and longitude are 29.96 degree north and 78.16 degree east respectively. Haridwar is situated at an altitude of 249.7 meters from the sea level, between Shivalik Hills in the North and Northeast and Ganga River in the South. Haridwar is the holy city and municipal board in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. Haridwar is the first and prominent town where Ganga emerges to touch the plains. The water of River Ganga is normally cold and clean in every season except in the rainy season because during this time the soil from the upper regions flows down into the river.

Places of Pilgrimages, Haridwar, Uttarakhand
According to Hindu religion, the Panch Tirthas i.e. the five pilgrimages positioned within Haridwar are Gangadwar (Har-Ki-Pauri), Kushwart (Ghat), Kankhal, Bilva Parvat (Mansa Devi) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi).

Visiting Places around Haridwar
Haridwar is the holy place of pilgrimage that offers varied places of mythological significance where various God`s and Goddesses have stepped. These places are dream paradise and blessed with God`s grace and bliss. The visiting places around Haridwar are Neel Dhara Pakshi Vihar, Bhimgoda Tank, JaiRam Ashram, Sapt Rishi Ashram and Sapt Sarovar, Parad Shivling, Doodhadhari Barfani Temple and Sureshwari Devi Temple.

How to reach Haridwar
By Air:
The nearest airport is the Jolly Grant airport, Dehradun. Daily schedules of two flights of Deccan airlines head from Indira Gandhi international airport, Delhi.

By Train:
There are frequent trains connected from the major cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, Howrah, Varanasi, Allahabad, Ujjain, Amritsar, Lucknow etc.

By Road:
Haridwar situated on the main highway no. 45 is well connected to all major cities and states that are Agra(386km), Ambala(168km), Badrinath(325km), Delhi(214km), Dehradun(52km), Kedarnath (250 km), Saharanpur (81 km), Nainital (286 km).

Festivals in Haridwar
Haridwar is the holy place of pilgrim where many religious festivals are celebrated and devotees congregate here from all parts of India. Its most noteworthy festivals are the Kumbh mela that is held once after every twelve years. This festival rotates midst the four regions viz. Haridwar, Allahabad, Ujjain and Nasik. The Ardh mela or half mela is held after every six years. The both festivals will take part in Haridwar in the forthcoming year 2010. Other yearly festivals that are celebrated within Haridwar includes

Baisakhi, April
Kanwar Mela, July
Somwati Amavasya, July

Kartik Purnima, held 15 days after Diwali on the first night of the full moon day in November.

Accommodation in Haridwar
Haridwar is overfilled with accommodation facilities ranging from high class to mid-range hotels. Also there are plenty of dharmashalas and ashrams in Haridwar. Tourists also have the choice of tourist lodges. Most of the accommodations are situated in the market place or near the river Ganga facing the ghats. The hotels in Haridwar are namely