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| nickname = List of sovereign states>CountryIndia}}States and union territories of India>State| subdivision_name1 = UttarakhandList of districts of Uttarakhand>DistrictHaridwar district>Haridwar| established_title1 = | established_date1 = | established_title2 = Municipality| established_date2 = 1868| founder = Mayor–council government>Mayor–Council| governing_body = Haridwar Municipal Corporation| leader_title1 = MayorAnita Sharma (Indian National Congress>INC)| unit_pref = Metric| area_footnotes = | area_rank = | area_total_km2 = 12.3| elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = 314| population_total = | population_as_of = 2011| population = 228,832Hardwar Population Census 2011| population_metro = 231,338| population_rank = | population_demonym = DATE = 2 MARCH 2002 ACCESS-DATE = 23 AUGUST 2015, | demographics_type1 = Languages| demographics1_title1 = Official| demographics1_info1 = Hindi| demographics1_title2 = Native| demographics1_info2 = Khari boliIndian Standard Time>IST| utc_offset1 = +5:30Postal Index Number>PIN| postal_code = 249401| area_code_type = Telephone code| area_code = +91-1334| registration_plate = UK-08Human sex ratio>Sex ratiomale>♂/♀weblink}}| pushpin_map = India Uttarakhand#India| pushpin_relief = 129.94578.163display=inline,title}}| footnotes = Municipal Commissioner (India)>Municipal CommissionerIndian Administrative Service>IAS}}Haridwar ({{IPAc-en|h|ʌr|ɪ|ˈ|d|w|ɑr}}; {{audio|Haridwar.ogg|local pronunciation}}; Old name MayapuriWEB, History {{!, District Haridwar, Government of Uttarakhand {{!}} India |url=https://haridwar.nic.in/history/ |access-date=2023-03-11 |language=en-US}}) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district.WEB,weblink District Census Handbook, Hardwar, 29 January 2011, censusindia.gov.in, 29 January 2011, The city is situated on the right bank of the Ganges river, at the foothills of the Shivalik ranges. Haridwar lies in doab region where people speak khari boli.JOURNAL, 29 January 2011, District Census Handbook, Hardwar,weblink Census of India 2011, 5–7, Haridwar is regarded as a holy place for Hindus, hosting important religious events and serving as a gateway to several prominent places of worship. Most significant of the events is the Kumbha Mela, which is celebrated every 12 years in Haridwar. During the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the Ganges to wash away their sins to attain moksha.According to Puranic legend, Haridwar, along with Ujjain, Nashik, and Prayag, is one of four sites where drops of amrita,WEB, 2021-02-04, इस पौराणिक कथा से जानिए क्यों लगता है कुंभ का मेला? – mobile,weblink 2021-11-13, punjabkesari, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from a kumbha (pitcher) while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda during the Samudra Manthana, or the churning of the ocean of milk. Brahma Kund, the spot where the amrita fell, is believed to be located at Har ki Pauri (literally, "footsteps of the Lord") and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.BOOK, India through the ages,weblink Gopal, Madan, 1990, 178, K.S. Gautam, Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, It is also the primary centre of the Kanwar pilgrimage, in which millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganges and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in Shiva shrines.BOOK, Uprising of the Fools, Singh, Vikash, Stanford University Press, 2017, 9781503601673, Today, the city is developing beyond its religious importance with the fast-developing industrial estate of the State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL), and the close by township of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), as well as its affiliated ancillaries.Haridwar presents a kaleidoscope of Indian culture and development. In sacred writings, it has been differently specified as Kapilsthan, Gangadwar and Mayapuri. It is additionally a passage for the Chota Char Dham (the four principal pilgrim destinations in Uttarakhand).

Etymology

File:Haridwar Aerial view.jpg|thumb|Meandering main Ganga riverGanga riverThe modern name of the town has two spellings: Haridwar and Hardwar. Each of these names has its own connotation.In Sanskrit, the liturgical language of Hinduism, Hari means "Vishnu", while dvāra means "gateway". So, Haridwar translates to "The Gateway to Vishnu". It earns this name because it is typically the place where pilgrim's start their journey to visit a prominent temple of Vishnu – Badrinath.Similarly, Hara could also mean "Shiva".About Haridwar sahajaharidwar. Hence, Hardwar could stand for "Gateway to Shiva". Hardwar is also a typical place to start a pilgrim's journey in order to reach Mount Kailash, Kedarnath, the northernmost Jyotirlinga and one of the sites of the smaller Char Dham pilgrimage circuit – all important places for worship for Hindus.According to legend, it was in Haridwar that goddess Ganga descended when Shiva released the mighty river from the locks of his hair. The River Ganga, after flowing for {{convert|253|km|mi}} from its source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier, enters the Gangetic Plain for the first time at Haridwar, which gave the city its ancient name, Gangadwára.{{wikisource|Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832/Hurdwar, a Place of Hindoo Pilgrimage|Hurdwar, a picture by S. Prout with a poetical illustration by L. E. L.}}In the annotations to her poetical illustration Hurdwar, a Place of Hindoo Pilgrimage, Letitia Elizabeth Landon provides information on this name derivation, and also the story of the supposed origin of the 'River Ganges'. The accompanying plate is engraved from a painting by Samuel ProutBOOK, Landon, Letitia Elizabeth, Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832,weblink poetical illustration, 1831, Fisher, Son & Co., BOOK, Landon, Letitia Elizabeth, Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1832,weblink picture, 1831, Fisher, Son & Co.,

History

File:Ganga Mahabalipuram.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Prince BhagirathaBhagirathaIn the scriptures, Haridwar has been variously mentioned as Kapilasthana, GangadvāraPlaces of peace and power sacred sites. and Mayapuri. It is also an entry point to the Char Dham (the four main centres of pilgrimage in Uttarakhand viz, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri).File:Shiva Bearing the Descent of the Ganges River, folio from a Hindi manuscript by the saint Narayan LACMA M.86.345.6.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Gangadhara, Shiva bearing the Descent of the Ganges River as Parvati and Bhagiratha, and the bull Nandi look on. circa 1740]]In the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata, where sage Dhaumya tells Yudhishthira about the tirthas of India, Gangadvāra, i.e., Haridwar and Kankhal, have been referred to,Historical, Cultural and Social Perspectives Chapter 3, The Cultural Dimension of Ecology, Baidyanath Saraswati, 1998, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. {{ISBN|81-246-0102-X}}. ignca.nic.in. Vanaparva (The Book of the Forest) is third Parva, book of Mahabharata. the text also mentions that Sage Agastya did penance here, with the help of his wife, Lopamudra (the princess of Vidharba).Lopamudra The Mahabharata, translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli (1883 -1896), Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirthayatra Parva: Section XCVII.Sage Kapila is said to have an ashram here giving it, its ancient name, Kapila or Kapilasthana.BOOK, Stevenson, William, Burn, Richard, Sutherland, James, Hope, Herbert, The Imperial Gazetteer of India V2, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 52,weblink 4 May 2017, The legendary king, Bhagiratha, the great-grandson of the Suryavamsha King Sagara (an ancestor of Rama),WEB,weblink The Descent of the Ganges, indiantemples.com, is said to have brought the river Ganges down from heaven, through years of penance in Satya Yuga, for the salvation of 60,000 of his ancestors from the curse of the Sage Kapila. This is a tradition continued by thousands of devout Hindus, who bring the ashes of their departed family members, in hope of their salvation.WEB,weblink Haridwar Travel Agent, Haridwar Rishikesh Tour, Haridwar Yatra, hardwar.com, Vishnu is said to have left his footprint on the stone that is set in the upper wall of Har Ki Pauri, where the Ganges touches it at all times.Haridwar came under the rule of the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE), and later under the Kushan Empire (c. 1st–3rd centuries). Archaeological findings have proved that terra cotta culture dating between 1700 BCE and 1200 BCE existed in this region.Haridwar History {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210151555weblink |date=10 December 2007 }} Haridwar Official website. First modern era written evidence of Haridwar is found in the accounts of a Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang, who visited India in 629 CE.weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160303204733weblink">Kumbh Mela Channel 4. during the reign of King Harshavardhana (590–647) records Haridwar as 'Mo-yu-lo', the remains of which still exist at Mayapur, a little to the south of the modern town. Among the ruins are a fort and three temples, decorated with broken stone sculptures,Digital Library The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Oxford, 1908, Vol.13, p.51.{{EB1911 |wstitle=Hardwar |volume=12 |page=944 |inline=1}} he also mentions the presence of a temple, north of Mo-yu-lo called 'Gangadvara', Gateway of the Ganges.File:Head of Ganges Canal, Haridwar, 1894-1898.jpg|thumb|Head of the Ganges CanalGanges Canal(File:Haridwar from opposite bank of the Ganges, 1866.jpg|thumb|Haridwar from the opposite bank of the Ganges, 1866)Haridwar came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206.The city also fell to the Central Asian conqueror Timur Lang (1336–1405) on 13 January 1399.History The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 2, p. 570.During his visit to Haridwar, first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak (1469–1539) bathed at 'Kushawart Ghat', wherein the famous, 'watering the crops' episode took place,WEB,weblink Guru Nanak (for Children) – A New Way of Teaching, Amarpreet Singh, Munde, gurmat.info, Life Of Guru Nanak: Chapter IV The Sikh Religion, Volume 1, by Max Arthur Macauliffe (1842–1913), Oxford University Press (1909). page 50-52. his visit is today commemorated by a gurudwara (Gurudwara Nanakwara), according to two Sikh Janamsakhis, this visit took place on the Baisakhi day in 1504 CE, he later also visited Kankhal en route to Kotdwara in Garhwal.Janasakhi {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324124627weblink |date=24 March 2012 }} Janamsakhis of Miharban and Mani Singh, Janamsakhi Tradition, Dr. Kirpal Singh, 2004, Punjabi University, Patiala. {{ISBN|81-7205-311-8}}. www.globalsikhstudies.net. Pandas of the Haridwar have been known to keep genealogy records of most of the Hindu population. Known as Vahis, these records are updated on each visit to the city, and are a repository of vast family trees of the family in North India.In the 16th century, the city came under the rule of the Mughals. Ain-e-Akbari, written by Abul Fazal in the 16th century during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar, refers to it as Maya (Mayapur), known as Hardwar on the Ganges", as seven sacred cities of Hindus. It further mentions it is eighteen kos (each approx. 2 km) in length, and large numbers of pilgrims assemble on the 10th of Chaitra.Sacred Places of Pilgrimage {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714022016weblink |date=14 July 2018 }} Ain-e-Akbari, Vol. III, p. 306. It also mentions that during his travels and also while at home, Mughal Emperor, Akbar drank water from the Ganges river, which he called 'the water of immortality'. Special people were stationed at Sorun and later Haridwar to dispatch water, in sealed jars, to wherever he was stationedHardwar {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920062933weblink |date=20 September 2011 }} Ain-e-Akbari, by Abul Fazl 'Allami, Volume I, A´I´N 22. The A´bda´r Kha´nah. P 55. Translated from the original Persian, by Heinrich Blochmann and Colonel Henry Sullivan Jarrett, Asiatic Society of Bengal. Calcutta, 1873–1907. "His Majesty calls this source of life "the water of immortality," and has committed the care of this department to proper persons... Both at home and on travels, he drinks Ganges water."During the Mughal period, there was mint for Akbar's copper coinage at Haridwar. It is said that Raja Man Singh of Amber, laid that foundation of the present-day city of Haridwar and also renovated the ghats at Har Ki Pauri. After his death, his ashes are also said to have been immersed at Brahma Kund. Thomas Coryat, an English traveller, who visited the city in the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1596–1627) mentions it as 'Haridwara', the capital of Shiva.Being one of the oldest living cities, Haridwar finds its mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as it weaves through the life and time stretching from the period of the Buddha, to the more recent British advent. Haridwar has a rich and ancient religious and cultural heritage. It still has many old havelis and mansions bearing exquisite murals and intricate stonework.One of the two major dams on the river Ganges, the Bhimgoda, is situated here. Built-in the 1840s, it diverts the waters of the Ganges to the Upper Ganges Canal, which irrigated the surrounding lands. Though this caused severe deterioration to the Ganges water flow, and is a major cause for the decay of the Ganges as an inland waterway, which till the 18th century was used heavily by the ships of the East India Company, and a town as high up as Tehri, was considered a port city The headworks of the Ganges Canal system is located in Haridwar. The Upper Ganges Canal was opened in 1854 after the work began in April 1842,Upper Ganges Canal The Imperial Gazetteer of India, 1909, v. 12, p. 138. prompted by the famine of 1837–38. The unique feature of the canal is the half-kilometre-long aqueduct over the Solani river at Roorkee, which raises the canal {{cvt|25|m}} above the original river. File:United Provinces 1903.gif|thumb|Haridwar as a part of the United Province, 1903]]'Haridwar Union Municipality' was constituted in 1868, which included the then villages of Mayapur and Kankhal. Haridwar was first connected with railways, via Laksar, through branch line in 1886, when the Awadh and Rohilakhand Railway line was extended through Roorkee to Saharanpur, this was later extended to Dehradun in 1900.Trade and Communications The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 21, p. 375.In 1901, it had a population of 25,597 and was a part of the Roorkee tehsil, in Saharanpur district of the United Province,Roorkee Town The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 21, p. 324. and remained so till the creation of Uttar Pradesh in 1947.History The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 13, p. 53.Haridwar has been an abode of the weary in body, mind, and spirit. It has also been a centre of attraction for learning various arts, science, and culture. The city has a long-standing position as a great source of Ayurvedic medicines and herbal remedies and is home to the unique Gurukul (school of traditional education), including the Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, which has a vast campus, and has been providing traditional education of its own kind, since 1902. Development of Haridwar took an upturn in the 1960s, with the setting up of a temple of modern civilisation, BHEL, a 'Maharatna PSU' in 1975, which brought along not just a its own township of BHEL, Ranipur, close to the existing Ranipur village, but also a set of ancillaries in the region. The University of Roorkee, now IIT Roorkee, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutes of learning in the fields of science and engineering.

Geography and climate

File:Main Ganga river, before the Bhimgoda barrage, Haridwar.jpg|thumb|Neeldhara Bird Sanctuary at the main Ganges Canal, before Bhimgoda BarrageBhimgoda BarrageThe Ganges emerges from the mountains to touch the plains. The water in the river Ganges is mostly clear and generally cold, except in the monsoon, during which soil from the upper regions flows down into it.The river Ganges flows in a series of channels separated from each other called aits, most of which are well wooded. Other minor seasonal streams are Ranipur Rao, Pathri Rao, Ravi Rao, Harnaui Rao, Begham Nadi etc.WEB,weblink Five Best Places to Visit in Haridwar, June 2019, tentaran.com, 2022-07-15, A large part of the district is forested, and Rajaji National Park is within the bounds of the district, making it an ideal destination for wildlife and adventure lovers. Rajaji is accessible through different gates; the Ramgarh Gate and Mohand Gate are within {{cvt|25|km}} of Dehradun, while the Motichur, Ranipur and Chilla Gates are just about {{cvt|9|km}} from Haridwar. Kunaon Gate is {{cvt|6|km}} from Rishikesh, and Laldhang gate is {{cvt|25|km}} from Kotdwara.Haridwar district, covering an area of about {{cvt|2360|km2}}, is in the southwestern part of Uttarakhand state of India.Haridwar is situated at a height of {{cvt|314|m}} from the sea level, between Shivalik Hills in the North and Northeast and the Ganges River in the South.

Climate

{{Expand section|date=May 2010}}Temperatures:

• Summers: {{cvt|25 to 44|°C}}
• Winters: {{cvt|−1 to 24|°C}}New District {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830035914weblink |date=30 August 2008 }} Haridwar, www.gmvnl.com.

{{Weather box|location = Haridwar|metric first = Yes|single line = Yes|Jan high C = 20|Feb high C = 22|Mar high C = 27|Apr high C = 33|May high C = 36|Jun high C = 34|Jul high C = 31|Aug high C = 30|Sep high C = 30|Oct high C = 29|Nov high C = 26|Dec high C = 22|Jan low C = 7|Feb low C = 9|Mar low C = 13|Apr low C = 18|May low C = 21|Jun low C = 23|Jul low C = 23|Aug low C = 23|Sep low C = 21|Oct low C = 17|Nov low C = 11|Dec low C = 8|precipitation colour = green|Jan precipitation mm = 72|Feb precipitation mm = 76|Mar precipitation mm = 78|Apr precipitation mm = 55|May precipitation mm = 113|Jun precipitation mm = 296|Jul precipitation mm = 599|Aug precipitation mm = 568|Sep precipitation mm = 301|Oct precipitation mm = 102|Nov precipitation mm = 23|Dec precipitation mm = 91|source = Sunmap|date=May 2012}}

Cityscape

File:Har ki pauri panoramic view1.jpg|center|1000px|thumb|Panoramic view of Har ki PauriHar ki PauriFile:Panorama of Haridwar City.jpg|center|1000px|thumb|Panorama of Haridwar city from Mansa Devi Temple ]]

Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar

{{Unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}(File:Main bathing Ghat, Hurdwar (Haridwar), 1880s.jpg|thumb|Main bathing Ghat, at Haridwar, in the 1880s.)For centuries when Hindu ancestors visited the holy town of Haridwar for any purpose which may have been for pilgrimage purposes or/and for cremation of their dead or for immersion of ashes and bones of their kin after cremation into the waters of the holy Ganges as required by Hindu religious custom, it has been a custom to go to the Pandit who is in charge of one's family register and update the family's family tree with details of marriages, births, and deaths from ones extended joint family.

Demographics

{{bar box|title=Religions in Haridwar City (2011)Hardwar City Population Census 2011 – Uttarakhand|titlebar=#Fcd116|left1=Religion|right1=Percent|float=right|bars={{bar percent|Hinduism|darkorange|82.66}}{{bar percent|Islam|green|15.70}}{{bar percent|Christianity|blue|0.26}}{{bar percent|Jainism|pink|0.13}}{{bar percent|Others†|black|1.2}}|caption=Distribution of religions†Includes Sikhs (1%), Buddhists (