HARIDWAR OR HARADWAR-----

HARIDWAR OR HARADWAR[VAISHNAVITES CALL IT HARIDWAR' FOR SHAIVAITES IT'S HARDWAR] This sacred place is roughly 230 kms from Delhi-Dehradun  Road.It's better to go by RAJDHANI IF U ARE A BOMBAY MAN. DEHRADUN    express TAKES  2 days to reach Haridwar. From DELHI , better to catch interstate buses from Kashmiri-gate. autos charges 50 rupees. Buses charges only 160 rupees for Rishikesh. we were cheated by a private bus as we went opp to Newdelhi stn. THE bus journey was horrible He charged us 450 rupees  each, and it took 10 HRS . WE STARTED FROM DELHI AT 10 A.M AND REACHED RISHIKESH AT 7.30 p.m.    here i shall talk about Haradwar. It's said that Lord Shiva placed  the falling Ganges on his head at Gangadwara, so that people could be protected. This is the sacred river Ganga. PEOPLE approach her with a pure mind and pay respects to mother Ganges. THIS encient  CITY OF HARDWAR is situated on the bank of the Ganges at the foot of the SHIWALIK RANGES. The river Ganges moves for about 200 miles in the mountains and gushes out at this place into open plains.The famous legend of Bhagiradha is asociated with  Ganga..On account of KAPILA MUNI'S curse , the anccestors of Bhagiratha were burnt here. For their  salvation, he brought down Ganga. In order to lessen the force of the river, lord SHIVA held her in his matted hair..Thereafter she was lead by BHAGHIRATHA to liberate his ancestors.Ganga  asked Bhagiratha "please show me the way i shall flow now" It was BHAGIRATHA who laid down the for the river perhaps with his engineering skill and brought river Ganga to the place where she flows now. Haradwar is known as the place where sage Kapila lived who burnt THE SONS OF SAGARA.  who were in search of their sacrificial horse stolen by Indra AND TIED UP BY HIM AT  the hermitage of KAPILA.Taking sage Kapila to be thief , the sons of sagara prepared to attack him..kAPILA CAME TO KNOW OF THEIR RESOLVE AND BURNT THEM.Subsequently Bhagiratha brought down the Ganga and liberated them from their sins. The abode of sage KAPILA is still ponted out at a place called KAPILASTHANA.Near the harki pairi isthe gangadwara temple where it washes of the pada of VISHNU, THE IMPRINT OF LORD VISHNU  is shown on a stone wall.  Nearly 10 mts from HARI KI PAIRI  is the famous MANASA DEVI MANDIR. here   it's on a big mountain wherein ropeways are reaching the temple premises. there is also a walkway which is very hard and long tedious journey.     well I SHALL COV ER  RISHIKESH in my next blog.