Haridwar is formed by joining two words, hari (which is a name of God) and Dwar (which means Door) and in essence, this place is in fact the door which every human soul to God. There are numerous places to worship in this holy place. This holy city is known by many names such as Kapilasthana, Mayapuri and Gangadwar. Several writings can be found about this place in Puranas and Upnishads. Come and feel the difference at this place. Purify your mind and soul and pave the way for better future and better tomorrow.

One such significant place is the Chandi Devi Temple. In Uttarakhand, in the holy city of Haridwar, is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Chandi Devi. The temple is located on the eastern summit of Shivalik Hills on the top of Neel Parbat. This place is on the southern most part of the gigantic mountain range The Himalayas. The King of Kashmir, Suchat Singh built the temple in 1929. However, the main idol of Chandi Devi was believed to have been established by the greatest guru in Hindu religion – Shri Adi Shankaracharya was back in 8th century.

Chandi Devi Temple is also famously known as Neel Parvat Teerth and is one of the prominent five pilgrimages situated in and around Haridwar. This temple is considered as a SidhPeeth by the devotees coming from all across India and is highly revered. They believe that their desires are fulfilled if and when they come to worship at this place. There are two other peethas other than Chandi Devi Temple. They are also located in Haridwar and are known by the name Maya Devi Temple and Mansa Devi Temple.

During normal days, the temple is open from 6 am to 8 pm throughout the year for devotees. The early morning aarti starts at 5:30. This temple will soon have a trust for its management, but at present it is managed by Mahants. This temple is situated at a height, so it takes effort on the part of devotees to reach there and worship. Few years back, devotees had to walk on a steep path which was not formed properly and caused lot of trouble. For the convenience of pilgrims, a ropeway has been made in recent years. Now, the temple can be reached in 20–25 minutes. Devotees also get to enjoy the beautiful view of the nature around this place.

History

The presiding deity of this temple is Goddess Chandi, who is also known by the name Chandika. There are couple of stories of how this temple came into being. According to legends associated with it, the kingdom of Lord Indra was overtaken by two dangerous demons known as Shumbh and Nishumbh. Both these demons caused lots of destruction everywhere and when their misdeeds had reached an exorbitant proportion, Goddess Parvati gave birth to Chandi Devi from her cells.

Chandi Devi was amazingly beautiful and Shumbha was attracted towards her and expressed his desire to marry her. But, Chandi Devi refused the proposal. Shumbha was quite aggravated at the refusal and sent his two chief demons Chanda and Munda to kill her. From Chandrika’s anger, goddess Chamunda was originated, who killed both the demons. Later on, Shumbh and Nishumbh also came to kill Chamunda, but they were also slained by the Goddess. After that, Chandika went over the top of Neel Parbat and rested there for some time.

Later on, to testify the legend, a temple was built at this place. There are two peaks in the mountain range which are named after the demons Shumbh and Nishumbh.

Climate

Haridwar is located in the northern part of India. However, the weather is not affected by the mountains nearby. In summers, the mercury may rise to 40 degree and in winters, it goes down to 16 degrees. The area receives an annual rainfall of around 2300 mm. Weather remains pleasant from October to March and this is the best time to visit this place.

The summer season lasts from April to June or till the middle of July. The sun is bright and shiny on most part of the days and beats down heavily. The best way to beat the heat of the sun is to take a dip in the river Ganges. Monsoon season brings some heavy downpours and brings some respite to people here. Be careful while taking a dip in river Ganges this time, as the currents are heavy and fast.

The winter is quite opposite to the summer season. The weather remains foggy on most days and cold chilling winds blow. During extreme winter conditions mercury may dip as low as 0.6 degrees. The winter season casts its spell mainly during November to February.

Architecture of the Temple

Har Ki Pauri is at a distance of four kilometres from the Chandi Devi temple. The temple can be reached either from Chandighat by walking on a trekking route which is around three kilometres. Devotees have to climb a number of steps to reach the shrine. In recent years, rope service was introduced for pilgrims going to the shrine; it is famous by the name Chandi Devi Udhankhatola. This cable car takes pilgrims to Chandi Devi and Mansa devi.

The rope way connects the Chandi Devi temple directly to the lower station situated near Gauri Shankar. The shrine is at a height of two thousand nine hundred meters or nine thousand five hundred feet. The height of the rope way is 208 meters and the total length is around 740 meters. On both sides of the hill, there is dense forest and pilgrims travelling in the rope way get to see beautiful view of the surrounding including the Ganges River.

This temple is considered to be one of the oldest in India. Thousands of devotees turn up to this temple every year, particularly during the festival season of Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, Navratra and Chandi Chaudas. All these pilgrims come here to seek the blessings of the Goddess who, according to thousands of people here fulfils all their desires. Tourist going to Haridwar must definitely visit this temple.

Places to Visit

In Haridwar, there are numerous places to visit. This holy place is so beautiful that people coming here will forget all their anxieties and desires. Here are some other places which are must see for tourist coming to this place. Close to the Chandi Devi Temple is the temple of the mother of Lord Hanuman, Anjana.

Har Ki Pauri

It is believed that King Vikramaditya of Ujjain raised this sacrosanct Ghat in reminiscence of his dear brother Bhartihari. There is a meditation ground here which was set by Bhartihari. It is believed that this is the most sacred place in Haridwar and only a few drops from the river Ganga wash away all the sins for seven lives. Millions of people attend the spectacular evening Aarti.

Dakhsa Mahadev Temple

This is another very old temple here, situated towards South Kankhal. It is believed that this was the place where Goddess Sati burned herself when her husband Lord Shiva was insulted by her father King Daksha. The Havan Kund in which that incidence took place is still there.

Mansa Devi Temple

Balwa Hill or the peak of Balwa Parbat is the place for Mansa Devi Temple. According to stories here, if devotees wish for something with pure and true heart, then it is surely fulfilled by Mansa Devi. Once the tourists reach the peak of this hill, they get to see a wonderful view of the surrounding area.

Sapt Rishi Ashram

Sapt Rishi Ashram is nearly five kilometres from Har ki Pauri. According to scriptures in Hindu mythology, this is the place where seven great sages, Gautam, Bhardwaja, Jamadagni, Vishwamitra, Atri, Vashist and Kashyap performed meditation. It is said that Ganges River divides into seven small streams only at this place, so as to reduce the noise from the flow of river water and not to disturb the seven rishis.

How to Reach

Haridwar is a famous place not only in India, but across the Globe. During Kumbh Mela, millions of devotees from across the globe turn up to this place. The capital of India, Delhi, is only 214 km from this place and is well connected through all means of transport.

By Air

There is no airport in Haridwar, the nearest one is at Dehradun which is nearly 45 km from here. Tourist can hire a taxi, take a bus or train to reach here. Tourists who are coming from outside India will land at Deli airport and from there they will have to hire a taxi or take a bus.

By Rail

People who are coming Haridwar from within India, than the best option for them to come here is by train. Haridwar railway is connected to all the major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Rishikesh and Dehradun. There are regular trains between Haridwar and Delhi.

By Road

The capital of the country is connected to Haridwar through NH 58 and NH 72 connects it to Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand. There are roads leading to all the major destinations of India. Rishikesh are very close by, just 25 km by road.