Haridwar,Hardwar,Gangadhwar…all the same. Refers to the sacred site of Hinduism,which is a gateway to Holy Shrines Vishnu and Siva. The pilgrimage to Badrinath , the Abode of Sri Vishnu begins here,so it is Hari Dhwar, Entrance to Vishnu;the important Holy sites of Siva Hrishikesh,Neelakanta Mahadev,Rameswara Mahadeva,Manasa Devi are reached from here,hence Hardhwar; River Ganga enters the plain ,for the first time, here,it is here three rivers meet Ganga Triveni at Hrishikesh,so it is Gangadhwar. Hrishikesh is the name of Sri Vishnu,the one who rules over your mind and directs it,Kesava is another name of Vishnu that means Brahma,Ka,Va for, Vishnu and Sa for Iss ,Siva.

What else do you need to understand that Hari and Hara is One!

One can cover the following important places from Haridwar.

Hrishikesh. Scroll down for An expert guide’s introduction to Hrishikesh and Haridwar.

Here One can see the Triveni Sangam of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

‘It is believed that the ghat was visited by Lord Krishna when he got hurt by the arrow of Jara – a hunter. Being the most venerated ghat in Rishikesh, Triveni Ghat is even used by devotees to perform the last rites and rituals of their loved ones. The ghat is famed for the Ganga aarti performed to the chants of Vedic hymns. The sight of oil leaves, filled with diya and petals, which are released by devotees, floating on the pristine Ganga and the traditional aarti is a sight to behold. On the bank of Triveni Ghat, one can visit the Gita Mandir and Lakshminarayan Temple. Dawn boat ride along the Ganges is a must on a short tour to Triveni Ghat’. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triveni_Ghat

‘Triveni Ghat, a confluence of three holy significant Rivers the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswathy, is a most revered sacred bathing spot in Rishikesh and is situated on the banks of Ganges River. https://www.haridwarrishikeshtourism.com/triveni-ghat-rishikesh.html

Here the Ganga is called Bhagirathi, when She descended to Earth from the Hairlocks of Jatadhara Siva,where she was locked by Siva because of her furious descent to Earth,this destroying things on the way; Bhagiratha had to perform penance to Siva to release her from his Hairlocks. It is at Haridwar,She descends with force, chastened by Siva. As she was brought to the Earth by Bhagiratha, to help his ancestors,Sagara Putras,who were turned to Ashes by Kapila Muni,an Avatar of Vishnu,here Ganga is called Bhagirathi.

One of the important places to visit is Rameswara Mahadeva in Hrishikesh,where Pandavas established a Shiv Linga and performed Penance for Brahmahatya,the sin of killing a Brahmin ( They were responsible for the death of Dronacharya, a Brahmin, and Guru).One can perform Tharpana for ancestors on the banks of Ganga in Hrishikesh.

At Haridwar, one can perform Tharpana.And participate in the Divine Ganga Aarthi,where River Ganga is worshipped by thousands of lamps set in the River, amidst the chanting of Veda mantra and Ganga Ma ki Jai, Haridwar Aarthi is between 5.3o and 5.45 PM IST.A rare experience of Humans paying tribute to the River which has been sustaining them for thousands of years.One can visit Manasa Devi temple,Chandi Temple,Daksha Prajapati temple near Haridwar.One can also visit Neelkant Mahadev atop the Shivalik Hills. The Shivalik range and Ganga give you peace and spiritual experience that cannot be expressed in words. You can only feel it.

Here below am providing an audio introduction to Hrishikesh and Haridwar by A Good,non greedy and well informed Government authorised Guide, Sri. Jitendra Singh , his phone number is +91 94129 14009.