Haridwar in Uttaranchal is one of the most holiest of pilgrim places for all Hindus. Over the years Har Ki Pauri and its Ganga Aarti at night have become the biggest attractions in the city of Haridwar for tourists and devotees alike. Har Ki Pauri means “Steps of God “. It is believed that the gods Vishnu and Shiva have visited the Brahmakund in Vedic times. As we know now from the previous post about Haridwar, and the holiest pooja in Haridwar is conducted on the banks of the river Ganges. Ghats are a series of steps that lead to a water body and a lot of poojas or rituals occur near the ghats on the banks of the Ganges. Haridwar is considered to be the place from where the river Ganga leaves the mountains and enters the plains.  Haridwar is also the venue of the Kumbh Mela which is the largest congregation of human beings in one place.

The Kumbh Mela, till recently was also well known as the place where two brothers usually separate as kids in a Bollywood movie. Recently though, the advent and use of cellphones in India has pushed the Indian film makers to becoming more creative. The year 2010 is also going to host a Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, preparations for which are already underway.

I have tried to capture the scene at Har Ki Pauri during the Ganga Aarti as best I could with my then amateur photography skills. Before you go for a visit to the ghats, do remember to keep you footwear in a safe place as footwear is not allowed on the ghats during Ganga aarti. You can deposit it somewhere or else keep it in a bag with yourself too.

There are many different bridges over the river Ganges and there are many different canals and small sized dams as well as hydel power plants built over the Ganges in Uttaranchal. The irrigation department at Haridwar is one of the most advanced in India. Here is a photograph of a suspension bridge built over the river Ganga.

The Ganges flows very rapidly near Haridwar and since taking a dip in the waters of Haridwar is considered auspicious, a lot of supports to hold on to and save people from drowning have been kept near the steps of the ghats as you can see in the snaps below. Also, distributing fish food in the river is one activity that a lot of tourists indulge in from the bridge or from the ghats.

These photographs were taken nearly half an hour before the Ganga aarti. Once the Ganga aarti starts at Haridwar, the crowd starts swelling.

Devotees also light a lot of Diyas and let them flow in the river Ganga during the Ganga aarti at Har Ki Pauri, Hyderabad. The diyas are lighted in leaves of trees. When the flow of water is a bit slower and the crowd of devotees a bit larger, the beautiful diyas floating on the water make a wonderful sight.

A snap of the temple where the Ganga aarti was conducted.

Devotees invoking the blessings of god at Har Ki Pauri during the Ganga aarti. The huge masses praying altogether give rise to a beautiful feeling of devotion towards god. The experience of the Ganga aarti is surely one of a kind with the gongs  being sounded and the Pandits chanting with so many diyas in their hands . Haridwar is one of the very few places where the aarti is conducted in the open and the huge mass of humanity gives a unique thrill to the viewer.

It is believed that King Vikramaditya built the ghats at Har Ki Pauri in the 1st BC. The Brahmakund where it is believed that God has set foot and where Amrit or nectar from heavens is said to have been dropped is where the believers come for a dip in the Ganges. Because of the importance of the place, over the years several temples have come up on both sides of the ghats since a long time. The Birla group who built the Birla Temple in Hyderabad have built the huge clock tower seen in the middle of the first snap.