Har Ki Pauri
One of the Tourist places in Haridwar is Har ki Pauri which basically means footsteps of the Lord. It is the holy ghat where river Ganges touches the plains after winding its ways through the Himalayan ranges. Visitors flock along this pious ghat around dawn to take a holy dip. during the Ganga Aarati. It is mesmerising to watch the whole ghat getting illuminated by the shimmering lights of the three-tiered lamps of fire in the hands of the priests . Additionally, devotees float thousands of diyas on the surface of the water giving the river Ganges an ethereal aura of beauty. A prime attraction during the day time is a footprint imprinted on a wall which is believed to belong to Lord Vishnu.Location - harkipodi, near Krishna Dham, KharkhariTiming - Open at all timesBest Time to Visit - Can be visited every month of the year although summer can be hot during day time.
Shanti Kunj
Relish a realm of spirituality and wellness at ShantiKunj when you are in Haridwar. It is known as the headquarters of All World Gayatri Power and attracts dozens of pilgrims. It is said that the ashram guides you towards the right path and offers perpetual happiness. Taking inspiration from spiritual principles, Shanti Kunj is a pioneer in the revival of Rishi traditions and divine culture. When you are here, you can participate in one of the training camps and take home wonderful memories of moral and spiritual upliftment. Some of the prominent attractions of Shanti Kunj are the Yagya shala, Gayatri Mata temple, Akhand Deep, Devatma Himalaya temple and various other temples dedicated to ancient rishis. If you are interested to know more, do go through one of the exhibitions at the world famous ashram on Divine culture. You will not return disappointed after returning from Shanti Kunj. Location: Shantikunj, Sapt Rishi Rd, Motichur, Haridwar, UttarakhandTiming: All dayBest Time to Visit: October to February
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Ganga Aarti
According to Hindu traditions and culture, the river Ganga is not a mere river; instead, it is the Divine Mother who gifts life in the form of water. Ganga Aarti is the worship of river Ganga. Thousands of visitors gather to watch the aarti both in the morning as well as in the evening when priests hold three-tier diyas and fire bowls in their hands and chant the Ganga mantras. The bells of the temples at the ghat start ringing at the same time making the atmosphere enchanting. People float diyas on the river to show their respect. Although early morning aartis are also beautiful in the wake of the dawn, it is the evening aartis with vibrant lights from the candles and diyas, which draws more attraction.Location - harkipodi, near Krishna Dham, Kharkhari, HaridwarTiming - Aarti timings: 5:30 AM - 6:30 and 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Best Time to Visit - Aarti is done every day. Those preferring to be a part of a large crowd that is bustling with activity should visit the river in May or June. Those who prefer a quiet atmosphere should visit the river in July and August.
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Popular Skiing Destinations
Skiing Basic Course, Auli: This is a paradise for the avid skiers. While you are an avid skier like me, go ahead and take it, you will not regret it. However, if you are new to skiing the if might be a little tough although this is a basic course. The Auli skiing course centre is located in Garhwal range of Himalays. This is almost about a 250km drive away from Haridwar. We reached here from Rishikesh which was 320km from here. The best part about Auli is that it offered us with immense opportunities to indulge in skiing. Thanks to its high altitude ranging between 2500m to around 3000m! The Skii trip overlooks the majestic peaks of Nanda Devi, Kamet and Dronagiri.
It is a great session. I felt this was worth the price and I truly learned basic sking skills.
Me and my cousin did this tour in Jan-end last year. The instructors were so skilled and took all the pains to teach us the required lessons of skiing. Really, Auli is just a heaven for skiers.
The trip was awesome. I had a really great time. The session stretched for almost 6-7 days and we learnt a lot. I am planning to take the advanced course soon. The best time to visit here is in January. You will enjoy this without any inhibitions as it is planned in such a way. This does not require any special skills. This ski trip was indeed one of the best vacations that I ever took.
The skiing session is pretty much the same for like around 5 days. It starts with a mild briefing and the instructions were given at the starting of the day. After this, we started skiing. At around 1.30 or 2 pm, we had lunch and got to spend the rest of the day in leisure. The instructors are available at this time to help us either discuss or practice techniques. At the evenings, there was a video session on skiing techniques. After that, we had campfire where we had a lot of indoor and outdoor activites to get indulged in. We also took long walks around the lodge as it is a big private property.
The trip is totally worthy to be taken. I had a really great time. I would love to take this again. Although I did learn the basics of skiing, practice is needed to excel this sports. The only thing that bothers me is the rate. This is pretty costly and there are no actual discounts too. If discounts were given, it would have been lot better.
Apart from skiing sessions every morning, one get to have a nice camping and a good round of bird watching experience too. We also got evenings free to visit the local town for shopping and sight seeing. This is a week long vacation well spent. The food was good during the trip. It was in fact very tasty and good.
This skiing basic course training makes one have a stay in a mountain lodge in Auli. While the skiing session was good, one cannot say the same about the stay. The snow skiing tourism is slowly improvising. This destination can be a world class opportunity which is worth experiencing. We went here in February and heard that the best time to do Skiing in Auli is January.
The skiing classes seem pretty fine. It was interesting to learn. Initially, it was too tough, but gradually we got so used to it and it was fun. At the end we even got a certificate of appreciation.
Skiing in Auli course is the best course to take for beginners. It is designed for people who want to learn the basics of skiing. This is done under set of expert instructors in a very small group. This way one can learn very easily. Due to the 1:6 instructor-student ratio, the learning is quick and there is a lot of personal attention to each of us. Hands on training is also given, which is very important when it comes to learning the basics of this sport.
More Things to do in Haridwar
