India: Witnessing Hinduism in HARIDWAR

---

HARIDWAR
What a nice surprise this holy city by the Ganges was! Spiritually, it's more significant to Hindus than Rishikesh. It's one of the 7 sacred Indian cities, attracting a multitude of pilgrims and shadus to bathe and do "pujas" where the Gange River emerges from the Himalaya.

Haridwar has the frantic confusion of the Indian cities, but in a much smaller scale. A huge plus was the fact that we were left alone, without pushy vendors or touts. The crowd was more interested on their pujas than on us.

We hired a cycle-rickshaw for 3 hours (just little over one dollar) to visit the city. Kids waved to us and some hang from our cycle-riskshaw for a free ride. Friendly people all around.

Har-ki-Pairi Ghat was an amazing site to witness Hindu rituals. It is alive, vibrant, colorful. This is the site where the god Vishnu is said to have dropped some heavenly nectar and left a footprint behind. Thus, it's a major pilmigrage site.

Everything around here is "Ayurvedic": the food, massage, tea, you name it. Ayurverid is an ancient holistic indian medical system, one of the oldest in the world. It's principles is said to have been transmitted through Hindu gods and wrintten down by their diciples over 2000 years ago. Being so connected to Hinduism, it's no wander that here and in Rishikesh everything is Ayurvedic. If you know me, you are probably thinking that I already sympathize with the doctrine. Of course it did get my attention. What can be wrong about embracing "balacing the bodily humours and achieving a balanced lifestyle"?

I really enjoyed Hardiwar, a great place to witness and feel the devotion of Hindus by the holy Ganges. A pit stop here is recommended.

Enough writting. I will let the pictures tell the story and I recommend that you double-click on the pictures to see the details, particularly the one of all the people bathing on the river. It's really interesting.

Namaste

---

Photos

Har-ki-Pairi Ghat
Hindus devotees crowd the ghat

Bathing on the Ganges
Pilgrims wash away their sins
at Har-ki-Pairi Ghat

Me by the ghats
Shoes off as this is a sacred site

Haridwar traffic: no cars in this area
interesting families

Weird-looking creature/god!
I bet there is an interesting story behind this scene

Kashimir dumaloo was delicious...
A potato stuffed with vegetables in a tasty sauce but I wish I hadn't visited the discusting toilet & that I hadn't seen a rat passing under our table.

Why??????
Britney Spear bag!!!! I saw them in Cambodia & now India. Why????