I had grown up hearing about the holy city from my grandmother as she was born and brought up there. She always told me about the beauty of this city that is located on the banks of Ganga in Uttarakhand.

Amongst all things, it was her and my grandfather’s love story that had interested me the most. She had spun such a magical web around me regarding the charm of this city that when my college friends were planning a trip, I suggested that we visit Haridwar. Tickets were booked and in a short while we landed up there. We had arranged for a homestay at Haridwar and needless to say, the people here were extremely polite and friendly. The first night they introduced us with the local cuisine, which is purely vegetarian and amazingly delicious. The most interesting thing is that at Haridwar, you get a feel of the cultural side of India.

On the first day we visited the Mansa-Devi Temple, and in this process we landed up experiencing the Udan-Khatola Ropeway ride. I remember my grandmother mentioning that it was on this ropeway ride that she had met my grandfather for the first time. So romantic I thought!! The ropeway is one of the most ancient routes to this temple. The ten minutes ride left us amazed with the stunning views from above there. This was an unforgettable experience. We just sat back and enjoyed the breath-taking view of the city.

The Mansa-Devi Temple is located at the top of Bilwa hill and is a must visit place at Haridwar. This temple is dedicated to Mansa Devi, the Goddess of Shakti. If you are adventurous enough you can also try trekking to reach there. The temple provides a breath taking view from above there and the temple although small, is spectacular and beautiful.

The next place on our travel list was Har-ki-pauri. It is a very pious site, where people come to wash off their sins by taking a bath in the holy Ganga. The ambience was of extreme peace and serenity. We came to know about the Hindu legends related to this place, that Lord Shiva & Lord Vishnu had once visited this place. We were mesmerized by the evening Ganga aarti, which is performed to thank Goddess Ganga. We took the boats to travel to the middle of Ganga to view the aarti that is magnificent and lets you feel piousness in your heart.

The last destination which we visited was the Chilla Wildlife Sanctuary. We loved the jungle safari and the ride on the elephants was extremely enjoyable. The jungle safari allowed us to witness the beauty of nature and also provided a closer view of the rare breeds of deer and the Indian Langur. My bird lover friend also had a great time watching the various types of birds.

Our journey ended at a very positive note as even my love story started from this place. On the last day of our trip, my best friend of nine years proposed to me. Well, history repeats itself at Haridwar and this place will always hold a special place in my heart.