Tags
Aarti, Gods, Hardwar, Haridwar, Hindu, India, Temples, Travel, Vaishno Devi, Vaishno Devi Temple
Going from Rishikesh to Amritsar I had a couple hours to spare so I made a quick stopover in Haridwar, one of the seven holiest Hindu places in India. I got to visit multiple temples, but this one was my favourite. The Vaishno Devi Temple is a colourful and massive space with cave like tunnels you have to crawl through and a rooftop that is decorated with these huge statues of the Gods. It’s artistic, and beautiful and just amazingly fun to walk through.
After browsing the temples I went to the evening Aarti in Hardiwar, which is about 10 times bigger than the one in Rishikesh. It is really quite grande and lovely. The crowd buzzes with energy and the flower baskets drifting down the river casts beautiful flecks of gold in the water. The Ganges where this Aarti takes place is much shallower than the one in Rishikesh, so here you see more people bathing in the water. It’s amazing to see how this culture worships this river.
As lovely as it is to participate in cultural events, there’s always a need to be careful! Many people will ask for donations, but not all of them work for preserving the Ganges, so if you want to donate, place the money in a donation box, or give it to an official volunteer who will write you a receipt, then enjoy!
Wanderfilled 