|
Har Ki Pauri Ghat
| | Har Ki Pauri Ghat | | Also known as Brahmakund, this ghat is one of the most sacred ghats in India. People say that Vikramaditya built this ghat in memory of his brother Bhartrihari. In the evening a Maha Aarti is performed on this ghat and the floral diyas that float on the ghat in the twilight creates an impression of stars being brought in the river water.
It is believed that Bhartrihari eventually came to Haridwar to meditate by the banks of the holy Ganga. When he died, his brother constructed the Ghat in his name, which later came to be known as Har-Ki-Pauri.
Har-ki-pauri literary means legs of Lord Vishnu. These sacred ghats are named after the Charan or Footprints of Hari (Vishnu) impressed on a stone set into the upper wall of the ghats. The ghat is regarded the most sacred and auspicious point to bathe in the Ganga during the Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh.
The ghat is called Brahma-kund, since king Sveta performed penances there to get Lord Brahma's benediction. Many people come to riverbanks to offer prayers, flowers and ghee lamps on leaves. The Mandir of Ganga Maya is a must for devotees. The Ganga River flows with great intensity in Haridwar and there has been a special channel allowing devotees to be able to worship Ganga Maya where the speed is much more easier to deal with. Dating to the 11th century, the Maya Devi temple is said to be the spot where Sati’s heart and navel fell.
| |
|
|
|
|
