Propitiously positioned on the factor wherein the Ganges River emerges from the Himalaya, Haridwar (additionally referred to as Hardwar) is Uttarakhand’s holiest Hindu city, and pilgrims arrive right here in droves to wash within the fast-flowing Ganges. The sheer quantity of human beings amassing round Har-ki-Pairi Ghat supply Haridwar a chaotic however reverent feel. Within the religious hierarchy of India, Haridwar is an awful lot greater sizeable than Rishikesh, an hour further north, and each nighttime the river comes alive with flickering flames as floating services are released directly to the Ganges. It's specially busy during the yatra (pilgrimage) season from May to October, particularly in the course of July, when loads of heaps of Shiva devotees, called Kanwarias, descend upon the metropolis.