Again, this was a longer train ride from expected, almost 8 hours. We got a not very clean but quite a big room in Haridwar and then we headed to the ghat.
The ghat in the evening was full with pilgrims taking bath in the river to purify their sins. Mathieu joined the crowd to swim in the river. He did this in Ganges Varanasi too, so i teased him saying that, he has a very very clean soul when he goes back to Canada. i soaked my feet in the cold water. At least i got part of my soul cleansed. :) The river is real clean for international standard! (Obviously in general, Indian cleanliness has other standard than others.) We then did the flower release puja. The priest insisted to be paid. i refused and told him that we would only pay at the counter which gave us official reciept. If he is the real priest, this contribution would go to him as well! So we went to some counter and pay to get a receipt.
Haridwar have more beggars than any other places too. Obviously those come to clean their souls are more willing to futher boast their kamma too.
Har-ki-Pairi (The Footstep of God) is where Vishnu is said to have dropped some heavenly nectar and left a footprint behind. is makes it a very sacred spot and the place to wash away your sins. Pilgrims bathes here in its quick currents.
Every evening, the crowds assembly at Har-ki-Pairi and the river comes alive with flickering flames for puja.
Floating offereings are released onto the Ganges. Haridwar is propitiously located at the point where the Gnages emerges from the Himalaya.
The ghats sit on the western bank of the Genges canal and every evening hundreds of worshippers gather for ganga aarti (river worship ceremony).
