Native name	Haridwar
Other name	हरिद्वार
Type	city
State name	Uttarakhand
District	Haridwar district
Skyline	Evening view of Har-ki-Pauri, Haridwar.jpg
Skyline caption	Evening prayers at Har ki Pauri, Haridwar
Locator position	right
Altitude	314
Population as of	2001
Population total	175,010
Population total cite
Population density	14,228
Area total	12.3
Area telephone	01334
Postal code	249403
Vehicle code range	UK 08
Sex ratio	1.18
Website	}}

Haridwar (also spelled Hardwar, Hindi: हरिद्वार) is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganges, after flowing for from its source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier, enters the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India for the first time at Haridwar, which gave the city its ancient name, Gangadwára.

Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places to Hindus. According to the Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nasik and Allahabad is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela being celebrated every 3 years in one of the 4 places, and thus every 12 years in Haridwar. Amidst the Kumbha Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganges to wash away their sins to attain Moksha. ''Brahma Kund'', the spot where the Amrit fell, is located at Har ki Pauri (literally, "footsteps of the Lord") and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.

Haridwar is the headquarters and the largest city of the district. Today, the city is developing beyond its religious importance, with the fast developing industrial estate of State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL), and the close by township of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited in Ranipur, Uttarakhand as well as its affiliated ancillaries.

Etymology

The name of the town has two spellings: ''Haridwar'' and ''Hardwar''. Both of these names have their own significance.

In Sanskrit, ''Hari'' means "Lord Vishnu" and ''dwar'' means "gate" or "gateway". So, Haridwar stands for "Gateway to Lord Vishnu". In order to reach Badrinath, one of the four ''Char Dhams'' with a temple of Lord Vishnu, Haridwar is a typical place to start a pilgrim's journey. Therefore, the name Haridwar.

In Sanskrit, ''Har'' means "Lord Shiva". Hence, Hardwar stands for "Gateway to Lord Shiva". in order to reach Kedarnath, one of the ''Chota Char Dhams'' with a teample of Lord Shiva, Haridwar is a typical place to start a pilgrim's journey.

Haridwar is also known as the home of Devi Parvati and the palace of her father Daksha. In ancient times, the town was referred to as ''Gangadwára'' (गंगाद्वार), the place where the Ganges descends to the plains.

Seven holy places

Haridwar is one of the seven most holy Hindu places in India, with Varanasi usually considered as the holiest.

A ''Kṣetra'' is a sacred ground, a field of active power, a place where ''Moksha'', final release can be obtained. The ''Garuḍa Purāṇa'' enumerates seven cities as giver of ''Moksha''. These are Ayodhya, Mathura, Māyā, Kāsi, Kāñchī, Avantikā and Dvārāvatī.

History

A paradise for nature lovers, Haridwar presents a kaleidoscope of Indian culture and civilization. In the scriptures it has been variously mentioned as Kapilsthan, Gangadwar and Mayapuri. It is also an entry point to the Char Dham (the four main centers of pilgrimage in Uttarakhand ''viz'', Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri), hence, Shaivaites (followers of Lord Shiva) and Vaishnavites (followers of Lord Vishnu) call this place Hardwar and Haridwar respectively, corresponding to Har being Shiv and Hari being Vishnu.

In the Vanaparva of the Mahabharat, where sage Dhaumya tells Yudhisthira about the tirthas of India, Gangadwar, i.e., Haridwar and Kankhal, have been referred to, the text also mentions that Agastya Rishi did penance here, with the help of his wife, Lopamudra (the princess of Vidharba).

Sage Kapila is said to have an ashram here giving it, its ancient name, Kapila or Kapilastan.

The legendary King, Bhagirath, the great-grandson of the Suryavanshi King Sagar (an ancestor of Rama), is said to have brought the river Ganges down from heaven, through years of penance in Satya Yuga, for the salvation of 60,000 of his ancestors from the curse of the saint Kapila, a tradition continued by thousands of devout Hindus, who brings the ashes of their departed family members, in hope of their salvation. Lord Vishnu is said to have left his footprint on the stone that is set in the upper wall of Har-Ki-Pauri, where the Holy Ganges touches it at all times.

Haridwar came under the rule of the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE), and later under the Kushan Empire (c. 1st–3rd centuries). Archaeological findings have proved that terra cotta culture dating between 1700 BCE and 1200 BCE existed in this region. First modern era written evidence of Haridwar is found in the accounts of a Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang, who visited India in 629 AD. during the reign of King Harshavardhan (590–647) records Haridwar as 'Mo-yu-lo', the remains of which still exist at Mayapur, a little to the south of the modern town. Among the ruins are a fort and three temples, decorated with broken stone sculptures, he also mentions the presence of a temple, north of Mo-yu-lo called 'Gangadwara', Gateway of the Ganges.

The city was also invaded by Timur Lang (1336–1405), a Mongol invader on January 13, 1399.

During his visit to Haridwar, first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak (1469–1539) bathed at 'Kushwan Ghat', wherein the famous, 'watering the crops' episode took place, his visit is today commemorated by a gurudwara (Gurudwara Nanakwara), according to two Sikh Janamsakhis, this visit took place on the Baisakhi day in 1504 AD, he later also visited Kankhal enroute to Kotdwara in Garhwal. Pandas of the Haridwar have been known to keep genealogy records of most of the Hindu population. Known as vahis, these records are updated on each visit to the city, and are a repository of vast family trees of family in North India.

''Ain-e-Akbari'', written by Abul Fazal in the 16th century during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar, refers to it as Maya (Mayapur), known as Hardwar on the Ganges”, as seven sacred cities of Hindus. It further mentions it is eighteen kos (each approx. 2 km) in length, and large numbers of pilgrims assemble on the 10th of Chaitra. It also mentions that during his travels and also while at home, Mughal Emperor, Akbar drank water from the Ganges river, which he called ‘the water of immortality’. Special people were stationed at Sorun and later Haridwar to dispatch water, in sealed jars, to wherever he was stationed

During the Mughal period, there was mint for Akbar's copper coinage at Haridwar. It is said that Raja Man Singh of Amber, laid that foundation of the present day city of Haridwar and also renovated the ghats at Har-ki-pauri. After his death, his ashes are also said to have been immersed at Brahma Kund by Mughal emperor Akbar himself. Thomas Coryat, an English traveller, who visited the city in the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1596–1627) mentions it as 'Haridwara', the capital of Shiva.

Being one of the oldest living cities, Haridwar finds its mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as it weaves through the life and time stretching from the period of the Buddha, to the more recent British advent. Haridwar has a rich and ancient religious and cultural heritage. It still has many old havelis and mansions bearing exquisite murals and intricate stonework.

One of the two major dams on the river Ganges, the Bhimgoda, is situated here. Built in 1840s, it diverts the waters of the Ganges to the Upper Ganges Canal, which irrigated the surrounding lands. Though this caused severe deterioration to the Ganges water flow, and is a major cause for the decay of the Ganges as an inland waterway, which till 18th century was used heavily by the ships of the East India Company, and a town as high up as Tehri, was considered a port city The headworks of the Ganges Canal system are located in Haridwar. The Upper Ganges Canal was opened in 1854 after the work began in April 1842, prompted by the famine of 1837-38. The unique feature of the canal is the half-kilometre-long aqueduct over Solani river at Roorkee, which raises the canal 25 metres above the original river.

'Haridwar Union Municipality' was constituted in 1868, which included the then villages of Mayapur and Kankhal. Haridwar was first connected with railways, via Laksar, through branch line in 1886, when the Awadh and Rohilakhand Railway line was extended through Roorkee to Saharanpur, this was later extended to Dehradun in 1900.

In 1901, it had a population of 25,597 and was a part of the Roorkee tehsil, in Saharanpur district of the United Province, and remained so till the creation of Uttar Pradesh in 1947.

Haridwar has been an abode of the weary in body, mind and spirit. It has also been a centre of attraction for learning various arts, science, and culture. The city has a long-standing position as a great source of Ayurvedic medicines and herbal remedies and is home to the unique Gurukul (school of traditional education), including the Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, which has a vast campus, and has been providing traditional education of its own kind, since 1902. Development of Haridwar took an upturn in the 1960s, with the setting up of a temple of modern civilization, BHEL, a 'Navratna PSU' in 1962, which brought along not just a its own township of BHEL, Ranipur, close to the existing Ranipur village, but also a set of ancillaries in the region. The University of Roorkee, now IIT Roorkee, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutes of learning in the fields of science and engineering.

Geography and climate

the Ganges emerges from the mountains to touch the plains. The water in the river Ganges is mostly clear and generally cold, except in the rainy season, during which soil from the upper regions flows down into it.

The river Ganges flows in a series of channels separated from each other called aits, most of which are well wooded. Other minor seasonal streams are Ranipur Rao, Pathri Rao, Rawii Rao, Harnaui Rao, Begam Nadi etc. A large part of the district is forested, and Rajaji National Park is within the bounds of the district, making it an ideal destination for wildlife and adventure lovers. Rajaji is accessible through different gates; the Ramgarh Gate and Mohand Gate are within 25 km of Dehradun, while the Motichur, Ranipur and Chilla Gates are just about 9 km from Haridwar. Kunao Gate is 6 km from Rishikesh, and Laldhang gate is 25 km from Kotdwara.

Haridwar district, covering an area of about 2360 km², is in the southwestern part of Uttarakhand state of India.

Haridwar is situated at height of 314 metres from the sea level, between Shivalik Hills in the North and Northeast and the Ganges River in the South.

Climate

Temperatures:

Summers: 25 °C - 44 °C

Winters: 6 °C - 24 °C

Hindu genealogy registers at Haridwar

Something that is not well known today to Indians and to those settled abroad, in an ancient custom detailed family genealogies of Hindu families for the past several generations are kept by professional Hindu Brahmin Pandits, popularly known as ''Pandas'', at the Hindu holy city of Haridwar in hand written registers passed down to them over generations by their Pandit ancestors which are classified according to original districts and villages of ones ancestors, with special designated Pandit families being in charge of designated district registers, even for cases where ancestral districts and villages that have been left behind in Pakistan after Partition of India with Hindus having to migrate to India. In several cases present day decedents are now Sikhs and many maybe Muslims or even Christians. It is not uncommon for one to find details of up to, or even more than, ones seven past generations in these genealogy registers kept by the ''Pandas of Haridwar''.

For centuries when Hindu ancestors visited the holy town of Haridwar for any purpose which may have mostly been for pilgrimage purposes or/and for cremation of their dead or for immersion of ashes and bones of their kin after cremation into the waters of the holy river Ganges as required by Hindu religious custom, it has been an ancient custom to go to the Pandit who is in charge of ones family register and update the family's genealogical family tree with details of all marriages, births and deaths from ones extended joint family.

In present day India people visiting Haridwar are dumbfounded when Pundits out of the blue solicit them to come and update their very own ancestral genealogical family tree, news travels like wildfire among the Pandits with ones family's designated Pandit being quickly notified of ones visit. Nowadays with Hindu joint family system having broken down with people preferring more nuclear families, record keeping Pandits prefer visitors to Haridwar to come prepared after getting in touch with all of ones extended family and bringing all relevant details regarding ones ancestral district and village, names of grand parents and great grand parents and marriages, births and deaths that have occurred in the extended family, even with as much details as possible of the families married into. A visiting family member is required to personally sign the family genealogical register furnished by ones ''Family Panda'' after updating it for future family visitors and generations to see and to authenticate the updated entries, friends and other family members accompanying on the visit may also be requested to sign as witnesses.

Demographics

India census, Haridwar district had a population of 295,213. Males constitute 54% of the population and females, 46%. Hardwar has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 64%. In Hardwar, 12% of the population is under six years of age.

Places of interest

In Hindu traditions, the 'Panch Tirth' (Five Pilgrimages) within Haridwar, are ''Gangadwara ''(Har ki Pauri), ''Kushwart'' (Ghat in Kankhal), ''Bilwa Teerth'' (Mansa Devi Temple) and ''Neel Parvat'' (Chandi Devi Temple). There are several other temples and ashrams located in and around the city. Also, alcohol and non-vegetarian food is not permitted in Haridwar.

Har ki Pauri

This sacred Ghat was constructed by King Vikramaditya (1st century BC) in memory of his brother Bhrithari. It is believed that Bhrithari came to Haridwar and meditated on the banks of the holy Ganges. When he died, his brother constructed a Ghat in his name, which later came to be known as Har-Ki-Pauri. The most sacred ghat within Har-ki-Pauri is Brahmakund. The evening prayer(Aarti) at dusk offered to Goddess Ganga at Har-Ki-Pauri (steps of God Hara or Shiva) is an enchanting experience for any visitor. A spectacle of sound and colour is seen when, after the ceremony, pilgrims float diyas (floral floats with lamps) and incense on the river, commemorating their deceased ancestors. Thousands of people from all round the world do make a point to attend this prayer on their visit to Haridwar. A majority of present ghats were largely developed in the 1800s.

Chandi Devi Temple

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Chandi, who sits atop the 'Neel Parvat' on the eastern bank of the river Ganges. It was constructed in 1929 A.D. by the king of Kashmir, Suchat Singh. Skanda Purana mentions a legend, in which ''Chanda-Munda'', the Army Chief of a local Demon Kings ''Shumbh'' and ''Nishumbha'' were killed by goddess Chandi here, after which the place got the name Chandi Devi. It is believed that the main statue was established by the Adi Shankracharya in 8th century A.D. The temple is a 3 km trek from Chandighat and can also be reached through a ropeway.

Mansa Devi Temple

Situated at the top of Bilwa Parwat, the temple of Goddess Mansa Devi, literally meaning the Goddess who fulfills desires (Mansa), is a popular tourist destination, especially because of the cable cars, which offer a picturesque view of the entire city. The main temple houses two idols of the Goddess, one with three mouths and five arms, while the other one has eight arms.

Maya Devi Temple

Dating to the 11th century, this ancient temple of Maya Devi, the Adhisthatri deity of Hardwar, is considered one of the Siddhapethas and is said to be the place where the heart and navel of Goddess Sati had fallen. It is one of few ancient temples still standing in Haridwar, along with Narayani Shila temple and Bhairav Temple.

Kankhal

The ancient temple of Daksha Mahadev also known as Daksheswara Mahadev Temple, is situated in the south Kankhal town. According to Hindu texts, King Daksha Prajapati, father of Dakshayani, Lord Shiva's first wife, performed a yagna, to which he deliberately did not invite Lord Shiva. When he arrived uninvited, he was further insulted by the king, seeing which Sati felt infuriated and self-immolated herself in the yagna kund. King Daksha was later killed by the demon Virabhadra, born out of Shiva's anger. Later the king was brought to life and given a goat's head by Shiva. Daksha Mahadev temple is a tribute to this legend.

Sati Kund, another well-known mythological heritage worth a visit is situated in the Kankhal. Legend has it that Sati immolated herself in this kund.

Piran Kaliyar

Built by Ibrahim Lodhi, a ruler of Delhi, this 'Dargah' of Hazrat Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari, a 13th century, Sufi Saint of Chishti Order (also known as Sarkar Sabir Pak), in Kaliyar village, 7 km. from Roorkee, is a living example of religious harmony in India, visited by devotees from all over the world, during the annual 'Urs' festival, which is celebrated from 1 st day of sighting the moon to 16th day of Rabi al-awwal month, in the Islamic calendar.

Neel Dhara Pakshi Vihar

This Bird Sanctuary is situated on the main Ganges river, or Neel Dhara, at the Bhimgoda Barrage, it is a paradise for bird watchers and home to many migratory birds during the winter season.

Bhimgoda Tank

This tank is situated at a distance of about 1 km from Har ki Pauri. It is said that while Pandavas were going to Himalayas through Haridwar, prince Bhima drew water from the rocks here by thrusting his knee (goda), to the very ground.

Doodhadhari Barfani Temple

Part of the ashram of Doodhadhari Barfani Baba, this temple complex in white marble is one of most beautiful temples in Haridwar, especially the temples of Rama-Sita and Hanuman.

Sureshvari Devi Temple

Temple of Goddess Sureshwari, situated in midst of beautiful Rajaji National Park. Serene and religious makes this temple abode of worshipers, saints etc. Located at outskirts of Haridwar in Ranipur and permission from forest rangers is necessary.

Pawan Dham

A modern temple, made entirely of glass pieces, Pawan Dham is now a popular tourist destination. The temple complex was constructed by the effort of Swami Vedantanand Ji Maharaj and the institute located there is growing under the leadership of Swami SahajPrakash Ji Maharaj. People from Moga in Punjab have put considerable efforts and money to errect this place.

Bharat Mata Mandir

Bharat Mata Mandir is a multi-storey temple dedicated to ''Bharat Mata'' (Mother India). ''Bharat Mata Mandir'' was inaugurated on 15 May 1983 by Indira Gandhi on the banks of the river Ganges. It is situated adjacent to the ''Smanvaya Ashram'', and stands eight stories tall to a height of . Each floor depicts an era in the Indian history, from the days of Ramayan until India's independence.

On the first floor is the statue of ''Bharat Mata''. The second floor, ''Shoor Mandir'', is dedicated to the well renowned heroes of India. The third floor ''Matru Mandir'' is dedicated to the achievements of India’s revered women, such as Meera Bai, Savitri, Maitri etc. The great saints from various religions, including Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism are featured on the fourth floor ''Sant Mandir''. The assembly hall with walls depicting symbolic coexistence of all religions practiced in India and paintings portraying history and beauty in various provinces, is situated on the fifth floor. The various forms of the Goddess of Shakti can be seen on the sixth floor, whilst the seventh floor is devoted to all incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The eighth floor holds the shrine of Lord Shiva from which devotees can gain a panoramic view of Himalayas, Haridwar, and the splendour of the entire campus of ''Sapta Sarovar''.

The temple was built under the former Shankaracharya Maha-Mandleshwar Swami Satyamitranand Giriji Maharaj. Since the inception of the Swami Satyamitranand foundation in 1998, several other branches have been opened, namely in Renukut, Jabalpur, Jodhpur, Indore, and Ahmedabad.

Jairam Ashram

Famous for its diorama exhibition, and a massive white statue depicting the famous Samudra manthan episode, a must-see for any visitor.

Sapt Rishi Ashram and Sapt Sarovar

A picturesque place near Haridwar, where seven great sages or Saptarishis, namely Kashyapa, Vashisht, Atri, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja and Gautam, said to have meditated. The Ganges split herself into seven currents at this place so that the Rishis would not be disturbed by the flow.

Parad Shivling

Situated in Harihar Ashram, Kankhal. Parad Shivling (Mercury Shivling) weighing about 150 kg and Rudraksha tree are the main attractions here.

Ramanand Ashram

Situated in shravan nath nagar of the town near railway station, this is the main ashram of Ramanand Sampraday in Haridwar. Mahant Bhagwan Das is the chief of this ashram.

Anandamayi Maa Ashram

Situated in Kankhal, one of five sub-cities of Haridwar, the ashram houses the samadhi shrine of Sri Anandamoyi Ma (1896–1982), a noted saint of India.

Shantikunj

Shantikunj is the headquarter of famous spiritual and social organisation All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP) established by Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya. Its located at a distance of 6 Kilometers from Haridwar railway station towards Rishikesh/Dehradun on NH58. At the bank of the holy Ganges and between the Shivalik ranges of the Himalayas, its also a place of attraction for tourists as well as seekers of spiritual guidance.

Educational institutions

Gurukul Kangri University - 4 km

Situated in Kankhal, on the banks of the river Ganges, on Haridwar-Jwalapur bypass road, Gurukul Kangri is one of the oldest Universities of India, it was founded in 1902 by Swami Shraddhananda (1856–1926), according to the tenets of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj. It has also been visited by British Trade Union leader Charles Freer Andrews and British Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, to study the unique Gurukul based education system. Here Ancient Vedic and Sanskrit literature, Ayurveda, Philosophy are part of the curriculum besides Modern Sciences and Journalism. Its 'Archaeological Museum', (estb. 1945) houses some rare statues, coins, paintings, manuscripts and artefacts, starting from Harappa culture (c.2500-1500 BC). Mahatma Gandhi visited the campus three times, and stayed in its sprawling and serene campus for extended periods of time, most notably during the 1915 Kumbh mela, followed by a visit in 1916, when on 20 March, he spoke at Gurukul Anniversary.

Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya - 7 km

Established in 2002 by the act of the Uttarnchal Government is a fully residential university. Run by Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj Haridwar (headquarters of Gayatri Pariwar), it provides various degree, diploma and certificate courses in areas like Yogic Science, Alternative Therapy, Indian Culture, Tourism, Rural Management, Theology (Dharm Vigyan), Spiritual Counseling etc. It also provides courses through distance learning.

Chinmaya Degree College

Situated in Shivalik Nagar, 10 km from Haridwar city. one of the science colleges in Haridwar.

Vishwa Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya

Sanskrit University, Haridwar set up by Govt. of Uttarakhand is the only university in World dedicated to studies of ancient Sanskrit scriptures, books. Also has curriculum covering ancient Hindu rituals, culture and tradition, and boasts of a building inspired by ancient Hindu architecture style.

St. Mary's Senior Secondary School

St. Mary's School, located in Jwalapur, encourages students continually to strive after excellence in every field and instills in them a keen civic and social sense.

Delhi Public School, Ranipur

One of the premier educational institutes in the region and part of worldwide Delhi Public School Society. Known for excellent academic achievements and sports and extracurricular activities along with best facilities, labs and environment provided.

D.A.V Centenary Public School

DAV School in Jagjeetpur Area not only provide education but also provide moral to its students, so that each one can light up every corner of the world.

Kendriya Vidyalaya, B.H.E.L.

Kendriya Vidyalaya, B.H.E.L., a premier educational institute in Hardwar, was established on 7 July 1975. Affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, the school has more than 2000 students on roll from pre-primary to senior secondary (class XII).

Pannalal Bhalla Municipal Inter College

One of the Oldest Inter College situated in the heart of the city.

Govt Ayurvedic Collge & Hospital, Gurukul Kanri, HNB Garwal University

It is one of the most oldest medical college (Ayurvedic) in India. It is situated in Gurukul Kangri University Campus. About 50 ayurvedic physicians come out of it each year.

State Ayuevedic College & Hospital Rishikul, Haridwar

It is the oldest Ayurvedic Medical College of India. It is situated near Devpura in haridwar on the banks of Upper Ganaes Canal. It is also providing post graduate education for Ayurveda. soon it will be transformed as first Ayuevedic University of Uttarakhand.

School of Computer Education, B.H.E.L. It is one of the premier institutes located in BHEL premises. Commonly known as SCE or HRDC. It conduct DOEACC accredited 'O' Level and 'A' Level Courses. DOEACC continuously grading it as best DOEACC institute in Uttrakhand.

Shivedale School, Jagjeetpur. It is a CBSE affiliated school , run by Shri Swami Sharad Puri , it has acclaimed impressive reputation and is One of the most prominent and successful Institutions around Haridwar.

Gayatri Vidyapeeth: Its a CBSE affiliated school, situated in the campus of Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, run by Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj Haridwar (headquarters of All World Gayatri Pariwar).

Important areas within the city

B.H.E.L., Ranipur Township The campus of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) is spread across an area of 12 km². The main factory consists of two divisions: The Heavy Electricals Equipment Plant (HEEP), and The Central Foundry Forge Plant (CFFP). Together they employ over 8000 skilled employees. Divided into six sectors providing excellent residential, schooling and medical facilities.

Bahadrabad - 7 km. It is located on the Haridwar-Delhi National Highway at a distance of 7 km from Haridwar. Close by, in village Pathri, lies the Bhimgoda Barrage built on the Upper Ganges Canal in 1955. It also has block development office under which many developed villages (e.g. Khedli, Kisanpur Rohalki, Atmalpur Bongla, Sitapur, Alipur,salempur etc.) comes.

SIDCUL - 5 km. A massive industrial area, spread over 2034 Acres, developed by State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL), a state government body. With big enterprises like Hindustan Liver Limited, Dabur, Mahindra & Mahindra, Havells, moving in SIDCUL is set to develop into another industrial township within the city. 3 km away from the Delhi-Hardwar National Highway, SIDCUL lies adjacent to the BHEL Township, an important Public Sector township.

Jwalapur An old part of the city, Jwalapur is the financial & industrial capital of the city, and now an important trading and shopping centre for the locals.

Cheela Dam A good picnic spot with a dam and a manmade lake nearby. Elephants and other wild animals could be easily spotted.

Shivalik Nagar One of the newest and biggest residential areas of Haridwar. Is divided into various clusters. Mainly developed as residential colony for BHEL employees but with the advent of SIDCUL, population and financial activity has exploded in the area due to its proximity.

Festivals

right|thumb|Ganga Dashara, at HaridwarBeing a place of intense religious significance, Haridwar also hosts several religious festivals throughout the year; popular among them are the Kavad Mela, Somvati Amavasya Mela, Ganga Dashara, Gughal Mela, in which around 20-25 lacs (2-2.5 million) people take part.

Apart from this, there is the Kumbh Mela which takes place once in every twelve years, when the planet Jupiter (Brihaspati) comes into the sign Aquarius (Kumbha). First written evidence of the Kumbha Mela can be found in the accounts of Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang or Xuanzang (602 - 664 A.D.) who visited India in 629 AD. According to ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'', an outbreak of cholera occurred at the 1892 Mela at Haridwar, which lead to the rapid improvement of mela arrangement by the authorities and the formation of 'Haridwar Improvement Society', and in 1903 about 400,000 people attended the fair. A stampede took place near Har-ki-Pauri, during the Kumbh Mela in 1980s, in which 600 people were killed and scores injured. The 1998 Maha Kumbh Mela saw over 80 million pilgrims visiting this city, to take a dip in the holy river, the Ganges.

Transport

Haridwar is headquarters of Haridwar district and it has good connectivity with the other towns of the district and the state.

Road

National Highway 58, between Delhi and Mana Pass passes through Haridwar connecting it with Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzzafarnagar, Roorkee and Badrinath and National Highway 74 originating from Haridwar connects it with Kashipur, Kichha, Nagina, Pilibhit and Bareilly.

Rail

The Haridwar Railway Station located in Haridwar is under the control of the Northern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It has direct links the major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Indore, Jaipur, Ahmedabad but it lacks direct connectivity to major cities of Central India namely Jabalpur, Bhopal, Gwalior and Nagpur.

Air

The nearest domestic airport is Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun which is a located 35 km from Haridwar. Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi is the nearest International Airport.

Industry

Haridwar is rapidly developing as an important industrial township of Uttarakhand since the state government agency, SIDCUL established in 2002, set up the Integrated Industrial Estate in a district attracting many important industrial houses which are setting up manufacturing facilities in the area.

Haridwar has a thriving industrial area situated at the bypass road, comprising mainly ancillary units to PSU, BHEL, which was established here in 1964 and currently employs over 8000 people.

See also

Haridwar district

Kankhal

Kumbha Mela

Garhwali people

Garhwal

Further reading

''Haridwar - Gangadware Mahatirthe'', Ed. Shalini Saran. Haridwar Development Authority, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, 1992.

''Gateway to the Gods: Haridwar-Rishikesh''. Rupinder Khullar, Reeta Khullar. 2004, UBS Publishers. ISBN 81-7476-460-7.

Hardwar Mela ''From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan (1879–80)'', by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891).

''Report'', by Archaeological Survey of India, Alexander Cunningham. Published by Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, 1871. Chapt 30: Haridwar or Gangadwara, p. 231-236.

Chapter XVII: Himalayas, Hardwar. ''India, Past and Present'', by Charles Harcourt Ainslie Forbes-Lindsay. Published by J.C. Winston, 1903. ''Page 295''.

References

External links

Official website of Haridwar district.

Haridwarcity portal.

Haridwar map

Photos of Haridwar

Category:Hindu holy cities Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites Category:Cities and towns in Haridwar district Category:Tourism in Uttarakhand Category:Shaivism Category:Vaishnavism

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name	Stephen Knapp
birth name	Stephen Knapp
birth date	October 15, 1947
birth place	Worcester, Massachusetts
nationality	American
field	Architectural installation, mixed-media sculpture, photography, and ceramics
training	Hamilton College
movement	Lightpainting
awards	}}

Stephen Knapp (born 1947, Worcester, Massachusetts) is an American artist best known for his use of the medium of lightpainting He has gained an international reputation for large-scale works of art held in museums, public, corporate, and private collections, which are executed in media as diverse as light, kiln-formed glass, metal, stone, mosaic, and ceramic.

Knapp has written and lectured on architectural art glass, the collaborative process, and the integration of art and architecture. His work has appeared in many publications including ''Art and Antiques, Architectural Record, ARTnews, Ceramics Monthly, The Chicago Sun Times, Honoho Geijutsu, Identity, Interior Design, Interiors, The New York Times, Nikkei Architecture, Progressive Architecture, Sculpture (magazine),'' and ''90+10.''

Life and work

Stephen Knapp was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1947, graduated from Worcester Academy in 1965, and received his B.A. from Hamilton College in 1969. For nearly a decade after graduating from college, he worked as a fine art photographer, selling his work to corporate and private collectors in the United States and abroad. During this early stage in his career Knapp worked closely with Polaroid Corporation on their 20x24 camera, creating large scale instant photographs.

Soon enough, though, photography was not enough. Knapp began to look more closely at permanent materials. Various types of ceramic, mosaic, metal, stone, and glass filled his studio as he developed the innovations for which he is known today—combining mediums and processing techniques and working craftsmen, fabricators, and manufacturers from around the world on an increasingly grand scale.

Research took Knapp to Japan in 1985 where he created some of the world’s largest glass-glaze ceramic murals. He had come upon a factory in Japan that made huge photo-ceramic murals, a technique used by Robert Rauschenberg in the early 1980s. Though the photo decal technique seemed tailor made for him, he became fascinated with a thick glass glaze—a crackle glaze—that had been developed for architecture. Changing surfaces to reflect the light was to become a major influence on later work.

The following year he used photo-transfer techniques to define the images to be etched and anodized in aluminum, creating one of the world’s largest etched-metal murals—a 14’ x 72’ piece for the Hamilton County Justice Complex in Cincinnati.

A pattern was now forming—Knapp used the research for one project to enhance the next. When it came time to create two large etched stainless-steel murals for McDonnell Douglas’s Douglas Center in California, he developed a new technique of mixing paints to change the look of the surface depending on the angle of light. The kinetic force of these murals lent a palpable energy to the work. A closer look at the murals reveals his interest in creating illusions of space, which he would later explore in his lightpaintings.

During the 1990s, his increasing fascination with light led Knapp to kiln-formed glass—the heating of glass to take on the shape of a form below, resulting over the decade in large installations across the United States. An acknowledged expert in his field, he frequently wrote and lectured on architectural art glass, the collaborative process, and the integration of art and architecture. In 1998 he authored ''The Art of Glass'' for Rockport Publishers.

Also during the 1990s he started spending more time on personal work, creating sculpture as well as furniture from kiln formed glass and steel and hanging pieces of dichroic glass and stainless steel.

thumb|left|200px|''Done for the Night'', 2008, light, glass, stainless steel, 13' x 12' x 10'.

In 2002, after nearly a decade of development, Knapp introduced his lightpaintings. No longer hanging glass and steel structures, in these new works the glass was attached to walls with a single light fixture illuminating the entire piece. The light that passed through the various pieces of glass was no longer an effect in space, as it was in the sculptural lightpaintings, but was now simultaneously collected and dispersed on the wall.

In a series of solo shows in 2004 and 2005 Knapp experimented with new coatings and laminating techniques that took him beyond dichroics and increased the range of his palette and gave him greater control in painting with light.

In 2005, he received his first museum commission from the Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, Michigan. ''Temporal Meditations,'' a 9’x 30’ installation, became the first lightpainting in a museum collection.

In 2006, Knapp’s first major exterior lightpainting, ''Luminous Affirmations,'' a permanent 60’x 100’ exterior installation, was installed on the north face of Tampa, Florida’s City Hall as part of their "Lights on Tampa” program. Large-scale commissions followed throughout 2006, including his ''Seven Muses,'' a 35’x 95’ commission for The Charles W. Eisemann Center, in Richardson, Texas, and ''First Symphony,'' for the Sursa Performance Hall at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

thumb|300px|Installation view at night of ''First Symphony,'' 2006, at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

In early 2007, "Stephen Knapp: Lightpaintings" opened at the Alden B. Dow Museum in Midland, Michigan, before traveling to the Butler Institute of American Art, in Youngstown, Ohio, followed in 2008 by the Dennos Museum Center, in Traverse City, Michigan, and the South Dakota Museum of Art, and in 2009, by the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. The exhibit firmly placed lightpaintings at the intersection between painting and sculpture. 2009 saw a commissioned installations and a solo lightpainting exhibit at the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia,

Throughout Knapp's career there have constants—a continuous research into materials, a commitment to the techniques and processes involved in enlarging his designs, and an exploration of the historical, cultural, and technical precedents which are the basis for both his personal and commissioned pieces, and, above all, light.

References

External links

Stephen Knapp website

Lightpaintings website

Exhibits Development Group website

Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:American artists Category:People from Worcester, Massachusetts

name	Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart
full name	Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart
titles	The Lady Louisa MariaThe Princess Louisa Maria TeresaThe Princess Royal
royal house	House of Stuart
father	James II and VII
mother	Mary of Modena
birth date	June 28, 1692
birth place	Château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
death date	April 18, 1712
death place	Chateau of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
place of burial	Church of the English Benedictines, Paris

Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart (28 June 1692 – 18 April 1712), known to Jacobites as The Princess Royal, was the last child of James II and VII (1633–1701), the deposed king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of his queen, Mary of Modena. In English, she was called Louisa Maria and Louise Marie in French.

A Royal Stuart Society paper calls Louisa Maria the Princess over the Water, an allusion to the informal title King over the Water of the Jacobite pretenders, none of whom had any other legitimate daughters.

Birth

Louisa Maria was born in 1692, at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, during her parents' exile. Due to the huge controversy which had surrounded the birth of her brother, James Francis Edward, with accusations of the substitution of another baby in a warming pan following a still-birth, James II had sent letters inviting not only his daughter, Queen Mary II, to attend the birth in person, but also a large number of other Protestant ladies. Of all her siblings and half-siblings, only her brother James Francis Edward and her half-sisters, Queen Mary II and Queen Anne, survived infancy. Mary died while Louisa Maria was still a small child, but she was on friendly terms with her half-sister Anne.

The Whig historian Macaulay later commented on James's precaution:

The new-born princess was given the names Louisa and Maria in baptism, while Teresa (sometimes spelt Theresa) was added later, at the time of her confirmation. She was given the name Louisa in honour of King Louis XIV, who acted as her godfather. Her godmother was King Louis's sister-in-law, Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine, Duchess of Orléans.

After the birth, James II declared that Louisa Maria had been sent by God as a consolation for her parents at the time of their distress, and in later years she was often referred to as ''La Consolatrice''.

Life

Louisa was the only full sibling of Prince James Francis Edward, the 'Old Pretender', to survive infancy, and was four years younger than her brother. The two were brought up together in France.

Louisa's tutor was an English Roman Catholic priest, Father Constable, who taught her Latin, history, and religion. She also had a governess, the Countess of Middleton, wife of the Jacobite peer Charles, 2nd Earl of Middleton. James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth, another Jacobite peer living in France, praised the child's natural affability.

An allegorical portrait by Alexis Simon Belle of James Francis Edward and his sister Louisa Maria, showing the prince as a guardian angel leading his sister under the gaze of cherubim, was painted in 1699 and is now in the Royal Collection.

By the summer of 1701, King James was seriously ill, and had been away from Saint Germain seeking medical treatment, accompanied by his wife. However, in June the two returned home for the birthdays of their two children, and two months later James suffered a stroke, dying just two weeks later on 16 September. He was still able to talk when his children visited him for the last time, and to Louisa Maria he said:

Soon after James's death, Louis XIV proclaimed James Francis Edward as king of England, Scotland and Ireland, and he was also formally recognised as king by Spain, the Papal States and Modena. He and his sister Louisa Maria were transferred to Passy, into the care of Antoine Nompar de Caumont and his wife, with Lady Middleton continuing as Louisa Maria's governess there.

In 1705, at the age of thirteen, Louisa Maria was a guest of honour at a ball at the Château de Marly, ranking only after Louis XIV himself, her own mother Queen Mary, and her brother James Francis Edward, considered by Louis to be another King.

On 23 March 1708, after a delay caused by the measles, the young James attempted a landing on Scottish soil, at the Firth of Forth, supported by a fleet of French ships. However, the force was driven off by a Royal Navy fleet led by Admiral Byng.

Louisa Maria enjoyed dancing and the opera, and became popular at the French court. Two possible matches for her were considered, with Louis XIV's grandson Charles, Duke of Berry (1686–1714), and with King Charles XII of Sweden (1682–1718). Neither took place, the first apparently due to Louisa Maria's equivocal position, and the second because the young King of Sweden was not a Roman Catholic.

Louisa felt keenly that Jacobites in exile had made huge sacrifices for her family, and she herself paid for the daughters of many of them to be educated. In this, she made no distinction between Roman Catholics and Protestants, supporting the daughters of both.

Death

In April 1712, both James Francis Edward and his sister fell sick with smallpox. While the Old Pretender recovered, Louisa Maria died on 18 April (8 April, Old Style) and was buried with her father at the Church of the English Benedictines in Paris.

A French nobleman wrote of the death of the Princess to a friend at Utrecht:

William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth, wrote of the Princess's death:

Madame de Maintenon, the morganatic second wife of Louis XIV, wrote of Mary of Modena's reaction to Louisa Maria's death:

In his ''The History of the Church of Scotland'' (1845), Thomas Stephen says of the death:

Like many other churches in Paris, the Church of the English Benedictines was desecrated and vandalised during the French Revolution. According to Jules Janin, writing in 1844, the remains of Princess Louisa Maria and her father King James II were then resting in the military hospital of the Val-de-Grâce.

Portraits

Several portraits of Louisa Maria survive. Among those of Louisa Maria alone, one is by François de Troy, ca. 1705, while another, painted about 1704, is attributed to Alexis Simon Belle and is in the National Portrait Gallery, London. Also in the National Portrait Gallery is a portrait painted in 1695 by Nicolas de Largillière of Louisa Maria with her brother James Francis Edward. This was engraved as a mezzotint by John Smith and published in 1699. Another portrait of Louisa Maria with her brother, depicting him as an angel, is in the Royal Collection and is again attributed to Belle. A portrait with a cavalier King Charles spaniel was engraved as a mezzotint by Bernard Lens II and published c. 1700.

In fiction

Princess Louisa appears at the age of twelve in Eliza Haywood's picaresque novel ''The Fortunate Foundlings'' (1744). Haywood says of Louisa:

Namesakes

The names Louisa Maria Teresa (in French, ''Louise-Marie-Thérèse'') were later used for Luisa Maria Teresa of Parma (1751–1819), Queen consort of Charles IV of Spain, for Louise Marie Thérèse of France, the eldest daughter of Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, born 1819, and for Louise Marie Thérèse Charlotte Isabelle of Orléans, daughter of King Louis-Philippe of France and the Queen of King Leopold I of Belgium.

Ancestry

{{ahnentafel-compact5 |style=font-size: 90%; line-height: 110%; |border=1 |boxstyle=padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; |boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc; |boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9; |boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc; |boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc; |boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe; |1= Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart |2= James II of England (1633–1701) |3= 3. Mary of Modena (1658–1718) |4= Charles I of England (1600–1649) |5= Henrietta Maria of France (1609–1669) |6= Alfonso IV d'Este (1634–1662) |7= Laura Martinozzi (1639–1687) |8= James I of England, VI of Scots (1566–1625) |9= Anne of Denmark (1574–1619) |10= Henry IV of France (1553–1610) |11= Marie de' Medici (1573–1642) |12= Francesco I d'Este (1610–1658) |13= Maria Caterina Farnese (1615-1646) |14= Girolamo Martinozzi (born 1610, married 1634) |15= Laura Margherita Mazzarini |16= Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1545–1567) |17= Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587) |18= Frederick II of Denmark (1534–1588) |19= Sophie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1557–1631) |20= Antoine of Navarre (1518-1562) |21= Jeanne III of Navarre (1528-1572) |22= Francesco I de' Medici (1541-1587) |23= Johanna of Austria (1547-1578) |24= Alfonso III d'Este (1591-1644) |25= Isabella of Savoy (1591-1626) |26= Ranuccio I Farnese, Duke of Parma (1569-1622) |27= Margherita Aldobrandini (1588–1646) |28= Vincenzo Martinozzi (1559-1608) |29= Margherita Marcolini |30= Pietro Mazzarini |31= Ortensia Buffalini (born c. 1584), of a noble family of Città di Castello }}

;Sources:

Ancestors of Louisa Maria Theresa, Princess of England, Scotland and Ireland at worldroots.com

Addington, A. C., ''The Royal House of Stuart'' (London, 1969, third edition 1976)

See also

Jacobitism

Act of Settlement 1701

Correspondence with James the Pretender (High Treason) Act 1701

Monument to the Royal Stuarts

Bibliography

''A true and full account of the death and character of the Princess-Royal, Louisa-Maria-Teresa Stuart, daughter of the late King James. Who was born in the year 1692, at St Germains, and died of the small-pox the 18th of April 1712... In a letter from a noble-man of France, to his correspondent at Vtrecht'' broadside, 2 s., 1712 Cole, Susan, ''Princess over the Water: A Memoir of Louise Marie Stuart (1692–1712)'' (The Royal Stuart Society papers, Paper XVIII)

References

External links

Portraits of Princess Louisa Maria Theresa Stuart at the web site of the National Portrait Gallery

Louisa Maria Theresa Stuart at thepeerage.com

Category:1712 deaths Category:1692 births Louisa Maria Category:Deaths from smallpox Category:Burials at the Church of the Val de Grâce, Paris Louisa Maria Louisa Maria Category:Jacobite pretenders Category:Infectious disease deaths in France

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