Haridwar

Haridwar is a town visited by Shri Nathji and Babaji Maharaj. The Divine Ashes of Maha Mataeshwari were were also brought from England and immersed at the Ganges at Haridwar. While Babaji Maharaj  was at Haridwar, all of a sudden he fell very ill, which was a prolonged Illness. The illness took such a serious turn that for a while it appeared as if there was no hope of his recovery. Shri Babaji Maharaj had become so ill that he could not even get up from his bed. His body had become ravaged by uncontrolled dysentery and he was reduced to a skeleton. Fortunately his cousin was with him during this critical period, and she looked after Shri Babaji Maharaj with great love and devotion. But Shri Babaji Maharaj was not concerned about the illness at all. He appeared to be observing the scene of his illness as if it were a dream which he was beholding. Or else he thought of it as something that had come to him from his Eternal Friend and thus grew to love it. However, what was remarkable during this period of illness was the absolute indifference of Shri Babaji Maharaj to his body, as if the body did not exist for him. The combat of Shri Babaji Maharaj with the illness was like the struggle of someone powerful against a non-entity.

Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city in Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganges, after flowing for 253 kilometres (157 mi) 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.

For all the pilgrims that come, an ancient custom detailed family genealogies of Hindu families for the past several generations are kept by professional Hindu Brahmin Pandits at Haridwar, as in some other places of pilgrimage like Rameshwaram and Puri., 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, in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In several cases present day decedents are now Sikhs and many maybe Muslims or even Christians. It is common 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.

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 here, is an enchanting experience for any visitor. There is a very old photograph of Ganga Ghat at Haridwar and also a latest photograph and a photo of the Aarti of the Ganges which takes places every day. An arial photograph of Hariswar is also there.