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Ganga Dussehra in Haridwar
Ghats full before first light, for the day the river came down from heaven
On Ganga Dussehra, the day the river is held to have come down to earth, Haridwar's ghats fill from before dawn and the evening aarti at Har ki Pauri is the biggest of the year.
Where to watch
Har ki Pauri and Brahma Kund: the main ghat and its sacred bathing pool, where the Shri Ganga Sabha performs the evening Ganga aarti. Bathe only within the chained sections: the current here is strong.
The other ghats: on the main day the bathing spreads along the whole riverfront, and the ghats a few minutes downstream of Har ki Pauri are calmer.
Getting there: on foot. On the main day traffic jams reach back into the city and onto the highway, so stay within walking distance, or come by train to Haridwar Junction and walk from there.
Free viewing
- The evening Ganga aarti at Har ki Pauri, from the ghat steps or from the island opposite with the clock tower; on the main day take your place at least an hour early
- The dawn bathing along the ghats
- The footbridges at Har ki Pauri, for a view over the whole crowd
Programme
Days 1–9
Bathing at the ghats builds day by day; pilgrims arrive from across north India
Har ki Pauri and the Haridwar ghats
Day 10 (Dashami)
The day the Ganga is held to have come down to earth. One of the heaviest bathing days of the year, offerings of ten flowers, ten lamps and ten fruits, and an especially large Ganga aarti at Har ki Pauri in the evening.
Har ki Pauri, Haridwar