Maya Devi Temple

Haridwar was Mayapuri before it was Haridwar, named for the goddess of this eleventh-century temple a few minutes from Har Ki Pauri. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peeths (the heart and navel of Sati are held to have fallen here) and one of the city's three Siddh Peeths, and it is among the very few genuinely old temples in Haridwar still standing intact. Darshan, the sight of the deity, is short and concentrated here: a three-headed, four-armed idol, a press of people behind you, and back out to the lane. Free entry, shoes off.

The temple the city was named after, and thousands walk past its door on the way to the water