HARIDWAR

also spelled Hardwar, city, northwestern Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. Haridwar lies along the Ganges River, at the boundary between the Indo-Gangetic Plain (south) and the Himalayan foothills (north). It is the site of the headworks of the Ganges Canal system. Haridwar is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus and a major pilgrimage centre. It has been known by many names; originally it was called Kapila, for the sage who once lived there. Its present name means door to Hari, one of the names of Vishnu, a principal deity of Hinduism. Haridwar's chief object of pilgrimage is the bathing ghat, or steps, along the river called Har-ki-pauri, which has what believers consider to be a footprint of Vishnu impressed into a stone. Large numbers of pilgrims gather there annually at the beginning of the Hindu solar year in April; a Kumbh Mela (q.v.) is held every 12th year. The Daksheshwar (Siva) temple, another important pilgrimage site, lies 2 miles (3 km) downstream at Kankhal. Pop. (1981) city, 114,180; metropolitan area, 145,946; (1991) city, 147,305; metropolitan area, 187,392.