PHOTO Haridwa: http://picasaweb.google.com/udhaya.v/HaridwarUttarakhandIndia2223JAN11

PHOTO Rishikesh: http://picasaweb.google.com/udhaya.v/RishikeshUttarakhandIndia

RIDE DURATION/DATE: 2 Days, 22 & 23–Jan-2011

RIDER : Udhaya Kumar.V in Royal Enfield TB

ROAD MAP: Delhi/Noida –NH58-> Meerut (Bypass) -> Muzaffarnagar(Uttarpradesh) -> Roorkee(Uttarakhand)-> Haridwar -> Rishikesh (232km)

1.First 120 km from Delhi will be 4 lane road and good.

2.Next 80km will be single good and bad road. Single road will be good from Uttrakand.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212617784975580892963.00049ad222fccc2c7e434&ll=29.348664,77.772217&spn=1.661404,2.334595&z=8&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

DISTANCE: 550 Km Round trip (Noida to Rishikesh will be 232km)

BY TRAIN: Delhi to Haridwar Junction through “Dehradun Shatabdi Express/2017 – 12017 “

EXPENSE: Rs.2,639 (Food, Stay, etc – Rs.1489 + Petrol – Rs.1150)

WHERE TO STAY:

Haridwar – Near to Har Ki Pauri (at Ganga) – you can find plenty of hotels & rate will start from Rs.300 (Yes I found one for Rs.300). Other wise you can find it in Haridwar town itself. But its better you can stay near th Har Ki Pauri, So that you can spend your night near Ganga. There is plenty of good market for shopping and food.

Rishikesh – You can find several Ashram to stay, yes off course you can find hotel also near to Lakshman Jhula. But Rishikesh famous for White Water Rafting in Ganga river. There is several travel agencies will provide the package for stay & rafting. If you want you can find one and stay near to Ganga itself. Some people visit to ganga to learn yoga, if your interested you can find the ashram which is located near to ganga for stay also. Its again package.

PLACE TO SEE:

Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India.

1.Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar

2.Mansa Devi Mandir

3.Chandi Devi Mandir

4.Bharat Mata Mandir
5.Shri Vyasa Ashram

6.Rajaji National Park

Please go with more 10 rs. Most the temple you have to give.

Other places of interest at Haridwar, This is not famous places & mostly small temples. I am not visited to this places – Maya Devi Mandir, Daksh mandir, Bilkeshwar Mahadev Mandir , Kanva Rishio Ashram, Bhooma Niketan, Vaishnav Devi Temple, Doodhadhari Temple, Shahi Gurudwara, Jairam Ashram

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

1.Triveni Ghat

2.Bharat Mandir

3.Ram Jhula

4.Swarg Ashram

5.Lakshman Jhula

6.Trayambakeshwar Temple

7.Neelkanth Madhadev Mela

TO DO at RISHIKESH: White Water Rafting, speed boat, Trekking & Yoga will be very famous in this place

REFERENCE:

RISHKIESH: http://wikitravel.org/en/Rishikesh

HARIDWAR: http://wikitravel.org/en/Haridwar

RIDE LOG:

22JAN2011 07:00 AM: This is my long pending ride from noida. I did my last ride to mussoorie & dehradun in the same route. Haridwar and Rishikesh is very near to mussoorie & dehradun. Yes offcourse we can go for long ride to cover all this place, again its base day availability in my plate. Any way finally started riding to Haridwar, Plan to start my ride from 6.00 am & cold changing my starting time always.

22JAN2011 09:15 AM: stopped for breakfast, still 80km needs to go. We have very good road for first 120km from delhi/noida. its absolutely four lane road. After 80 km will be single road. this 80km road wont be good, but if you enter into uttrakand, we can have very good single road. when state change, your road status also will change J (you can see more local traffic in UP road). But I am seeing uttrakand state well maintained in all the sense.

22JAN2011 12:15 PM: I reached Rishikesh and decided to not stuck with any hotel now. Just roaming in this place. I went to LAKSHMAN JHULA and crossing the bridge to see TRAYAMBAKESHWAR TEMPLE(13 stories high, combination of temples and sops). There is  speed boat activity also in this place. You can find more hotels and ashram to stay in this place also. Its not much crowded.

Lakshman Jhula, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

22JAN2011 12:15 PM: I keep riding to see NEELKANTH MADHADEV MELA TEMPLE, its 22 km from this place. All we need to follow the Ganga to reach this shiva temple on the mountain. This temple may not be big and great. But we can have very good ganga view on this way to reach this temple. There is plenty of Water Rafting activity and yoga center on the way. Don’t miss it to ride in this way. After spending some time, I am riding back. This will be the last point on this track.

22JAN2011 04:15 PM: I am riding back and reached RAM JHULA, its one more bridge on ganga(same as Lakshman Jhula) river. You can find several ashram in this place, one of the famous ashram will be “Swarg Ashram”. Its beautiful ganga view you can see with more small temples.

Ram Jhula, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

22JAN2011 04:15 PM: I am riding back and reached Triveni Ghat & one the way I stoped at Bharat Mandir. Its very small temple within the town and near to ganga river (Nothing worth to visit). I reached Triveni Ghat, its one of the famous place in Rishkesh. Daily in the morning and evening there are thousands who take bath here and enjoy the Maha Aarti being performed. It very soothing to sit on the banks of the river and enjoy the cool breeze from the river.

BETTER RIDE PLAN FOR SIGT SEEINGS: Order to visit – Triveni Ghat -> Bharat Mandir -> Ram Jhula/Swarg Ashram -> Lakshman Jhula / Trayambakeshwar Temple -> Neelkanth Madhadev Mela. You can start from first place keep moving (or) you can go to last Neelkanth Madhadev Mela and riding back.

Triveni Ghat, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

22JAN2011 05:30 PM: I planned to reach Haridwar at see “haridwar aarti”. This is one of the most important and famous activity in haridwar. This is daily program happened at 6.00 PM in winter, 7.00 PM at summer. I took 30mins and reached to Hari-ki-Pairi, Haridwar.

22JAN2011 06:00 PM: I reached Hari-ki-Pairi, Haridwar on time. I can see already thousands of people came to gather for this program. We have some security check near to temple to reach this place. Its one of the wonderful event to see this place and filled by more lights, sound, etc. Don’t miss it.

HARI-KI-PAIRI (OR HAR-KI-PAURI): To the north of the center, this is Haridwar’s focal point, where devotees gather to bathe and worship on the Ganges. According to legend, this is where a drop of nectar fell from the churning of the oceans when the world was created, and a stone wall has Vishnu’s footprint. Each evening 6.00 in winter, 7.00pn in summer thousands gather and worship the river Goddess by putting diyas (floating lamps) in the river. You may be asked to make a donation if you linger near the ghats.

Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar

22JAN2011 08:00 PM: I planned to stay very near to HARI-KI-PAIRI & found one hotel for rs.300. You can find more hotels near to ganga. You can stay near to HAR-KI-PAURI & spend your night near ganga. There is very good market in this place and plenty of good hotels to take food. There is long place to walk at night with ganga, you can see people day and night in this place. This is more active and center part of Haridwar. Don’t miss this place.

Ganga at Night - Har Ki Pauri, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

23JAN2011 08:00 PM: I started riding to MANSA DEVI MANDIR, this small temple constructed on the mountain. Mansa Devi Mandir and Chandi Devi Mandir temple located on two mountains. HARI-KI-PAIRI located between this two mountain/temple only. From this two temple ,we can have very good view of complete Haridwar.

MANSA DEVI MANDIR will reached by trucking (or) cable car (or) Bike (car not allowed), its very small road & only bike allowed. Good !! I just went in my bike to this temple. I spend some time, its very small temple and have very good Haridwar view from this place.

After i reached CHANDI DEVI MANDIR through my bike. Only bike allowed in this small trucking road.  This is again very small temple located on the mountain, only attracted thing will be haridwar view from this place.

Haridwar View from Mansa Devi Mandir

23JAN2011 12:00 PM: I reached BHARAT MATA MANDIR, 5 km north of the center. Dedicated to Mother India, this is half temple, half nation building exercise, with seven floors stacked with deities, saints, and secular heroes of all Indian faiths. Some signage in English. On they way I seen SHRI VYASA ASHRAM near to ganga.

Haridwar view from Chandi Devi Mandir

23JAN2011 02:30 PM: One of the important place at hardiwar will be RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK. This is very near from Chandi Devi Mandir. We can have only jeep safari to see this national park & currently they stoped elephant safari. Its more the cost for the jeep, you can get one jeep for Rs.1500. I share with some body else and paid Rs.500. It took 3 hrs to cover this complete park in jeep. This park contain Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Leopard etc. But i seen only Deer, nothing much.

RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK: Uttrakand government maintaining this park in very very good manner. There is plenty of policy man with gun who is in for security purpose ouside and inside the partk. They have it proper safari roads and main tain as plastic free area. Government really protecting this park with care. Should appreciate uttrakand government.

Rajaji National Park, Haridwar

23JAN2011 06:00 PM: I started riding to noida/delhi. Initially I thought to avoid this night ride, but not. Its bad to ride in this single road with more traffic at night.

23JAN2011 10:45 PM: Good Reached house at Noida. It was wonderful ride and nice places to see.

Udhaya Kumar.V

udhaya@udhaya.com

www.udhaya.com