Etymology
The name of the town has two spellings: Haridwar and Hardwar. Both of these names have their own matter.
In Sanskrit, Hari means "Lord Vishnu" and dwar means "gate" or "gateway". So, Haridwar stands for "Gateway to Lord Vishnu". In order to reach Badrinath, one of the four Char Dhams, (namely Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, and Rameshwaram) with, a temple of Lord Vishnu, Haridwar is a typical place to start a pilgrim's journey. Therefore, the name Haridwar.
In Sanskrit, Har means "Lord Shiva". Hence, Hardwar stands for "Gateway to Lord Shiva". in order to reach Kedarnath, one of the Chota Char Dhams with a temple of Lord Shiva, Haridwar is a typical place to start a pilgrim's journey.
Haridwar is also known as the home of Devi Sati and the palace of her father Daksha. In ancient times, the town was referred to as Gangadwára (गंगाद्वार), the place where the Ganges descends to the plains.
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