Discovering spirituality in Haridwar

March 19, 2020

Discovering spirituality in Haridwar

Allen Ginsberg, one of the most iconic beat poets, thinkers, and philosophers of America happens to my idol. Although calling him my idol can be of a brief debilitation, I think I mostly idolize him canonizing spirituality. I keep revisiting his poems from time to time – his works have helped me find the right trajectory to launch myself into some inner peace. The rawness of this world can be overwhelming – that too when reinforced with social media intervention, I do feel that there’s a spiritual bankruptcy, a rupture of sorts which I can’t heal. It’s one of those itches that you can reach and since I have been itching to find some comfort, I looked towards Haridwar. Although I don’t necessarily align myself with the religious sentiments, I do associate myself with the spiritual aspects of this place.

Peace and Charms of Haridwar

Haridwar carries its peace and charm like a shawl. It offers you with the kind of gaze that helps you gaze penetratingly into your soul. Although it offers pilgrimage, some things can be re-read and that’s what made me travel there. From trekking to taking a dip, and meditating inside peaceful ashrams, Haridwar packs a spiritual punch. I could’ve booked a cab from Delhi to Haridwar, but I realized that travelling by plane would be faster since I wanted to reach there soon.

The Digital Detox that I needed

Digital Detox is an arduous process – one that helps you start over and reset the focus. But, I needed to be more specific, so, I quickly called up my friend who had visited Haridwar recently. He gave me a rough overview of the things that I needed to do. So, I booked a convenient Dehradun airport to Haridwar taxi and made a rough itinerary of the activities I was about to do.

A spiritual dip in the holy waters
Visiting the various temples
Experiencing Meditation and Yoga
Self Healing through Ayurvedic Treatments
A bit of wildlife safari

Spiritual Dipping

Brahma Kund is saturated with a footfall that I can’t keep up with. But according to my mother, it would be a cardinal sin to not take a dip. So, even if I usually bank on my defiance to spite my parents, I did take a dip in the cold waters of Ganga. The early morning bath didn’t just shock my entire system, It gave me clarity. Although, this was not one of the things I would have ideally done – I am here for the experience, might as well take a leap of faith while at it.

Temple Hopping

Temple Hopping has a very consolidated meaning for folks coming from Kolkata. This is similar but less commercialized and more spiritual. I visited the Maya Devi, Daksheshwara Mahadev, Chandi Devi, Mansa Devi, and the Vaishno temple. I could have visited a few more, but my physicality restricted my packed up enthusiasm. So, I called it a day. These temples harbour a charm of its own, it provided me with the safe haven I needed to feel less lost and more focused. If this is the growth I was looking for, I was living it.

Meditating

Yoga and Meditation might have been hijacked by the white culture, the vultures could barely emulate the true essence of it. And, Hardiwar is at the seat of yoga – and I had to make use of it. For a person, who shares the attention span of a five-year-old, I knew this could be of major help. My friend had hooked me up with an ashram, one where he had visited. I followed the address and ended up at the Saptrishi ashram. It usually stays full but thankfully I could manage a spot – credits to my friend. I meditated as long as I could and that was astonishingly longer than I had expected.

Self-healing

Self Healing is a process, one that requires dedication and discipline. Haridwar being geopolitically hardwired to be one of the best places for ayurvedic treatments, I had to indulge myself in the cathartic methods of healing. I visited the Patanjali Ashram which is one of the most popular clinics in the city. It had to be one of the most intense experiences in my entire life. Coming from a full-time existentialist, this is the biggest compliment I could come with.

Wildlife Safari

I wanted to stay as close to nature I possibly could during my stay here. So, I visited the Rajaji National Park. This place is just 10km away from Haridwar but definitely worth the extra travel. This is where I could realize the intersectionality of spiritualism. It truly bowled me out.