Gangadvara

Gangadvara, the gateway of the Ganges, is an ancient name associated with Haridwar at the foot of the Shivalik hills. Here the sacred river emerges from the mountains onto the plain. Pilgrims gather to bathe at its ghats, and family priests keep genealogical records that visitors update when they return. Tradition also remembers a visit by Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru.

Timur's army took the town in 1399. Under the Mughals it became both a place of pilgrimage and the site of a mint striking copper coins. Akbar prized the water of the Ganges, and attendants sent it from Haridwar in sealed jars wherever the emperor travelled. The Ain-i Akbari describes the great gatherings of worshippers at the river, while the town continued to serve as a gateway to the shrines of the Himalayas.