Chandi Devi Temple

On the far bank

Chandi Devi's temple sits on Neel Parvat, the hill on the east bank of the Ganga, facing the town. It is one of the Panch Tirth of Haridwar and is counted as a Siddh Peetha, a place where prayers are believed to be answered. The goddess here is Chandi, the fierce form of Durga who killed the demons Chanda and Munda. The present temple was built in 1929 by Suchat Singh, a king of Kashmir. Its main image is traditionally said to have been installed by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century.

Getting up

The Udan Khatola cable car, run by Usha Breco, starts from a lower station near the Gauri Shankar temple on the Najibabad road, a few kilometres from Har Ki Pauri across the river. The line is about 740 m long. It usually runs from around 7 am, later than the Mansa Devi car, until early evening. Like the other ropeway, it stops for storms, strong wind and maintenance. A combined ticket covers both hills.

The alternative is a trek of about 3 km from Chandighat, mostly on steps through forest. Allow an hour or more up. It is hot work in summer and slippery in the rain.

At the top

The view looks back across the river to the town and the Mansa Devi hill. Near the main shrine is a small temple to Anjani, the mother of Hanuman. Queues build on weekends and in the Navratris. Photos of the idol are usually not allowed. Monkeys are common, so keep bags closed.

Planning

Most people come here straight after Mansa Devi. Because the Chandi Devi car opens later, doing Mansa Devi first fills the gap. An auto or taxi from the Mansa Devi base to the Chandi Devi lower station takes about 15 to 20 minutes, longer in traffic.