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Photo: Subhajit Saha, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
While walking around the park you can spot elephants, leopards and deer. The bird life is prolific here and there is a large elephant population. The 5-hour tour costs around ₹1,800 per person, which can be done mid-afternoon or early morning. It is spread over the foothills of the Himalayas and Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri.
Rajaji National Park is a national park and tiger reserve in the Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal districts of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It encompasses an area of 820 km2 (320 sq mi) in the Sivalik Hills. In 1983, three wildlife sanctuaries in the area, namely Chilla, Motichur and Rajaji, were merged into one.
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सुरेश्वरी देवी मंदिर Sureśvarī Devī Mandir
Located outside of Haridwar and within the Rajaji National Park, this serene and religious site is a place to see. Permission to enter this site is required from forest rangers.
भारत माता मंदिर Bhārat Mātā Mandir
Dedicated to Mother India, it 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.
मनसा देवी मंदिर Mansa Devī Mandir
At top of hill near the centre of town. Can be reached by cable car (₹48 for a return ticket) or by a road that gently winds uphill (about 2 km), starting from Railway Rd. The temple is aesthetically not particularly noteworthy, but the views are grand. Expect to queue to board the cable car and once more to enter the temple: despite some rudimentary attempts at crowd control, the crowds of jostling devotees can make this a pretty intense experience.
माया देवी मंदिर Māyā Devī Mandir
Located on upper road. This temple is one of the 51 Shakti Pithas and it's the presiding deity of Haridwar. It is from this temple Haridwar derives its other name Mayapur.
हर की पौड़ी Har Kī Pauṛī
To the north of the centre, 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 around 7PM (5:45PM in winter) 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. Beware of con artists posing as officials. If you would like to make a donation there are boxes at the centre of the ghats around the light poles.
Daksha Mahadev Mandir
Daksheswar Mahadev or Daksha Mahadev temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, located in the Kankhal. This temple is linked with the story of Mata Sati, Lord Shiva & Daksha Prajapati.