Mansa Devi Temple, Haridwar

Haridwar has long been one of the holiest cities of India, the place where the Ganga leaves the mountains for the plains. Tradition counts five tirthas within it, the Panch Tirth: Gangadwara (Har Ki Pauri), Kushavarta, Kankhal, Bilwa Tirth and Neel Parvat. Bilwa Tirth is the hill of Bilwa Parvat, named after the bilva (bael) trees sacred to Shiva, on whose summit Mansa Devi's temple now stands.

The early history of the shrine is not documented. Its infobox on Wikipedia lists the builder as 'unknown', and local tradition speaks of a cow that climbed the hill every morning to pour her milk on three sacred stones, which were then recognised as a seat of the goddess. Some accounts credit Maharaja Gopal Singh of Manimajra with building the temple between 1811 and 1815, but that date and patron belong to the better-known Mansa Devi temple at Panchkula in Haryana, and there is no reliable evidence that they apply to Haridwar.

Mansa Devi forms a triangle of Siddh Peeths with the Chandi Devi temple on Neel Parvat across the Ganga and the Maya Devi temple in the town below. These are shrines where devotees believe prayers are answered, and pilgrims to Haridwar, especially during the Kumbh and Ardh Kumbh melas and the Kanwar season, traditionally climb to both hilltop temples.

To cope with the crowds, a ropeway, the Mansa Devi Udan Khatola, was built from the foot of the hill near Upper Road directly to the temple. It is about 540 metres long and rises about 178 metres, and a similar ropeway serves Chandi Devi. A footpath and stairway through the forest remain in use by many pilgrims.

The temple's popularity has brought heavy crowds on festival days. On 27 July 2025, during the month of Shravan, a stampede broke out on the stairway route to the temple after rumours of an electric current, and at least six pilgrims died. A magisterial inquiry was ordered, and crowd management on the approach routes has since been reviewed.

The temple is a modest hilltop shrine on the summit of Bilwa Parvat, with a sanctum, a covered courtyard for devotees and a row of smaller shrines. It is not known for elaborate carving; its setting is its glory, with views across Haridwar, the Ganga canal at Har Ki Pauri and, on clear days, the plains stretching south.

The sanctum houses the two images of the goddess, the eight-armed and the three-headed, five-armed forms, richly dressed and garlanded. The sacred tree on which devotees tie their wish threads stands within the complex, its branches thick with red and yellow mauli.

The complex is reached by two routes: the stepped footpath that winds up through the forest from near Har Ki Pauri and the Upper Road, and the Udan Khatola ropeway, whose upper station opens close to the temple. Shops selling prasad, chunari and offerings line both approaches.