The Kanakhala is one small colony situated at Haridwar in the same district of Uttarakhand. It has been mentioned in the Mahabharata and Vayu Purana as Kanakhala. It is also one of the five pilgrimages or “panch tirth†within Haridwar along with the other four pilgrimages. It is popularly recognized for the Maa Anandamoyi Ashram, Daksheswara Mahadev Temple, and other Ashrams along with old houses with wall paintings of the exquisite kind that were built by the Hindu pilgrims of 19th century. It is also mentioned in Hindu puranic scriptures as well.
Geography of Kanakhala
The Kanakhala is located at 29.93 degrees North and 78.15 degrees east. The average elevation is 260 meters.
History of Kanakhala
The Kanakhala is traditionally considered as the summer capital and Kurukshetra as the winter capital of Lord Shiva. After ascending to the throne, it is said that he visited plain areas that are at the present day of Haridwar. Haridwar was made to give him a warm welcome with a welcome-gate. Kanakhala is also mentioned in the famous poem Meghaduta and the poems of famous classical Sanskrit dramatist and poet Kalidasa.
Guru Nanak, the first Sikh guru had visited Haridwar on the day of Baisakhi and further went to visit Kanakhala to en route to Kotdwara in Garwhal. Likewise, Kanakhala has found its mention in many renowned events.
Sister Nivedita, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda has also mentioned Kanakhala in her travel accounts. She adds that long before Haridwar had become renowned, Kanakhala had been a center for pilgrimage and education. Apart from pilgrimages, it also consists of old Havelis and mansions that make up to a great tourist attraction at present.
Previously, it used to be one separate town from Mayapur and Haridwar areas in the early 19th century. Due to urban development, it was added to the city of Haridwar later.
Popular Places of Kanakhala
Kanakhala is known for its popular places that attract visitors from all over the world. Few popular places are described below.
Daksheswara Temple: Kanakhala is widely known for this ancient temple. It is located in Kankhal town in the south. It was constructed by Queen Dhankaur in 1810 AD and renovated in the year 1962. The temple is associated with a mythical story that the Daksha Prajapati, father of Sati performed Yajna at this place. Sati is Lord Shiva`s wife and he did not invite shiva at the occasion which made sati feel insulted. She burnt herself in the yagya kund. Lord Shiva was angry and sent terrible demi-gods Bhadrakali, Virabhadra, and his ganas. Amid Daksha"s assembly, Vibhabhadra appeared with shiva"s ganas like a storm and raged fierce war against mortals and Gods present there and beheaded his head to later bestow it with the head of a goat. There is Daksha Ghat on the Ganges next to the temple and close to Nileshwar Mahadev Temple.
Sati Kund: The Sati Kund is another mythological heritage of kanakhala. There is a legend associated with it that Sati down her life in the same kund.
Ramkrishna Mission Sevashrama: It is situated in Haridwar with a 150 bed providing multi-specialty charitable hospital that was founded in the year 1901. It was at the behest of the legend Swami Vivekananda who catered to the medical needs of the attendees.
Anandamoyi Maa Ashram: This is a quaint ashram which was known to be the residence of Saint Sri Anandamoyee Maa. It houses her Samadhi shrine. A museum is also present dedicated to her vicinity.
Dera Baba Dargah Singh Ji Gurudwara: It is situated near the Sati Ghat. The Gurudwara is dedicated to the Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das. He is known to have visited the place many times. It is managed by a scholarly sect of Sikhs known as the Nirmala Sikhs who came to the place in 1705 and made it their headquarters after evacuating Anandpur in Punjab.
Transport of Kanakhala
The Kanakhala is connected well with roads to the National Highway 58 among Manapass and Delhi. The nearest railway stations are Haridwar and Jwalapur railway station. The nearest airports are Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun.
