In Haridwar, spirituality is not associated with tranquillity. Devotees must necessarily find inner peace, because the town will be awhirl with crowds and colour by the time the Mahakumbh Mela of 2010 winds down to a close at the end of April: the atmosphere is not conducive to quiet contemplation. The weather at this time will be different from what it was at the start of this revered Hindu pilgrimage. The spring chill will blossom into the full-blown heat of summer. In the early months of the year though, the town wears an entirely different look: it is misty, quiet, full of stalls selling woollens and blankets, steaming hot tea with food being dispensed at roadside addas at a steady clip. The moment of revelation arrives at sundown, when the crowds of quiet pilgrims congregate on the banks of the Ganga for the evening arti. In the midst of falling darkness, the lights of devotion flare into an unforgettable sight, to the accompaniment of the single, haunting note of a gong. Along the length of Har ki Pauri (literally ‘the feet of God’) devotees float small diyas and leaf-wrought bowls of flowers in the river. For devotees, and for Haridwar itself, this is a transformative experience.

This year the Mahakumbh experience has an added dimension: luxury. If Haridwar itself literally churns with supplicants and priests at every step, it is possible to cocoon yourself in places where you can commune with the the Ganga – and the Infinite – in private. Step through the gates of the charming old-fashioned haveli of the former Lahore House and you will discover transformation in effect here as well. You are greeted with smiles and the soothing sounds of classical music, performed in the spacious, old-fashioned open courtyard. All around the terraces are Leisure Hotels’ ‘cottage camps’ – weather-proof luxury tents equipped with advanced creature comforts. In the chill of the early weeks of the year, with the mist hanging in veils across the roads and the mandatory dips in the Ganga bitingly cold, the hot showers in the tents are luxuriant, the quilts welcomingly warm and the hot-water bottles in your bed sheer bliss. The personalised service recalls small-town hospitality and warmth, as does the deliciously simple Indian food. On a night cool with river breezes, the warmth of the richly ornate hangings is sumptuous. Hedonism is absent in these surroundings, but comfort comes in plenty.

Lahore House was once the private residence of a devout family. Like other such houses in temple towns, it acquires a premium on piety: it opens out on to the Ganga, and a long and steep flight of stairs descending below the courtyard will take climbers down to a private bathing ghat. Several such havelis perch all along the banks of the river, and their elaborate facades loom over the edges of narrow lanes all around the main bazaar of Haridwar. In the day, the town walks in their shadow. At night, they are obscured in the darkness, while the life of the town goes on around them in the lanes, astir with light and colour, with food and hymns and shopping competing for attention at every turn. Inside the Leisure Hotels’ camp, soft lights, nourishing food and the sound of voices raised in song sustain the other-worldly atmosphere.

But day or night, the buzz of activity is really focused around one thing and one thing only: Haridwar’s raison d’être, the river Ganga. Haridwar is where the Ganga, descending from the mountains, enters the plains. It is a doorway to God, as its name suggests, for this very reason (an older name, Gangadwar, indicates the same thing). The luxury tents blend well into the overall feeling: going to Haridwar is akin to an adventure in more ways than one. No matter how devout or how accustomed, a visit to the Ganga is always a plunge into the unknown for any visitor to the plains and particularly so in this oldest of cities. Kapilasthan, Gangadwar, Mayapuri – they all lie beneath the mist, waiting for the glare of the Indian summer to illuminate them.

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