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Har Ki Pairi--Old Photos

Har Ki Pairi has changed a great deal in the past two centuries, with successive expansions creating ever-larger open spaces. 

After a deadly stampede during the 1820 Kumbha Mela, the British rebuilt the HKP to make it wider and less congested.  At that time the ghat was the fan-shaped set of steps seen here.  Note the large building (the Ganga building) built all the way down the right side of the steps.

Two contemporary temples are visible at the top left, and the Ganga temple (with an uncovered balcony) at right.  Note the trees in both behind the Ganga temple and in the background--a sign that the city was far less developed then.  This changed after 1886, when the railway came to Hardwar.  Note also the shallow depth of the water, and the little bench at the base of the Ganga temple on which people are sitting.  This photo comes courtesy of Mr. Sandeep Pande (New Delhi), who gave the date as the 1880s.  It is used with permission.  

This photo was taken sometime between 1915-33.  The the concrete island with steps leading down in the water at right was built in 1915, and "Officer's Bridge" (the low dock-like structure visible to the left of the domed Ganga Mandir) was demolished in 1933.  A large building still backs up on to the two temples in the foreground, and in the background is another large building (since demolished, since that space is now very open).   At the large building's left base is another of Har ki Pairi's existing temples.  Note the balcony going around the Ganga temple has now been covered over, giving it the characteristic shape it would have until the temple was renovated in 1997-98.  The extremely low water depth may reflect the severe seasonal fluctuations that plagued bathers until the construction of the Bhim Ghoda weir (1918 or so), or it may have been intentionally lowered so that work the buildings could be maintained.  This photo comes courtesy of Mr. Kamalkant Budhkar, Hardwar.  

Here is another view of the Ganga Temple and the adjoining temple.  The former has the covered balcony in the middle, note also the shaded sitting place under it (which would have provided shelter from the sun.   The water level also seems higher, though this is difficult to tell.  The buildings immediately behind the Ganga temple were demolished during the ghat expansion and upgrade of 1937-38 (which was completed before the 1938 Kumbha Mela).   This photo comes courtesy of Mr. Kamalkant Budhkar, Hardwar.   

 
Here's a view of the British-built steps at Har Ki Pairi (which before the expansion of 1937 were all that there was to the ghat) This photo comes courtesy of Mr. Kamalkant Budhkar, Hardwar.  
This is clearly a ritually busy time, with bathers thronging the ghats on either side of Har ki Pairi.  Underneath the curved bridge leading to the concrete island there is a little causeway stretching toward the Ganga temple in the middle of the pool.  This is the "Officer's Bridge," which was formerly used for crowd control on major bathing days (the British or Indian officials would stand or sit there so make bathers vacate the pool so that others could bathe.  Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya registered strenuous opposition to this structure during the 1927 Kumbha Mela,  and it was demolished before the Ardh Kumbha Mela of 1933.  One of Pandit Malviya's complaints was that the bridge compromised the privacy of women bathing there, but it seems that the larger issue was over which groups would control the Kumbha Mela (this was a time of growing Indian nationalism, and these sorts of issues became important symbols for self-determination.  This photo comes courtesy of Mr. Kamalkant Budhkar, Hardwar.  
This picture was taken during the first big expansion in 1937-38.  The building behind the Ganga temple has been demolished to create a wide open space, on which a long flight of steps has been built.  The small temple at left has been finished, and the center temple is being built (a sign on that temple in 1990 stated that it had been built in 1867 when the town was incorporated--clearly an attempt to claim authority through greater age.  Note that the crowds are concentrated on the original set of steps (perhaps prudently steering clear of the construction); at the top on the right the arches that are visible mark the Har ki pairi office of the Ganga Sabha, Hardwar's purohit association.  This photo comes courtesy of Mr. Kamalkant Budhkar, Hardwar.  

This picture was also taken during the 1937-38 construction.  the Ganga Sabha offices are visible behind the Ganga temple, and at right is a stairway leading down to the footbridge.  The building in the background was Jammu Bhavan, which was demolished for the second expansion before the 1986 Kumbha Mela.  This photo comes courtesy of Mr. Kamalkant Budhkar, Hardwar.  
 

  Here's a recent shot from January 2005, which shows the continuity with the next to last picture (with the three temples in the photo's right half, and the British-built steps coming down on the left side).  Renovation and improvements on the Ganga temple at far right were planned to be complete prior to the 1998 Kumbha Mela, but the project has been halted pending resolution of a lawsuit (which in India can take a long time)