most important festival of Shiva, which
is celebrated on the fourteenth day of
the waning half of the month Phalgun
(usually in February). The two festivals
are associated because Hanuman is
sometimes deemed an avataror “incar-
nation” of Shiva, come to earthto serve
the god-king Rama.
Although Hanuman’s primary myth-
ic importance is as a faithful and power-
ful servant of Rama, in everyday
religious life Hanuman is a very impor-
tant deity, with a wide following. His
birthday has no prescribed celebrations,
but usually his devotees (bhakta) often
mark it with worship, festive proces-
sions, and devotional reading of reli-
gious texts, particularly the Hanuman
Chalisaand the Ramayana.
Hara
(“taking away,” “Destroyer”) Epithet of
the god Shiva. See Shiva.
Harappa
Ancient city and archeological site on
the Ravi River in Pakistan, about one
hundred miles southwest of the modern
city of Lahore. Harappa is one of the
cities of the Indus Valley civilization, a
highly developed urban culture that
flourished in the Indus Valley region
between the fourth and third millennia
B.C.E. Harappa and Mohenjo-Darohave
been the most extensively excavated of
these cities, although archeological
work is proceeding in some of the oth-
ers, and the similarities between these
different cities have revealed a great deal
about this civilization’s material culture.
Hare Krishnas
Colloquial name for the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON). See ISKCON.
Hari
(probably derived from the Sanskrit
verb hr, “taking away [evil]”) Epithet of
the god Vishnu, particularly in his
avatar or “incarnation” as the god
Krishna. See Vishnuand Krishna.Haridasa
(ca. late 16th c.) Poet, singer, and devo-
tee (bhakta) of the god Krishna, who
founded the sect known as the
Haridasis. According to tradition,
Haridasa was the teacher of Tansen, the
consummate musician at the court of
the Moghul emperor Akbar. Most of the
songs of Haridasa describe the love
between Radhaand Krishna. See also
Moghul dynasty.Haridwar
Sacred city (tirtha) on the GangesRiver
about 140 miles northeast of Delhi.
Haridwar is one of India’s Seven Sacred
Cities. Dying in one of these cities is
believed to ensure the final liberation of
one’s soul. It is located on the edge of the
Shiwalik Hills, the foothills to the
Himalayas, and is the place where the
Ganges is believed to leave the moun-
tains and enter the northern Indian
plain. As with all the places where the
Ganges makes some natural transition,
Haridwar is considered especially holy,
and has been a pilgrimage destination
since at least the sixth century, when the
Chinese pilgrim Hsuan Tsangreported
enormous pilgrim crowds.
Haridwar’s primary importance is as
a bathing (snana) place, and it draws
large crowds on festival days. For cen-
turies it has been an important site
for performing asthi-visarjana, the
last of the funerary rites (antyeshthi
samskara), in which the ashes of
the deceased are immersed in the
Ganges. Haridwar is also important as
the gateway to the pilgrimage sites in
the Garhwal region of the Himalayas,
and during the pilgrim season
(April–October) it serves as an impor-
tant transit and supply point to places
farther up in the mountains.
Finally, Haridwar has a long history
as a dwelling place for ascetics. It is a
major center for several asceticgroups,Haridwar