Haridwar travel guide

Pure vegetarian Satvik food

The traditional food of religious Uttarakhand—no onion, no garlic, prepared in pure ghee; served at ashrams in Rishikesh and Haridwar; includes khichdi, sabji, chapati and fruits; spiritually associated with sattvic consciousness in Hindu philosophy

Aloo puri

Varanasi and North India's classic—freshly fried light puffed breads served with mildly spiced potato sabzi; the combination is eaten at breakfast and as a temple or ghat snack; the kachori stalls along Dashashwamedh serve thousands before 9am

Chole bhature

Delhi's most iconic breakfast—large puffed fried bread (bhature) alongside a fiery chickpea curry finished with ginger and pomegranate; eaten standing at dhabas of Paharganj or posh restaurants; the best in Old Delhi near Sitaram Bazaar

Peda sweets

Mathura and Vrindavan's sacred confection—thick, round discs of condensed milk solid flavored with saffron and cardamom; considered blessed when bought from temple-adjacent sweet shops; Mathura's peda has been the devotional sweet of Krishna since antiquity

Prasad

Temple food elevated to a blessing—sweets, nuts, fruits or cooked food offered to the deity and redistributed to devotees as an act of grace; each temple's prasad is specific: Tirupati's ladoo, Golden Temple's karah prasad, Vrindavan's pedas