Places to Visit in Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttrakhand, India

Places to Visit in Roorkee, Haridwar, Uttrakhand, India

Roorkee is located in Haridwar district in the Indian state of Uttrakhand lying on the banks of river Ganges along the Delhi Dehradun National Highway. Roorkee lies at a height of 879 feet above sea level and its literacy rate is over 84% and Hindi being the mother tongue of the residents living in this part of the city. Roorkee is well known for its reputed universities, colleges, industries, business, services, hospitals and efficient modes of transport system. Its coordination lies at 29.83’ degree North Latitude and 77.88’ degree East Longitude with Postal Code being 247667.

Meaning & History of Roorkee:

Some legend say that, Roorkee name was derived from Rurimadi Imran, wife of local Rajput ruler while some say that it got its name from Ror Ki meaning dwelling of a Ror. Roorkee used to be the capital city of Mughal king Akbar during 15^th century and later taken over by Gurjar kings in 18^th century. Roorkee became a part of British East India Company in 1840 and the administration and management were controlled by the British. Roorkee became a municipality in the year 1868 and was home of Bengal Sappers. Roorkee was made the headquarter of Roorkee Tehsil in the year 1901 that included 426 villages and nagar taluks.

Important tourist places in and near Roorkee:

IIT Roorkee:

This is one of the major landmarks in Roorkee well known for providing training sessions for civil engineering exams. Thousands of students from all over the country enroll in this institute to get good teaching classes.

Roorkee Cantonment:

This is one of the oldest cantonments in India which has a war memorial built in memory of the soldiers who have laid down their lives in war. The tourists can take a stroll around the war memorial which is a pleasant experience.

Piran Kaliyar Sharif:

This is one of the shrines dedicated to 13^th century Sufi saint Piran Kaliyar Sharif who was possessed with healing powers and is visited by large number of devotees belonging to different castes.

Geology and Geophysics Museum:

The museum represents some of the specimens of rocks, fossils and minerals. It also has good collection of fossilized bones of elephants and trees that were brought from Shivalik mountain ranges. The museum draws many visitors during weekdays and is closed on Sunday.

Solani Aqueduct:

This was built by the British during 1846 that is a fine example of engineering marvel built using materials like brick across river Solani.

Survey Museum:

The museum has some of the best collection of equipments which are used for conducting surveys and mapping dating back to centuries. The museum was built in the year 1950 and attracts many visitors and tourists all year round.

Roorkee Group Museum and Archives:

The museum was built in the year 1978 which has some good rare collections of historical books, manuscripts, artifacts, paintings, photos, trophies, weapons and tools dating back to centuries. The museum is open for public from 8 am to 7 pm and closed on Sunday.

Other nearby attractions in Roorkee are:

Haridwar:

Haridwar is about 32 kms from Roorkee famous for pilgrimage center, temples, rivers and ghats.

Rishikesh:

Rishikesh is located 50 kms away from Roorkee known for rivers, rafting, hills, shrines, temples and pilgrimage spot.

Dehradun:

Dehradun is sited at a distance of 71 kms from Roorkee well known for hill stations, trekking, honeymoon, gardens and monasteries.

Corbett National Park:

This National Park is located 160 kms away from Roorkee famous for wildlife sanctuary, bird watching, rafting, rivers and waterfalls.

Delhi:

Delhi is situated 174 kms away from Roorkee known for temples, forts, Archeological sites, gardens, rivers and museums.

Nainital:

Nainital is located at a distance of 232 kms from Roorkee famous for hill stations, orchards, waterfalls, gardens, trekking and lakes.

Ranikhet:

Ranikhet is about 267 kms from Roorkee renowned for hill stations, snow capped mountain peaks, rivers, glaciers, dams, temples and museums.

Almora:

Almora is located 277 kms away from Roorkee known for temples, hill stations and honeymoon.

Best Season to visit Roorkee in Uttrakhand?

The tourists can visit Roorkee all round the year from summer to winter. Since Roorkee is located at an high altitude, it remains pleasant during summer season and many visitors come to this place during summer to beat the city heat. Nature lovers and adventure sports lovers can also visit Roorkee during winters as the region experiences snowfalls. The place is well known for winter sporting activities like ice-skating, paragliding, wind surfing, skiing and trekking.

Connectivity & transport to Roorkee:

Major National Highways like NH-58 and NH-73 pass via heart of the city. There are many bus facilities from Roorkee to Haridwar, Dehradun, Rishikesh, Almora, Meerut and Delhi at regular point of time. Roorkee is also connected by Indian Railways as several long distance trains pass through Roorkee Railway Station. The nearest airport is Dehradun Airport located 71 kms away from Roorkee.

Hotels in Roorkee:

Roorkee being a popular tourist destination also known for reputed universities and institutes is frequently visited by many tourists and students all round the year. Hence finding a suitable accommodation is the most important aspect for many tourists. Roorkee consists of some good decent budget hotels, resorts and guest houses that provide decent accommodation facilities for the tourists coming to the city. The tourists are requested to make hotels bookings in advance during peak seasons, because all the hotels get booked during peak seasons. List of some of the hotels located in and near Roorkee are: