Daksha Mahadev Temple

Daksha Mahadev Temple, in the Kankhal area of Haridwar, is tied to one of the more consequential stories in Hindu mythology: King Daksha Prajapati — after whom the temple is named — is said to have held a grand yajna (fire ritual) here while deliberately excluding his daughter Sati and her husband, Lord Shiva. Sati, humiliated by the insult to her husband, is said to have immolated herself in the sacrificial fire — an event that, in the wider mythology, eventually leads to the creation of the Shakti Peeths found across the subcontinent. The temple that stands today is considerably younger than the legend itself, largely rebuilt in the 19th century, but the site's association with the story gives it real weight for pilgrims tracing the wider Daksha-Sati-Shiva narrative, which also connects to several other sites across Haridwar and the Himalayas. It's a quieter, more local temple than the city's hilltop shrines — worth a visit for those interested in the mythology behind Haridwar's sacred geography, rather than a must-see for a first, time-constrained trip.