Roorkee
Introduction
Roorkee is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India, lying 31 km from Haridwar, the district headquarters. It sits on flat terrain beneath the Sivalik Hills of the Himalayas.
The city's dominant feature is the Ganges Canal, on whose banks Roorkee developed; the canal flows north to south through the middle of the city and shapes its layout.
Getting there
The easiest way to reach Roorkee is by train. The city station sits on the Kolkata (Howrah)–Amritsar main line, and daily services connect it with cities across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati and Jodhpur. Trains from New Delhi include the Dehra Dun Shatabdi, Janshatabdi and A/c Express, while long-distance options range from the Punjab Mail and the Lohit Express to the Haridwar Mail and the Uttaranchal Express. Numerous other express, mail, passenger and shuttle trains, along with summer and festival specials, also stop at Roorkee City Station.
By road, NH-58 (Delhi–Haridwar–Sri Badrinath Ji) passes through the city, running roughly 170 km north of Delhi and continuing about 29 km onward to Haridwar. The Panchkula (Chandigarh)–Yamunanagar–Roorkee NH-73 is a useful approach from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir. The main bus depot is on NH-58, with buses arriving from across North India, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, New Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. If you fly, the nearest airport is Jolly Grant in Dehradun, served by Air India from Delhi; New Delhi International Airport is about 200 km away.
Getting around
Roorkee has no metro or tram, so you get around by a mix of cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, buses, taxis and, in the older parts of town, your own two feet. The Vikram auto rickshaw and the cycle rickshaw are the most common choices: cycle rickshaws suit short distances and narrow streets, while autos and Vikram autos cover longer cross-city trips and are the usual way to reach the railway station or the bypass. Motorbikes and cycles are widely used by residents, and local agencies rent cars (four- and eight-seaters, SUVs and hatchbacks) at negotiable rates that cost more than public transport. In certain Old City areas, walking is the recommended way to explore.
- For the Old City and lanes too narrow for cars or buses, cycle and auto rickshaws are your best bet.
- Allow extra time when heading to the bypass for an inter-city coach — it is a busy road and boarding points are not in the town centre. Arrive at least twenty minutes before departure and wait in the designated public area; food stalls and small eateries are available near New Golden Dhaba.
- From the bypass, the railway station is a short auto or cab ride away, and IIT Roorkee is a similar trip in the other direction.
- Compare UTC and private bus fares before booking; the public option is usually cheaper.
Where to stay
Roorkee's accommodation is concentrated in the Civil Lines area, close to the IIT campus. One option is Hotel Center Point, near the IIT Century Gate at Roorkee Talkis Chowk, which offers air-conditioned rooms, parking and 24-hour room service, with check-in available throughout the day and check-out at noon. It sits about 500 m from the City Bus Stand, making it convenient if you're arriving by bus.
Food & drink
For a quick, filling meal, head to Punjabi Dhaba opposite the State Roadways Bus Stand, where you can count on hearty North Indian cooking in straightforward surroundings. If you'd rather eat at a hotel, Hotel Center Point Roorkee also serves food.
When you want coffee or a light break, try Cafe Coffee Day on Haridwar Road, or the Nescafe Cafetaria near the Campus Post Office at IIT Roorkee.
What to see and do
Roorkee's landmarks reward a slow half-day of wandering. Start at the Indian Institute of Technology campus, whose main building anchors the city's identity, then pay your respects at the War Memorial in Roorkee Cantt. Outdoors, the Bann Ganga Wetland and the Himalayan Eco Park on Haridwar Road offer breathing room, while a walk along the Canal Banks (Roorkee Haat) or around the Upper Ganga canal near IRI shows you the waterways that shaped the town; the Solani River aqueduct, where the river meets the Upper Ganga Canal, is worth seeking out. For temples, you can visit Shiv Mandir, Prem Mandir, Saraswati Mandir and Sri Ram Mandir, plus the Jain Mandir in Kanoongoyan and Adarsh Nagar. Further out on the Haridwar–Roorkee Road, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Baba Ramdev's flagship project named after the Rishi Patanjali, is dedicated to practising, researching and developing yoga and Ayurveda and to making ayurvedic medicines. Time your visit around local events if you can. Flower shows are organised by the National Institute of Hydrology, the Central Building Research Institute, the Bengal Engineers Group and Centre, Afro Asian Hoste and IIT Roorkee, an All India Mushaira is held by Anjuman Farog-E-Adab, and the Kanvan Festival falls during July–August.When to go
Roorkee has a humid subtropical climate with three distinct seasons, and the timing of your visit will shape the trip considerably. The hot season runs from mid-March to mid-June, bringing sweltering, dry conditions that grow steadily more humid and uncomfortable as the weeks pass. If you travel then, expect the heat and mounting mugginess to dictate your pace and plans.
The southwest monsoon arrives in mid-June and lasts until the end of September, delivering about four-fifths of the annual rainfall. Rain falls alongside hot temperatures, with very warm mornings and extremely uncomfortable humidity. From early October, as the monsoon retreats, the cooler dry season sets in: afternoons are warm to very warm, mornings cool, and humidity moderate. Between January and March, western disturbances occasionally bring a little rain, though the October-to-March total is modest. For the most comfortable conditions, the cooler months from October onward are your best bet.
Three days in Roorkee
Day one begins in Roorkee itself, getting your bearings in a city that sits in the Sivalik Hills near the edge of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand. Start along the Ganges Canal, the waterway that has shaped the town, and take in the railway heritage that connects Roorkee to the wider country: trains link it with New Delhi, Kolkata, Howrah, Amritsar, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati and Jodhpur, and services such as the Dehra Dun Shatabdi, Janshatabdi, Express, Punjab Mail, Lohit Express, Haridwar Mail and Uttaranchal Express pass through the region. Roorkee City Station is the handiest base for arrivals, and by road the town is reached via NH routes from The Panchkula, Chandigarh, Yamunanagar and Roorkee NH, drawing travellers from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu.
- Walk the Ganges Canal
- Note onward train options from Roorkee City Station
- Orient yourself around the NH road links
Day two takes you to Haridwar, the nearby pilgrimage city on the Ganges in Uttarakhand, easily reached from Roorkee. Give the day to the riverside ghats and the religious atmosphere, with Sri Badrinath Ji among the sacred destinations that draw pilgrims through this part of India. Return to Roorkee in the evening.
- Day trip to Haridwar
- Visit the ghats along the Ganges
Day three slows down. Spend the morning revisiting the parts of Roorkee you liked most, whether the canal-side or the railway quarter, then use the afternoon to plan your onward journey. Trains from Roorkee City Station connect onward to New Delhi and beyond, and the road network via NH links makes it straightforward to continue toward Chandigarh, Yamunanagar or the wider region.
- Revisit the Ganges Canal
- Arrange onward travel by train or NH road