Anshita
Google
The temple is peaceful and worth visiting, but the overall management is poor. Ropeway waiting time is 1–2 hours and the area is overcrowded. Biggest issue is returning without your own vehicle — auto drivers refuse to go unless their big autos are full, making tourists wait for hours. Strongly recommend visiting only if you have your own transport.
We recently visited Chandi Devi Temple in Haridwar and while the temple itself is serene and spiritually uplifting, the overall experience left us disappointed due to poor management around the visit.
To reach the temple, you need to take the tram (ropeway) service, but the waiting time is extremely long — anywhere between 1–2 hours. The starting point for the tram is overcrowded, which makes the wait even more uncomfortable. There are some small shops for souvenirs, snacks, and games, but that doesn’t balance the chaos.
Once you reach the top, there is a small hike via stairway to the temple. The stairs are divided into two sides — one for going up (which is in good condition) and one for coming down (which is poorly maintained and quite difficult to walk on).
All of this could still be manageable, but the biggest problem starts when you have to return to your hotel or onward destination without your own vehicle. The auto drivers outside act like goons — they refuse to take passengers unless their large autos are filled completely, or you hire the entire vehicle even if you’re a single person. When I asked small auto drivers, they said they’re afraid of the big ones as they get threatened or beaten if they pick up customers from there. We ended up waiting more than an hour just to get back, which completely ruined the experience.
The temple is worth visiting, but I strongly recommend going with your own vehicle. The authorities really need to step in and resolve this transportation issue, as it’s making tourists suffer unnecessarily.