Garhmukteshwar is a taluk headquarters town located in
Ghaziabad district, near the
National Highway 10 leading to
Delhi.
Garhmukteshwar is a revered place, mention being made of it in the Bhagavatapurana and the Mahabharata. Garhmukteshwar is believed to have been a part of the ancient city of Hastinapur, the capital of the Kauravas. There was an ancient fort here which was repaired by a Maratha leader named Mir Bhawan.
The name of the place is derived from the great temple of Mukteshwar Mahadeva, dedicated to the goddess Ganga who is worshipped here in four temples, two located on a high cliff and two below it. There is a well in the temple close to the Meerut road and the water is here is considered extremely holy. Near it are eighty sati pillars, marking the spots where Hindu widows are said to have become sati. Another landmark in the town is a mosque built by Ghayas-ud-din Balban, bearing an inscription in Arabic with the date 682 Hijri (AD 1283).
A place of pre-eminent religious importance, Garhmukteshwar comes alive during a bathing fair held here on the full moon day of Kartika. Another fair is held on the occasion of Dussehra as well. Both fairs attract numerous persons from all over the country.
Gadho-ka-Mela is also a part of the big Garh Ganga fair, in which about 50,000 asses/donkeys/horses are purchased or sold out.
There is a railway station at Garhmukteshwar on the Delhi-Moradabad line of the Northern Railways.
