Kankhal is a district folded into the southern edge of Haridwar, separated from the main city by a stretch of open land but accessible by auto-rickshaw in ten minutes. It has a completely different character from the busy pilgrim ghats of central Haridwar — quieter, more residential, with narrow lanes lined with ashrams and smaller temples.
The neighbourhood holds the Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple, one of Haridwar's oldest and most significant Shiva temples, and a number of ashrams that offer yoga and meditation retreats in a calmer setting than the city centre. If you want to stay near Haridwar but outside the noise of the main pilgrimage circuit, Kankhal is worth considering.