Garhmukteshwar is an ancient pilgrimage site for Hindus. Garhmukteshwar is a religious place located in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh state of India. The place is called Garhmukteshwar because Lord Shiva's ganas were liberated from the demon form. Which is situated on the banks of river Ganges and it falls on National Highway 9 of India. This place is very important for Hindus from the cultural and religious point of view. Garhmukteshwar is also famous for pindadan for Ancestor. Ganga Snan festival is the largest religious fair of North India on the occasion of Kartik Purnima on Garhmukteshwar.
The most famous ghat of Garhmukteshwar is Brajghat. Brajghat Ghat Hindu religion is considered as sacred as Har ki Pauri in Haridwar, Ghats of Varanasi, Ghats of Prayagraj, Ghats of Ayodhya and Rishikesh etc. Hence, the name of Garhmukteshwar place comes in the pilgrimage sites of Hindu.
The description of Garhmukteshwar is found in the Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana, Shiv Purana and the Mahabharata. According to the Bhagavata Purana and the Mahabharata, it was part of Hastinapur, the capital of Kuru. There is a temple of Lord Shiva in Garhmukteshwar in which the ancient Karkandeshwar Shivalinga is established. According to Shivpuran, the ancient name of 'Garh Mukteshwar' is 'Shiva Vallabh' (beloved of Shiva). Maharishi Durvasa had cursed the Shivganas to be demon form. Maharishi Durvasa Ji said him to do penance of Lord Shiva in Khandava forest for freedom from the curse. Khandava forests which are now known as Garhmukteshwar. Lord Shiva was pleased by the Ganas doing penance. The cursed Sivagano was liberated demonically by Lord Muktishwar (Shiva) at Garhmukteshwar, hence this shrine became known as Garh Muktishwar (God who liberates the Ganas). It is also mentioned in the Purana - Gananam Muktidanen Ganmuktishwara: Smrita.
In Garhmukteshwar, people pindedan for their ancestors. There is no need to perform shraadh in Gaya after performing the pindadan of the ancestors at Garhmukteshwar. The Pandavas performed the pindadan of their ancestors killed in the Mahabharata war at Garhmukteshwar. There has also been a tradition of donating Kartik Shukla Chaturdashi for the peace of the ancestors, so the Pandavas also performed a lamp in the Ganges near the temple for the peace of their ancestors and performed a yajna from Ekadashi of Kartik Shukla Paksha to Purnima. Since then, a fair started on Kartik Purnima here.
Many temples are situated along the Ganges in Garh Mukteshwar, including Mukteshwar Mahadev Temple, Ganga Temple, Meerabai ki Reti, Guddi Mela, Brij Ghat, Jharkhandeshwar Mahadev, Kalyaneshwar Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Goddess Ganga. In Garhmukteshwar, Ganga bathing is done only in Brij Ghat. The newly constructed Ganga Ghat, Fountain Laser Show, Ghantaghar, Ganga Aarti, Ancient Hanuman Temple, Vedanta Temple, Amrit Parishhar Temple are the main centers of attraction.