 In the "Vanaparva" of the Mahabharat, where sage Dhaumya tells Yudhishthira about the tirthas of India, Gangadwar, i.e., Haridwar and Kankhal, have been referred to.Kankhal also finds mention in the poem Meghaduta (Cloud messenger), of the 3rd century AD, classical Sanskrit poet and dramatist, Kalidas.When the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak (1469–1539), visited Haridwar in 1504 AD, on the Baisakhi day, he went on to visit Kankhal, en route to Kotdwara in Garhwal.