Punjab & Haryana

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Pilgrims lining walkway across from Golden Temple.

Matt Munro

Overview

The glittering highlight of this otherwise understated region is Amritsar’s unmissable Golden Temple. Punjab is studded with gleaming gurdwaras (Sikh temples), but it's the Golden Temple that everyone comes to see. Visiting it is a spiritual experience that will stay with you long after you leave India.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Golden Temple

Amritsar

The legendary Golden Temple is actually just a small part of this huge gurdwara complex, known to Sikhs as Harmandir Sahib. Spiritually, the focus of…
Capitol Complex

Chandigarh

At the epicentre of Le Corbusier’s planned city are the imposing concrete High Court, Secretariat and Vidhan Sabha, shared by the states of Punjab and…
Nek Chand Rock Garden

Chandigarh

Chandigarh's Rock Garden is unique: it's the surreal fantasy of the much-missed Nek Chand (1924–2015), a local transport official who, starting in 1957,…
Govindgarh

Punjab (India)

Of all the ruined forts in Punjab, Bathinda’s Govindgarh is the mightiest and most impressive. It’s also the oldest, dating way back to the 7th century,…
Guru-Ka-Langar

Amritsar

At the southeast end of the Golden Temple Complex is the Guru-Ka-Langar, an enormous dining room where an estimated 100,000 pilgrims come to eat every day…
Qila Mubarak

Punjab (India)

The ancestral home of the maharajas of Patiala, this richly ornamented 18th-century fort is an Arabian Nights fantasy of soaring buttresses and latticed…
Golden Temple Interpretation Centre

Amritsar

Hidden beneath the marble square outside the clock-tower entrance to the Golden Temple, this fascinating multimedia museum tells the story of Sikhism and…
Partition Museum

Amritsar

Housed in the beautifully restored 19th-century Town Hall, this unique museum (the only one in the world dedicated to Partition) offers a poignant and…