Worth Visit Places in Punjab

Worth Visit Places in Punjab

Punjab, ‘The Land of Five Rivers’, is positioned in the north western part of India. This fertile land ranks amongst the most ancient civilizations in the world.  Punjab is also famous for its religious diversity as many of the religious movements were initiated here. The scenic landscape, rich history and famous religious sites are the most important reasons for increasing number of visits by tourists. Here are some of the renowned places you may like to visit in Punjab:

Amritsar

Whenever anybody talks about Punjab, the first thing that comes to the mind is the Golden temple in Amritsar. It is not just a temple or a tourist spot, but the biggest cultural heritage of the Sikh community. It is one of the biggest assets of the Indian subcontinent.

The work started in 1577 AD, by digging a pious lake, the Amrit Sarovar. The idea was conceived by Sri Guru Amar Dass Ji and was executed by Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji. The construction of Sri Harmandir Sahib was initiated by Sri Guru Arjan Dev Ji in 1588 AD.

The holy text of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Granth Sahib was introduced in this holy temple in 1604 AD. The architecture of the temple has a message for life. The temple is built in a level lower than the surroundings, defying the ego and pride in humans. There are four gates in four directions, signifying that this place is open for all. Visiting this temple would surely become an unforgettable experience of life!

Here are some other destinations in Amritsar:

  ⊳  Golden Temple                                                          ⊳  Jallianwala Bagh

  ⊳  Akal Takht                                                                   ⊳  Tara Taran Sahib

  ⊳  Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama                       ⊳  Wagah Border

  ⊳  Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum                          ⊳  Rambagh Garden

  ⊳  Harike Wetland and Bird Sanctuary                    ⊳  Khalsa College

  ⊳  Durgiana Temple                                                      ⊳  Kaiser Bagh Park

  ⊳  Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh        ⊳  Bathinda Fort

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Chandigarh

Chandigarh ‘The City Beautiful’ is one of the most beautiful cities in India. With broad and less congested roads, leisurely pace of living, great food, super shopping, and nearness to the hills, Chandigarh is a worth visit place that attracts tourists.  Chandigarh is the most beautiful and clean city to live in. It was the dream city of the first prime minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, and was planned by French architect Le Corbusier. It was the best experiment of modern planning and architecture in the twentieth century in India.  

Chandigarh is the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. The city is considered the best planned city in the country. It is called ‘The City Beautiful’ and you will sure agree with it once you visit the beautiful city where modernization has not destroyed the natural treasures of the land.  Here are the top worthwhile destinations in Chandigarh.

⊳  The Rock Garden                                 ⊳  Sukhna Lake

⊳  Leisure Valley                                       ⊳  Shanti Kunj

⊳  Morni Hills                                             ⊳   Chhatbir Zoo

⊳  Rose Garden                                             ⊳   Government Museum and Art Gallery

⊳  Le Corbusier Centre                            ⊳   Sarkaria Cactus Garden   

⊳  Timber Trail                                          ⊳   Butterfly Park

⊳  Yadvinder Garden                                  ⊳   Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park

⊳  Garden of Fragrance                           ⊳   Terraced Garden

⊳  Chhatbir Zoo                                          ⊳   International Dolls Museum   

⊳  Chandigarh Botanical Garden and Nature Park

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Mohali

Mohali is one of the most beautiful cities of Punjab, India. This city also got popular with the name of Ajitgarh in 2012. It was officially named after Sahibzada Ajit Singh, the eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh. Thus, it is often called SAS Nagar.

 

Mohali, Chandigarh and Panchkula together are called Tri-city. While retaining its ancient heritage, Mohali, is also home to a good number of IT industries. The top tourist attractions in Mohali include:

⊳  Rose Garden                                   ⊳  Silvi Park

⊳  Mataur Lake                                   ⊳  Rock Garden

⊳  Sukhna Lake                                   ⊳  Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary

⊳  Gurdwara Amb Sahib                  ⊳  Mansa Devi Temple

⊳  Gurudwara Nada Sahib               ⊳  Punjab Cricket Association Stadium

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Patiala

Patiala, famous for for 'peg', 'pagri', 'paranda' (tasselled tag for braiding hair and 'Jutti' (footwear), joyous buoyance, royal demeanor, sensuous and graceful feminine gait and aristocracy, presents a beautiful bouquet of life-style even to a casual visitor to the city that is famous for Aristocracy. A brilliant spectrum of Rajput, Mughal and Punjabi cultures, a fine blend of modernity and tradition and a judicious synthesis of all that is beautiful in form and bold in spirit conjure up a vision called 'Patiala'.

The erstwhile princely state, Patiala, is famously referred to as the ‘City of newspapers’. The city has some of the best architecture that reflects the glorious past of the land. Given below are the top attractions of Patiala.

⊳  Qila Mubarak Complex                          ⊳  Moti Bagh Palace

⊳  Banur                                                             ⊳  Samana

⊳  Baradari Garden                                        ⊳  Sheesh Mahal

⊳  Darbar Hall                                                  ⊳  Bir Moti Bagh Sanctuary

⊳  Lachman Jhoola                                         ⊳  Kali Temple

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Jalandhar

The city Jalandhar is named after a demon king Jalandhar, who finds a mention in the Puranas and Mahabharta. According to another legend, Jalandhar was the capital of the kingdom of Lav, son of Rama. According to yet another version Jalandhar is said to have derived its name from the vernacular term `Jalandhar? means area inside the water, i.e. tract laying between the two rivers Satluj and Beas, still another name of Jalandhar had been Trigartta, as it was waters by three rivers, Satluj, Beas and Ravi.

Jalandhar, the land that boasts of a rich history is also famous for sports goods. This ancient part of the world, which is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata, has some of the most famous sites of historical importance and religious significance. Here are the top attractions in Jalandhar.

⊳  Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh Museum

⊳  Tulsi Mandir                                            ⊳  Wonderland Theme Park 

⊳  Devi Talab Mandir                                 ⊳  Shiv Mandir

⊳  St. Mary’s Cathedral Church             ⊳  Pushpa Gujral Science City

⊳  Company Bagh                                        ⊳  Niku Park

⊳  Rangla Punjab Haveli                           ⊳  Prithvi’s Planet

⊳  Sheetla Mandir                                        ⊳  Imam Nasir Masjid                    

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Ludhiana

Ludhiana is the largest city in the state of Punjab. It has its share of historical monuments and religious centers. It is situated closer to the banks of river Sutlej. The land had made a significant contribution during freedom fight.

Ludhiana city was founded in the time of Lodhi dynasty which ruled in Delhi from 1451-1526 A.D. The legend goes that two Lodhi Chief Yusaf Khan and Nihand Khan were deputed by Sikandar Lodhi (1489-1517 A.D.) to restore order in this region. They camped at the site of present city of Ludhiana which was then a village called Mir Hota. Yusaf Khan went across the river Sutlej in Jalandhar Doab to check Khokhars who were plundering the Doab and made a settlement at Sultanpur while Nihand Khan stayed back and founded the present city at the site of village Mir Hota. The new town was originally known as Lodhi-ana, which means the town of Lodi's. The name later changed to the present name Ludhiana.

Though not in great numbers, the tourist attractions it has cannot be missed on your tour to Punjab. The important places of Ludhiana include:

⊳  Lodhi Fort                                         ⊳  Rural Heritage Museum

⊳  Tiger Zoo                                           ⊳  Punjab Agricultural University Museum

⊳  Gurudwara Charan Kamal          ⊳  Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum

⊳  Phillaur Fort                                     ⊳  Nehru Rose Garden

⊳  Deer Park

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Bhathinda

Bathinda, the ‘Gateway to India’, is a city in Southern part of Punjab. The city, named after the Bhati kings, is one of the oldest cities in Punjab, India. It is situated in northwestern India  in the Malwa Region, 227 km west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth largest city of Punjab. Bathinda's nicknamed the 'City of Lakes', courtesy of the artificial lakes in the city.The first empress of India, Razia Sultan was imprisoned in the Qila Mubarak fort in Bathinda.

Bhatinda is amongst the ancient cities of Punjab. Some of the monuments found here belong to 3000 BC. Famous for its historical associations, the land was one where Guru Gobind Singh challenged and fought the Mughals bravely. Some of the most popular tourist destinations in Bhatinda are:

⊳  Bhatinda Fort                                ⊳  Qila Mubarak

⊳  Rose Garden                                 ⊳  Bhatinda Lake

⊳  Bhatinda Zoological Park         ⊳  Lakhi Jungle

⊳  Bir Talab Zoo                                ⊳  Chetak Park

⊳  Dhobhi Bazaar

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Pathankot

Pathankot is considered to be one of the most dominating cities of Punjab in phrase of population that is positioned at the foothills of Dalhousie and Kangra, Meeting point of three famous northern states that are Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir and because of this it is considered to be a ravishing district of Punjab.

The scenic beauty of the land and its rich history have made the land a popular tourist destination. Here are some of the leading tourist attractions in the city.

⊳  Mukteshwar Temple                  ⊳  Ashapurni Mandir

⊳  Kathgarh Temple                        ⊳  Nurpur Fort

⊳  Ranjit Sagar Dam                        ⊳  Hydraulic Research Station

⊳  Shahpurkandi Fort                      ⊳  Kali Mata Ka Mandir

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Kapurthala

Among the scores of cities in Punjab with glorious past and great works of present development is the city of Kapurthala. With a glorious history and present instances of rapid development, Kapurthala is soon turning out to be an important development center in the State of Punjab

Earlier referred to as the ‘Paris of Punjab’, Kapurthala is an excellent city with amazing architecture and breathtaking gardens. It was here that Guru Nanak attained enlightenment in 1499. Historical significance, scenic landscape and spectacular monuments make this place a unique destination. Given below are some of the important tourist attractions in Kapurthala.

⊳  The Jagatjit Palace               ⊳  Jagatjit Club

⊳  Elysee Palace                         ⊳  Panj Mandir

⊳  Kanjli Wetland                      ⊳  Shalimar Garden

⊳  Nihal Palace                           ⊳  State Gurudwara

⊳  Moorish Mosque  

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Rupnagar (or Ropar)

Rupnagar (or Ropar) is said to have been founded by a Raja called Rokeshar who ruled in the 11th century and named Rupnagar after his son Rup Sen . The recent excavations carried out at Rupnagar have proved that this town was the seat of well developed Indus Valley Civilization. In proto-Historic Punjab perhaps Rupnagar is the only known excavation site which can claim the status of a small town or city . The founds in recent excavations consists of earthen bares, statues, coins, etc. That proves that the city dates back to Harrappa - Mohanjodharo civilization which crossed Satluj river. Many of them settled at this place. In the excavations many things found belong to Chandra Gupta, Kushan, Hoon and Mughal period. One of rare finds is a seal of Marble on which there are three letters engraved in Sindhi script. One of the finds is the statue of a woman dressing her hair. All these proves that even the people living in this town 4000 years, hence were fully civilized and well cultured.

Archaeological evidences show that the place belonged to the era of Harappan civilization. Ropar also happens to be the first Harappan site to be excavated in independent India. The top destinations in Ropar include:

⊳  Anandpur Sahib                                      ⊳  Chamkaur Sahib

⊳  Bhakra Nangal Dam                              ⊳  Ropar Wetland

⊳  Jateshwar Mahadev Temple               ⊳  Gurudwara Bhatta Sahib

⊳  Gurudwara Parivar Vichhora Sahib

You feel part of the ancient world when you travel the length and breadth of Punjab. Even a couple of weeks in Punjab will not suffice to cover all the important destinations in the land of five rivers.