Must-see attractions in Punjab (India)

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…

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,…

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…

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

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

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…

Spiritually, the focus of attention within the Golden Temple Complex is the tank that surrounds the gleaming central shrine. Known as the Amrit Sarovar,…

Every afternoon Indian and Pakistani border guards meet at the border post between Attari and Wagah to engage in a 30-minute display of military…

Graced by two wedding-cake towers and an ornamental suspension bridge, Sheesh Mahal is one of Punjab's more striking buildings. Inside the lavishly…

Credited with fertility-improving powers, this fascinating labyrinthine Hindu temple commemorates the 20th-century female saint Lal Devi. From the main…

Reached through a narrow gatehouse leading to an enclosed courtyard, this poignant park commemorates the 1500 Indians killed or wounded when a British…

The Guru Granth Sahib is installed in the temple every morning and returned at night to the Akal Takhat, the temporal seat of the Khalsa brotherhood. The…

Ram Bagh was the former palace grounds of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780–1839), who founded the Sikh empire. It now serves as a public park. At its heart,…

The largest and most dramatic gurdwara in Anandpur Sahib is the Kesgarh Sahib, set back from the main highway on the edge of the old town. An elegant…

Just outside the Golden Temple Complex, and with its own ceremonial tank, the octagonal Baba Atal Tower was constructed in 1784 to commemorate Atal Rai,…

Up to your right as you walk out the back of Kesgarh Sahib gurdwara, a broad paved path climbs the hillside to the small Kesgarh fort, which affords…

The striking five-petal form (inspired by the five warrior-saints in the Khalsa) of the Khalsa Heritage Complex, which opened in 2011, is one of India’s…

At the east end of the Amrit Sarovar tank is the Ramgarhia Bunga, a protective fortress topped by two Islamic-style minarets; inside is a stone slab once…

This vast, sprawling castle of a college, on your right as you head west of town along GT Rd, was founded in 1890 to educate the cream of Punjabi society…

Located in the northwest corner of Ram Bagh, this museum is dedicated to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the ‘Lion of Punjab’ (1780–1839), who founded the Sikh…