Must-see attractions in Punjab (India)

  • Top Choice
    Golden Temple

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Govindgarh

    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,…

  • Top Choice
    Guru-Ka-Langar

    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…

  • Top Choice
    Qila Mubarak

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

  • Top Choice
    Golden Temple Interpretation Centre

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

  • Top Choice
    Partition Museum

    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…

  • Amrit Sarovar

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

  • Border-Closing Ceremony

    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…

  • Sheesh Mahal

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

  • Mata Temple

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

  • Jallianwala Bagh

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

  • Akal Takhat

    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

    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,…

  • Kesgarh Sahib

    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…

  • Baba Atal Tower

    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,…

  • Anandpur Sahib Fort

    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…

  • Khalsa Heritage Complex

    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…

  • Ramgarhia Bunga

    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…

  • Khalsa College

    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…

  • Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama

    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…