A tribute to Jallianwala Bagh

Jallianwala Bagh is one of the most important places in the history of Indian Independence. It was a normal gathering place for recreation until 1919, but on 13^th April 1919 this peaceful squire witnessed the most brutal massacre from the British rule. Jallianwala Bagh is just 400 meter north of golden temple.  90 years ago on the Baisakhi festival, this is a holiday in Sikh Calendar. Thousands of pilgrims who visited Amritsar golden temple gathered in Jallianwala Bagh in the evening to celebrate Baisakhi. General Dyer and his troops blocked the narrow entrance which was the only way in and out of Jallianwala Bagh and open fire without any warning. Justifying the British has banned meetings, demonstrations and mass gatherings. The notorious massacre resulted in the death of 379 innocent pilgrims and almost 1200 where wounded. Today it is a memorial park with a huge memorial built in the center of this beautiful garden. A part of the ruined wall is kept to show the bullet holes. Amritsar has an airport and a railway station and several hotels and resorts for tourists to come, stay and study a chapter in Indian History.

Wagah Border

Wagah border is a place where one can witness the true majestic image of two nations in one place. When the sun hides to obscurity then starts the famous retreat ceremony popularly called “beating the retreat” on the border between the Border Security Force (BSF) of India and the Sutllej Rangers from the Pakistan’s side. They together give a military display similar to the changing of royal guards in London. Both the nations ceremonially retrieve their flags and lights are switched on. Wagah border is the only land route to enter Pakistan from Central Asia. A visit to the border is once in a lifetime experience.

Wagah border is 28 kms away from Amritsar. Amritsar has an airport which is the nearest one to the destination. The city is also well connected with road and rail with good facilities like world class hotels and resorts.

Bhatinda Fort: a walk through the past

It is one of the oldest cities in Punjab and located in southern Punjab. Bhatinda known for its fort and is also the biggest cotton producing regions of India. The Bhatinda Fort is  also known as Qila Mubarak is located in the heart of the city of Bhatinda.

The Bhatinda Fort is a Schooner shaped fort. This fascinating fort stands looks like a ship in the middle of sand. It is said that Bhatinda Fort was built around 1800 years ago, and also assumed that Bhatti Reo built this fort. today the fort is one of the major tourist destination. Bhatinda is easy assessible, the nearest airport is located in New Delhi and Chandigarh. There are several hotels and resorts to stay and enjoy the beauty of this ancient city.

Lohri festival – Don’t miss the action

Lohri is the biggest festival in the state of Punjab. Like all the other harvest festivals, Lohri also brings happiness and prosperity to the land and people. It is the time where the entire state join together leaving all differences. In Punjab the main crop is wheat, it is a winter crop, sown in October and harvested in March and April. The fields will be filled with abundance. It is these days we can see the prosperous face of Punjab and the cheerful nature of Punjabis.

Folk dances on the beat of Dhols, bonfires and huge feasts are part of every family get together during this festival period. People give offerings like Popcorns, peanuts, Rayveri and sweets during bonfire. The traditional feast includes “sarson da saag” and “makki di roti” with desserts like “rau di kheer”. The best time to visit Punjab is during Lohri festival. The Chandigarh airport is well connected by air to different parts of the country. The railway stations like Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Ferozepur, etc. are popular and well connected. Punjab has a lot of resorts and hotels for over night stay.

Amritsar Golden temple: The pride of India

Amritsar is considered the holiest places of all of Punjab. The city of Amritsar it built around the famous Golden Temple and the Amrit Sarovar Lake. The golden temple or Harimandir is one of the most remarkable structures ever built in the country. It has left people all around the world spell bound by its beauty. The walls within the temple are decorated with carved wooden panels and elaborate inlay work in silver and gold. It shows nothing but the rich and prosperous state of the country. The Amritsar golden temple is one monument which should not be missed; it has to be seen at least once in lifetime. It has always been and always will be the pride of India.

 The best time to visit Punjab is in the winter season between the months November and March. The airport in Amritsar is called Raja Sansi International airport, and the city also have railway station as well with a very good network system. The Grand Truck Karnal Road connects Delhi to Amritsar. There are plenty of city hotels, Spa/ Resort, cultural hotels etc in Amritsar.

Bhangra, the beat of Punjab

Think Punjab and you see images of gusto and fervour in many shades. Not the least in the form of a dancing Punjabi.

And what can match the irrepressible Bhangra as an expression of joy, celebration and vigour. Across the fertile fields of Punjab and its many towns like Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and others, the Punjabi has a beat in every movement. The life of the five rivers, which make up the name of the state, is what flows through the veins of the locals here.

Bhangra has been popularised by countless film songs of Bollywood, and is an essential feature of most wedding celebrations all over North India. Little wonder that the beat of Punjab is spreading its message all over.

Bhakra Nangal Dam – Pride of India

Bhakra Nangal  dam is located at a distance of 115 kms from Chandigarh The Dam is a combination of Bhakra dam and Nangal dam.

Bhakra Dam which is situated at about 10 kms from Nangal, is Asia’s biggest dam. It is 225.55 m (741 ft) high above the deepest foundation. The dam was constructed with an aim to provide enough irrigation facility to the region of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. In its rear a huge reservoir is formed called as ‘Gobind Sagar‘ named after Guru Gobind Singh. Water sports in Gobind Sagar have been added to make it a good tourist spot. On the downstream, the dam is flanked by two power houses.

There is a subsidiary dam known as Nangal Dam which is 1000 feet long and 95 feet high and is meant for diverting water into the Nangal Hydel Channel. In this way, the Nangal Dam holds up the water of Satluj River coming from Bhakra Dam and forms an artificial lake of 6 km length.

Rivers of Punjab

Punj means “five” and aab means “waters”, so “punjab” means “land of five rivers”.

The “Five Rivers” are the Beas, the Ravi, the Satluj, the Chenab and the Jhelum. These five rivers originate from various small lakes in the Himalayas.

Beas: The river was also known as Arjiki or Vipas to the ancient The river begins at the Rohtang Pass in the state of Himachal Pradesh, and merges with the Sutlej at Harike Pattan south of Amritsar in Punjab.

Ravi : It originates in the Himalayas in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh

Sutlej: is the longest of the five rivers in Punjab.

Chenab: is formed by the confluence of the Chandra and Bhaga rivers at Tandi. Tandi located in the upper Himalayas.

Jhelum: The river Jhelum rises from north-eastern Jammu and Kashmir and is fed by glaciers, and then passes through the Srinagar district. At the city of Srinagar, the serpentine Jhelum, along with the lake Dal which lies in its course, presents a very picturesque site.

Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India

Manmohan Singh was born on 26 September, 1932, in Gah, Punjab (now in Pakistan). He came from a poor family background, as his father used to sell dry fruits to look after his family.

He studied economics in Chandigarh and later went to Cambridge & Oxford UK for higher studies.

He worked as a Professor in Economics Punjab University, Chandigarh and also as a Professor of International Trade, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi.

In 1987, he became Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission of India.

In 1991, India’s Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, chose Singh to be the Finance Minister. As Finance Minister Dr. Singh was credited with opening up of the Indian economy.

Singh was first elected to the upper house of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, in 1995.

He has won several awards for his work and contribution to society, including the Padma Vibhushan, the Euromoney Finance Minister and the Asiamoney Finance Minister award.

He became the prime minister in 2004, and is the first Sikh to hold the post.

Patiala, a ‘Royal city’

Patiala is surrounded by the districts of Fatehgarh Sahib & Rupnagar and the Union Territory of Chandigarh in the north, Patiala has been one of India’s richest princely states.

Patiala is a place to be visited at least once, to glance the past culture of Punjab. It is a ‘Royal city’ as we call it. The legacy of royal families is seen inscribed in the architecture of royal palaces of Maharaja’s and Forts in the centre of the city.

There are plenty of things to see including the Moti Bagh palace, the Qula Mubarik (fort), Baradari Gardens, Sheesh Mahal , religious temple and museums.