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Haryana & Punjab Chandigarh . . . . . . . . 202 Around Chandigarh. . 209 Haryana . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Kurukshetra (Thanesar). . . . . . . . . .210 South & West of Delhi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210 Punjab . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Anandpur Sahib . . . . . 211 Sirhind . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Patiala . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Northern Punjab. . . . . 212 Amritsar . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 India–Pakistan Border at Attari–Wagah . . . . 220 Pathankot . . . . . . . . . 220
Why Go? Haryana and Punjab comprise the Indian half of the erstwhile Punjab region that was tumultuously split when India and Pakistan separated in 1947. Punjab (translating to ‘Five Waters’) is named after the five rivers of this fertile ‘rice bowl’ and ‘bread basket’: the Beas, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej. Hindi-speaking, primarily Hindu Haryana split from Punjabi-speaking, primarily Sikh Punjab in 1966, but they still share a capital, Chandigarh. Apart from its prodigious manufacturing and agriculture industries, and the precocious Delhi satellite of Gurgaon, Haryana is best known for the Hindu holy site of Kurukshetra. Punjab is the home of the Sikhs, butter chicken and bhangra (music/dance). Here, Sat Sri Akall replaces Namastee as the preferred greeting, and Sikh gurdwaras outnumber Hindu temples as places of worship. Tourists and worshippers flock to Amritsar’s gleaming Golden Temple, while nationalists and the curious join in the fun at Attari–Wagah’s entertaining border-closing ceremony on the India–Pakistan border.
When to Go Best Places to Eat Chandigarh °C/°F Temp » Moti Mahal Deluxe (p218) » Pomodoro (p206)
» Brothers’ Dhaba (p218) » Bhoj (p205)
Best Places to Stay » Aura Vaseela (p205) » Grand Hotel (p215)
» Mrs Bhandari’s Guest House (p215)
» Hotel Satyadeep (p205)
Rainfall inches/mm 32/800
40/104
24/600
20/68
16/400 0/32
8/200 0
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Feb–Mar Colourful kites take to the air to welcome spring during the festival of Basant.
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Mar Holla Mohalla is a three-day celebration of the Khalsa (Sikh brotherhood) at Anandpur Sahib.
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Dec Amritsar throbs and swivels during the three-night International Bhangra Festival.