India Travel

Listings in Haryana and Punjab

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Listings Amitsar in Haryana and Punjab

Airlines the main Indian Airlines office is on Court Road 0183/213392; Air India (j 0183/546122) js located at the Amritsar International Hotel complex near the bus stand. Ambulance 0183/220900 or 501702. Banks and exchange Several banks offer foreign exchange facilities including the State Bank of India, halfway between the bus stand and the Golden Temple, the Bank of Punjab, near the temple, and the Chartered Bank and ANZ Grindlays, both at Hall Bazaar. Authorized agencies such as Narang Travels at the Amritsar International Hotel arcade, near the bus stand, also change money. Hospitals Kakkar Hospital Green Avenue (0183/506015); Sri Guru

Amritsar in Haryana and Punjab

The Sikh's holy city of AMRITSAR, site of the fabled Golden Temple, is the largest city in Punjab: noisy, dirty, dusty and hopelessly congested. Its one saving grace is the Golden Temple, whose golden domes soar above rheteing streets. Amntsar is also an important staging post or those crossing In do—Pakistani frontier at Wagha, 29km west.

The Capital Complex in Haryana and Punjab

Three blocks north of the centre, in the shadow of the Shivalik Hills, the Capital Complex, Sector 1, is the site of some of Le Corbusier's most ambitious experiments. The concrete campus, set amid balding sun-parched lawns, was designed to express the strength and unity of independent India. Ironically, the area is now surrounded by barbed wire and patrolled by armed guards, and has been indefinitely closed to casual tourists since the assassination of the chief minister of Punjab, Beant Singh, in front of the Assembly in October 1995. Check at the tourist office to sec if guided tours have

Haryana and Punjab

The prosperous states of HARYANA and PUNJAB occupy the flat and fertile tract of river plain that extends northwest from Delhi, towards the mountains of Jammu & Kashmir and the border with Pakistan. Divided by the Partition of August 1947, Punjab has been systematically shorn of its once vast territory: losing the Punjab Hills to Himachal Pradesh and later sacrificing a further chunk to create Haryana. Crossed by the five major tributaries of the Indus, the former British-administered region of Punjab ("Land of Five Rivers") was split down the middle at Independence. Indian Muslims fled west into Pakistan, and Hindus

Pathankot in Haryana and Punjab

The dusty town of PATHANKOT, 270km north of Chandigarh and 101km to the northeast of Amritsar, is an important cantonment and railway junction close to the frontier with Pakistan and near the borders with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. Many travellers pass through to pick up bus connections to Dharamsala, Dalhousie, Chamba and Kashmir, or to take the slow train east through the picturesque Kangra Valley.

The Grand Trunk Road in Haryana and Punjab

Crossing Haryana and Punjab en route to, or from, Delhi, you're bound to travel at some stage, along part of the longest, oldest and most famous highway in India Stretching 2000km from Peshawar near the rugged Afghan-Pakistan frontier to Calcutta on the River Hooghly, NH-1. alias the Grand Trunk Road, was described by Kipling in his novel Kim, whose hero and his Tibetan lam i companion set off along it in search up' The River of Arrows", ;is "the Big Road", and "the Backbone of all Hind". The first recorded mention of this trade corridor dates from the fourth century BC,

The City in Haryana and Punjab

Chandigarh's numbered sectors are further subdivided into lettered blocks making route-finding relatively easy. Le Corbusier saw the city plan as a living organism, with the imposing Capital Complex to the north as a "head", the shopping precinct. Sector 17, a "heart", the green open spaces as "lungs", and the crosscutting network of roads, separated into eight different grades for use by various types of vehicles (in theory only), a "circulatory system".

The Jubi Tree in Haryana and Punjab

The gnarled old Jubi Tree in the northwest corner of the compound was planted 450 years ago by the Golden Temple's first high priest, or Babba Buddhaya, and is believed to have special powers. Barren women wanting a son hang strips of cloth from its branches, while marriage deals are traditionally struck in its shade for good luck - a practice frowned upon by the modern temple administration.

Pinjore in Haryana and Punjab

PINJORE, 22km north of Chandigarh and 7km south ofKalka on the Shimla road, is best known for its walled Yadavindra Gardens, one of many sites associated with the exile of the Pandavas, chronicled in the Mahabliarata.The gardens originally belonged to the rajas of Sirmaur, but under the Moghuls, Pinjore was taken over by Aurangzeb's foster brother, Fidai Khan, who erected three pleasure palaces for his wife amid the cypress trees. Legend tells that the raja reclaimed his summer retreat by sending a female fruit-seller with goitre to the imperial imposters. On being told that the woman's unsightly swelling was caused

Around Chandigarh in Haryana and Punjab

While Chandigarh's futuristic architecture may be of limited interest to most travellers, the ornamental Moghul gardens in Pinjore, on the northern outskirts of the city, have a much more universal appeal. Southwest of Chandigarh there are further Moghul ruins at Sirhind, a good place to stop overnight between Delhi and Amritsar. Anandpur Sahib, the home of the Khalsa movement and one of Sikhism's most venerated shrines, lies just off the Chandigarh-Mandi highway and makes a worthwhile detour, especially during the festival of Holi.

Accommodation price codes Haryana and Punjab

All accommodation prices in this book have been categorized using the price codes below. Prices given are for a double room, and all taxes are included. For more details, see p.51. uptoRs100 Rs300-400 Rs900-1500 Rs100-200 Rs400-600 Rs1500-2500 Rs200-300 RS600-900

The Akal Takht in Haryana and Punjab

Directly opposite the ceremonial entrance to the Harmandir. The Akal Takht is the second most sacred shrine in the Golden Temple complex. A symbol of God's authority on earth, it was built by Guru Hargobind in the seventeenth century and came to house the Shiroman Gurudwara Parbandhak committee, the religious and political governing body of the Sikh faith founded in 1925. During the 1984 siege, Bhindranwale and his army used this golden-domed building as their headquarters, fortifying it with sandbags and machine-gun

Arrival, information and city transport in Haryana and Punjab

Served by flights to and from Delhi, Amritsar and Leh, Chandigarh's airport lies 11km south of the city centre. Facilities include an Indian Airlines office (0172/704539), a branch of the State Bank of Patiala and a taxi stand. The railway station lies 8km southeast of the centre, connected by half-hourly buses or auto-rickshaws and taxis. The prepaid rickshaw counter is worth queuing for as rates are fixed. There's a useful Current Reservations ticket office, although Northern Railway's main computerized reservation counter is at the bus terminal (Mon-Sat 8am—8pm). All state transport buses pull in to the main transport and information hub -

Golden rules of Amritsar in Haryana and Punjab

Visitors of all nationalities and religions are allowed into the Golden Temple provided they respect a few basic rules, enforced by patrolling guards. Firstly, tobacco, alcohol and drugs of any kind are forbidden. Before entering, you should also leave your shoes at the free cloakrooms, cover your head (cotton scarves are available outside the main entrance - or wear your Kullu hat), and wash your feet in the pool below the steps. Photography is permitted outside, but not inside any of the shrines tours, provides details on temple accommodation and has books and leaflets about the temple and Sikh faith.

City transport in Haryana and Punjab

Chandigarh is too spread out to explore on foot, but cycle- and auto-rickshaws cruise the streets. Auto meters are invariably "out of order" so be sure to negotiate prices first. Cycle rickshaws are much cheaper, but the drivers find the long haul up to the north end of town or to the railway station tough going, so allow plenty of time. Next to the prepaid auto-rickshaw booth behind the ISBT, the main taxi stand (0172/704621) is open 24hr. CITCO s Tour and Travel Wing at the ISBT can also arrange half- or full-day excursions and will probably get you a

Practicalities in Haryana and Punjab

The infrastructure of Anandpur Sahib underwent rapid development to cope with the high number ot visitors attending the tricentenary celebrations of the Khalsa in 1999 but accommodation is limited to the gurudwam, ITDC's new luxury hotel and further afield at the nearest town, Ropar. there's Puikcassia Tourist Complex, the Boat Club, (01881/22097), in pleasant riverside grounds 45km south on the Chandigarh-Mandi highway. Local buses run between Ropar and Anandpur Sahib, but there are plans for a new high-speed railway line between Anandpur Sahib, New Delhi and Chandigarh.

The City of Amritsar Haryana and Punjab

The Golden Temple stands in the heart of the old town: a disorientate of narrow lanes and bazaars. Eighteen fortified gateways punctuate the add named Circular Road, of which only one (to the north) is original. Skirting the edge of the old quarter, the railway line, crossed by a series of chaotic road bridges, forms a sharp divide between the bazaar and the more spacious British-built side of the city. Most of the hotels and restaurants are located in this district, around the Maginot-Lme-style railway station. Further north long straight tree-lined streets full of fast-moving traffic eventually peter out into

Chandigarh in Haryana and Punjab

After the 1947 Partition when the principal Punjabi city Lahore was claimed by Pakistan, the new state found itself without a capital. Premier Jawaharlal Nehru saw this as a golden opportunity to realize his vision of a city "symbolic of the future of India, unfettered by the traditions of the past, [and] an expression ot the nation's faith in the future", and dispatched scouts to Europe to search tor designers. When their original choice, Polish-born Mathew Nowicki, was killed in a plane crash in 1950, the controversial Swiss-French architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, alias Le Corbusier (1887-1965), was offered the job. Begun in

Eating to Amritsar in Haryana and Punjab

Amritsar boasts a clutch of swish a/c restaurants, mostly located in the modern end of town north of the railway. For cheaper food, try the simple vegetarian dhabas around the Golden Temple and bus stand serving cheap and tasty puris and chana dhal. Some local specialities are Amritsari Gsh and pinnies and matthies, sweets made from lentils available at Durga% on Lawrence Road. Bharawan da Dhaba. near the Town Hall. One of the best dhabas in Amritsar, not far from the Golden Temple. Cheap, wholesome and recommended. Crystal, Crystal Chowk. Ore of the city's most popular restaurants, with mid-priced Indian, Chinese and

Arrival, information and city transport to Amritsar in Haryana and Punjab

Amritsar's airport, serving Indian Airlines flights from Delhi and Chandigarh, lies 12km northwest of the city. Taxis (around Rs200) and auto-rickshaws (RslOO) run to the town centre, while buses pull into the huge, frenetic bus stand off GT Road on the eastern edge of the city centre. The railway station lies on the northern edge of the centre, 2km west of the interstate bus stand. PTDC's tourist office, Youth Hostel, Mall Mandi. GT Road (Mon-Sat 9am-5pm: ©0183/231452) is friendly, helpful and has useful information on bus and other travel connections. Amritsar is too large and labyrinthine to negotiate on foot. If