Punjab - Punjab, the chief wheat producing area of the country, is the overland entry point into India. The state is also known for its production of sports and hosiery goods. The holiest shrine for the Sikhs is the Golden Temple in Amritsar, so called because the dome is covered with gold leaf.

Home of the fiercly proud and independent sikhs, the state of Punjab is steeped in histroy and culture of India.

For centuries, the sikh warriors have provided the fighting force for armies of the great kings of India, British Raj and now the people of United India.Through sheer hard work, the men and women of Punjab have turned this into one the greenest states in India. Universally famous for their deligence, they have done much to contribute to the welfare of India.

Culture of Punjab: The typical Punjabi is an extrovert, a sociable fellow who likes to eat well, dress well. Even if he’s in a tight spot he would like to twirl his moustache and say "Chardi kala" ("on the up and up") to those who ask how he’s getting on. He learns quickly and assimilates new cultures without difficulty; family honour is sacrosanct to him, but in other matters he tends to be liberal minded. It is a matter of pride to be "up to date". His enterprise and capacity to work hard are legendary and his deepest ambition is to "be his own boss": many an émigré Punjabi have started life in a strange land driving a cab or working in a café and gone on to buy out the owner within a couple of years.

Dances of Punjab:

Bhangra: Bhangra celebrates the harvest and is associated with the festival of Baisakhi (April 13) when the sight of tall heaps of golden wheat fill the farmer’s heart with joy. To the accompaniment of large drums called dhols, he and his fellow villagers circle round and round in a leaping, laughing caper. It’s a dance that cuts across all divisions of class and education. At marriages, parties, or celebrations of any sort, it is quite common for men to break out in Bhangra. There are few sights more cheering than that of a dignified elder in three-piece suit getting up to join the young fellows for a moment of bhangra revelry.

Gidda: Women have a different but no less exuberant dance called gidda. The dancers enact verses called bolis, which represent folk poetry at its best. The subject matter of these bolis is wide ranging indeed – everything from arguments with the sister-in-law to political affairs figure in these lively songs. Aside from the drums, the rhythm of this dance is set by the distinctive hand-claps of the dancers.

Jhumar: This dance has originally come from Sandalbar (now in Pakistan), but is now very much a part of Punjab folk heritage. It is a dance of graceful gait, based on specific Jhumar rhythm. Dancers circle around the drummer, and keep up a soft, sibilant chorus as they dance.

Cities of Punjab

Amritsar Known for its Golden Temple, the most sacred shrine of the Sikhs, Amritsar is the most revered place of the Sikh Community. Amritsar derived its name from the water pool (Pool of Nectar). The town is also known worldwide for the occurrence of massacre, in the historic Jallianwala Bagh by the British General Dyer's. The added charm of the place is spectacular Ram Bagh Garden.

Today, Amritsar is not only a historical or religious city, but also an industrial city with numerous small and medium scale industries. Amritsar houses several Textile Industry, paint industry, machine tools, rice, fan industry, etc., which place a significant role in the India economy.

Sightseeing at Amritsar -

Golden Temple : Golden Temple is the most sacred temple of the Sikhs built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The lower portion of the temple displays white marble inlay work and the upper portion is embellished with copper coated over by gold plate. Devotees from all sects of life irrespective of their cast and creed come here to pay homage to the temple. The other attractions inside the shrine is the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of the Sikhs and the 24 hr running kitchen, which feeds about 10,000 pilgrims every day, the kitchen is run on a voluntary basis.

Jallianwala Bagh : Nearby is the Jallianwala Bagh (a memorial), where during the British rule in India, General Dyer opened fire on innocent people causing a massacre on 13th April 1919. The place is now a national monument. Its walls bears the bullet marks of this tragedy.

Ram Bag : Ram Bag is a beautiful garden consisting of an amazing palace called as the summer place of erstwhile Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the city of Amritsar. The garden treasures 'Darshani Deorhi' a magnum opus, with its outstanding architectural splendour. There is also a beautiful museum named after Maharaja Ranjit Singh exhibiting unique oil paintings, miniatures, coins, weapons and objects relating to the Sikh period.

Best Season to Visit : Through out the year. But the best time to visit Amritsar is during the Guru Nanak Jayanti (Guru Purnima).

Reaching Amritsar -

Air : Amritsar is has its own domestic and international airport.

Train : Amritsar is well connected to Bhopal, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lahore, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Baroda by rail routes.

Road : You can reach Amritsar by road from all the nearby cities and places. It has well defined roads.

Shopping in Amritsar -

Amritsar has a fabulous and colourful bazaar. Hall Bazaar is the main shopping complex of Amritsar displaying products of varied range, including Electronics goods, Readymade Garments, Handicrafts, Ornaments and Bookshops. Dharam Singh Market another market offering wide variety of products. Near the Golden Temple there are numerous souvenir shops, which displays local crafts.

Chandigarh Chandigarh, derives its name from a temple Chandi Mandir in the vicinity of the site selected for the city (deity Chandi, goddess of power), and a fort or ‘garh" beyond the temple, called Chandigarh..

Chandigarh was conceived as the capital of Punjab, in lieu of the lost capital at Lahore. But Punjab was divided a second time in 1966, and Chandigarh is today the capital of the States of both Punjab and Haryana. However, the city does not belong to either. Chandigarh is a Union Territory, administered by the Government of India.

Chandigarh belongs to its people. They love the city, and are proud of the quality of life it continues to provide.

Chandigarh-Sightseeing

WHAT TO SEE:There are any number of things to do in Chandigarh. You may choose to visit the monuments and see the renowned architecture, admire the landscaping and explore the Leisure Valley or take the nature trails or view the detailed evolution of Chandigarh in the City Museum, or simply imbibe the serenity of the Sukhna Lake. Should you wish to do any or all of the above, kindly read on for the most interesting details.

Architecture:For all visitors, some buildings are on the "must-see" list. We will walk you through the most distinctive among these.

The Capitol Complex :The Capitol Complex in Sector 1 is the seat of government. It is also the raison d’etre for this city. Today it is the joint headquarters of Punjab and Haryana. The offices of the Union Territory Secretariat are located in Sector 9. Sector 1 was conceived and developed entirely by Le Corbusier. We are told that the three geometrical concrete buildings in the Capitol Complex – the Legislative Assembly, the High Court, and the Secretariat – do not resemble anything that existed before.

The Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) :The Legislative Assembly at the south-eastern end of the Capitol piazza is the most arresting of them all. It stands facing the High Court, with an imposing portico that has a cubist mural painted by Le Corbusier himself. The three features emerging from the roof: a powerful cupola housing the main assembly chamber; a pyramidal tower meant for the ‘upper house’ and housing the Haryana Legislature; and a simple cuboid tower providing access to the roof, combine to break the silhouette of the building and lend a certain grace to the structure.

The High Court :The High Court was one of the first architectural monuments to be built in the Capitol Complex. Its extraordinary parasol-like roof floating over the building with a magnificent outward sweep, conveys symbolically that the law is an "umbrella of shelter" for the ordinary citizen. The awesome entrance for the judges through a high portico resting on three giant pylons is intended to manifest the Majesty of the Law to all who enter.

The Secretariat:The Secretariat is the largest of these edifices in the Capitol Complex. It is a huge multi-storeyed linear slab-like structure, intended as a work place for 4000 people. The long line of identical sun breakers is broken by introducing varied heights and projections, together with a roof containing towers, funnels, pavilions and a cafetaria jutting out like an art object placed on a pedestal. In the hands of Corbusier, this basically dull framework has turned out to be something of a sculpture. These three buildings create an extraordinary composition. In particular, their ‘raw’ finish and rough concrete surfaces which Le Corbusier insisted upon was first critiqued vehemently, and then admired the world over. The fourth building in the composition was envisaged as the Governor’s Palace or a Museum of Knowledge. This is yet to be realised.

In the world of architecture, these buildings are perceived as exceptional manifestations of ‘modern’ architecture, reflecting the creativity and care of a lifetime.To further enhance the linear perspective in the Capitol Complex, Le Corbusier planned several monuments along its main piazza extending 1200 feet. These are the monument of the Open hand, the Martyrs Memorial, the Tower of Shadows and the Geometrical Hill. We will dwell upon the Open Hand.

The Open Hand This giant hand in metal sheet rises 26 meters from a sunken french and rotates freely in the wind from a high concrete pedestal, conveying the symbolic message "Open to give, open to receive". Conspicuous by its scale, the Open Hand is the official emblem of the city. The design of this emblem as of the monument was conceived entirely by Le Corbusier. There is probably no city emblem in the world quite like this one. ‘Open to give and open to receive’ presumes an open mind. This notion as also the emblem, celebrates the give and take of ideas, as opposed to commemorating personalities.

Punjab University :The basic layout and many of the buildings in the Punjab University were designed by Pierre Jeanneret and represent some of his finest works, notably the Gandhi Bhavan, the Fine Arts Museum, and the Students Centre. The Gandhi Bhavan is poised atop a large reflecting pool. The architectural grandeur of this building is accentuated by its reflection in the water. The Fine Arts Museum is a modest single storey structure faced with red sand stone, and laid out around a central courtyard. The Students Centre is a unique cylindrical structure with a ramp spiralling up to the cafeteria on the top floor. The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, the Colleges of Architecture and Engineering (Sector 12), and those of Boys and Girls Hostels (Sector 11) are very near the Punjab University (Sector 14). These campuses are worth visiting to see the diversity of architectural expressions within the modern idiom.

The Rock Garden Sector 1 : Open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. all days.An unpretentious entrance leads to a magnificent, almot surrealist arrangement of rock fossils, broken chinaware, discarded fluorescent tubes, broken and cast away glass bangles, building waste, coal and clay – all juxtaposed to create a dream folk world of palaces, soldiers, monkeys, village life, women and temples. These are open air sculptures, one display separated from the other by a clever use of tunnels, twists, turns and concealed gateways such that this magical world unfolds in phases. You have to see it to believe it, and will then not forget it. All of this is enhanced by a waterfall, pool and an open air theatre with proper stage setting.

Botanical Garden Sector 1:Between the Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake, the Botanical garden is spread over 88 acres. Its rockeries, lily-pools, and the rare species covered in green houses draw garden lovers as well as botanists.

The Sukhna Lake Open all days.This 3-square-kilometre rainfed lake was created in 1958 by damming the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream coming down from the Shivalik Hills. The roof of the ‘bund’ or dam, elegantly landscaped has become a favourite promenade. Serious ‘walkers’ pursue an exercise regime, families enjoy an evening stroll, painters and photographers mingle with children on roller skates – to partake of this extraordinary amenity. Photographers and painters never tire of capturing the setting sun, or the heavily clouded monsoon sky, or the early morning mist captured with the rising winter sun against the tranquillity of the lake. Even anglers do not leave unrewarded.The Sukhna Lake attracts migratory birds from places/lands as far as Siberia and elsewhere.

Smriti Upavan Sector 1 Open all days:Smriti means "remembrance" and Upavan means "forest". This is a forest where every tree commemorates someone who is no more.

Terraced Garden Sector 33:Open all daysThis colourful 10-acre garden is the venue of the annual Chrysanthemum Show in December.

Topiary Park:Sector 35Open all days Wire frames and the deft use of pruning shears has transformed creepers and bushes into animal & bird figures.Chandigarh celebrates its gardens and their myriad varieties of flowers with a Festival of Gardens in late-February or early-March.

Government Museum Open from 10 a.m. to 4.40 p.m. All days except Mondays & official holidaysThe museum has a rich collection of miniature paintings of the Gandhara and Pahari schools as also master pieces of contemorary artists of India, including graphics.The building, erected on columns, is itself a work of art providing a natural canopy roof for the ground space. This space serves as display area for large antique sculptures, besides providing a useful semi-open area for accommodating large numbers during exhibitions, inaugurations and lectures.

Art Gallery Across the large expanse of paved space and not far from the Museum was the Art Gallery, referred to as the "Pavillion of Temporary Exhibitions". The buildings of both the museum and the art gallery were realised after the death of Le Corbusier, but strictly according to his designs. This Pavillion was intended as a facility for exhibitions of individual artists. However, since this function was being more than adequately looked after by the Art Gallery within the Government Museum, supplemented by the Art Gallery in the College of Arts, this building, became somewhat neglected. Its design and location made it an obvious choice for the City Museum.

City Museum Open from 10.a.m. to 4.30 p.m. All days except Monday & official holidaysThe creation of the City museum Chandigarh is one of the several activities pursued by the UT Administration during the fiftieth anniversary of India’s independence. The objective was to document and display the sequential planning that went into this unique urban experiment, and to bring out the distinctive and significant aspects of its lay-out and design.The history, planning and architecture of Chandigarh is brought together in this display of valuable archival material containing original documents, notes and sketches together with maps, photographs, plans and models of important buildings. Audio-visual techniques and music are employed to provide more effective participation for the viewer. Students, professionals, visitors, tourists as well as residents continue to enjoy as well as be educated by their journey through the City Museum. Free guided tours as well as special guided tours on nominal charges are provided on the 1st & 3rd Sunday of the month.

Science Museum :This has a cyclorama display presenting the evolution of life from the unicellular organism to its present state of biological diversity.

Theatres and Art Galleries Chandigarh does not lack in theatres either. In Sector 1 alone, the Rock Garden has three open air theatres. The monument of the Open Hand rises from an amphitheatre which provides a dramatic setting for exclusive performances. The Government Museum in the Cultural Complex has an auditorium. The open air auditorium of the Punjab Kala Bhawan in the Rose Garden is a popular venue for music, dance and drama performances. The Tagore Theatre of Performing Arts in Sector 18 is extremely well-equipped with excellent accoustics, and dramatically designed interiors. The large PGI auditorium is sought after for theatrical performances. Bal Bhawan has a well equipped, reasonably large open air theatre, and also a covered auditorium.

National Gallery of Portraits :Sector 17-B Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.All days except Saturday & Sunday and official holidays Portraits of Indian freedom fighters, rare documents and recordings of the voices of leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru are exhibited and preserved. Chandigarh is the cultural capital of the region. Many artists and writers live in the city. The frequently held exhibitions, and performances by singers, dancers, musicians and actors have inculcated among city residents a taste for the best in the performing and graphic arts. Chandigarh has many institutions dedicated to the teaching and promotion of fine arts and performing arts. Their programmes often draw large crowds.

Lalit Kala, Sangeet Natak & Sahitya Academi Sector 34 These three bodies devoted to art, music and dance/drama respectively function in co-ordination with the UT Administration and have their offices in the State Library Building, Sector 34. They conduct numerous lectures, exhibitions, performances and festivals throughout the year.

Pracheen Kala Kendra Sector 35 B Tel: 661171 This is private teaching institution offering degree courses in Hindustani vocal and instrumental music, Kathak and Bharatanatyam among the Indian Classical dance as well as the folk dances & song. The Pracheen Kala Kendra organises a week-long festival of music and dance every year in March as well as smaller programmes – baithaks – on the 11th of every month. No tickets are required for these programmes. Anyone may attend.