Amritsar

Amritsar, in the north-western Punjab plains, is the cultural, heritage, and culinary heart of Punjab — a vibrant city of historic monuments, a poignant freedom-struggle memorial, a famous border spectacle, and one of North India's greatest vegetarian food traditions. Its defining landmark is the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), whose white-marble and gold-plated sanctum sits in the middle of the Amrit Sarovar, the large water tank that gives the city its name. Completed in 1604 and given its present gilded form in the early 19th century by Maharaja Ranjit Singh — who had the upper storeys overlaid with gold around 1830 — it is one of the most photographed buildings in India; the complex is open to visitors of every background, around the clock, with head covering and bare feet required at the entrance. A short walk away lies Jallianwala Bagh, the walled garden where, on 13 April 1919, British troops under General Dyer fired on a peaceful gathering of unarmed civilians — the bullet-pocked red-brick walls, the memorial flame, and the martyrs' well make it among the most moving sites of India's freedom struggle. The nearby Partition Museum in the Town Hall (opened 2017) is the country's most significant oral-history institution, with 1947 testimonies, photographs, and artefacts — plan two hours. The Wagah-Attari Border Ceremony, 30 km west on the India-Pakistan frontier, is the daily sunset flag-lowering performed by the BSF to a roar of crowds. The restored 18th-century Gobindgarh Fort and the pedestrianised Heritage Street round out the city circuit. For vegetarian travellers, Amritsar is a feast: the Amritsari kulcha (tandoor-baked wheat bread stuffed with spiced potato or paneer, served with chhole and white butter) at Kulcha Land is essential; the thick, saffron-topped lassi served in clay bowls at Gian di Hatti (since 1927) is the city's signature drink; and pinni (ghee-wheat-jaggery sweet balls) completes the food trail. October to March is the comfortable window.