There is something so captivating about the Gobindgarh Fort near Amritsar that you return to it again and again. Long ago, it was home to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, not so long ago it housed the camp office of Gen Dyer and a phansi ghar just outside his bedroom. Drive on and you will come to the Serai Amanat Khan built by the great Sher Shah Suri and a stretch of the original Grand Trunk Road with gorgeous Turkish gates. Take a detour and you’ll land at Ram Tirath where the Ramayana was written, not far from the Golden Temple. Further on, just a couple of miles away from Pakistan, is Rajasansi, a village of craftsmen weaving durries. Hungry kya? Simply gorge on the newly-patented Amritsari kulchas and gur-ka-halwa near a swank mall.

Next time, you plan a vacation, think Punjab. After good-naturedly suffering endless jibes about Punjab having no culture except “agriculture”, the state is set to hit back with a blitz of culture and heritage guaranteed to leave you bedazzled. Armed with the Centre’s blessings and several crores, Punjab is dolling up to put its most fetching face forward with four destinations on its tourism map — Amritsar, Patiala, Ropar, and Kapurthala — and two circuits, one exploring pilgrim spots and the other tracing the freedom movement.

“Right now, we are in a dressing up stage, but come to us in a year or two and you will never want to return,” says Geetika Kalha, Principal Secretary, Tourism, who is implementing the initiative.

... contd.