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Punjab and Haryana are two well to do states of India and the inhabitants of these states are known as hard working people. If you travel to or through Punjab and Haryana, you will notice that even ordinary people look better off than their counterparts in most other Indian states. A Haryana farmer is usually better dressed and he is most likely to use a tractor to till his agricultural land rather than a pair of bullocks. But from the view point of tourism, these two states do not offer too many so-called "tourists attractions", though there are a few things to see in these states. In fact, your tour of Punjab and Haryana could be quite rewarding if you know what to see here.
The city of Chandigarh, which itself is an Union Territory, is shared by both states as their state capital. Chandigarh is a new, well planned city, built by independent India in the 1950's, and it is considered to be the most beautiful city in India. Part of the city was planned by the famous French architect and city planner Le Corbusier, while the American architect Albert Mayer was involved in the original planning of the city. There are several buildings in Chandigarh that were designed by Le Corbusier. Architects and city planners do visit Chandigarh when they go to India to see this well-planned, modern city first hand. Chandigarh is irresistible for the professionals. Perhaps the most original and unique thing to see in Chandigarh is the Rock Garden which is basically made out of waste material and trash. Unless you see it for yourself, you will not believe that such things of beauty can be created out of a city's discarded material. Here is a stamp showing some statues of the Rock Garden at Chandigarh. All stamp images on this page are clickable. Clicking will reveal a better picture of the stamp subject and/or give more information about it.
From a tourist point of view, the most important destination within the states of Punjab and Haryana is Amritsar and the first and foremost thing to see in Amritsar is the Golden Temple (Swarna Mandir), the holiest place for all Sikhs. Golden Temple is also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib or Sri Darbar Sahib. Whether you are Sikh or not, you are bound to be impressed by the Golden Temple.
There is a park (garden) in Amritsar called Jallianwala Bagh. This is the infamous site of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre by the British Indian Army soldiers in 1919. While official sources place the casualties at 379, unofficial sources say that over 1000 unarmed men, women, and children had died in the incident and over 2000 were injured. The incident is also known as The Amritsar Massacre. Many people visiting Amritsar, do visit the site at Jallianwala Bagh. Close to the border between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, in the Bilaspur region, is the famous Bhakra Dam (part of Bhakra-Nangal Project). It is one of the highest concrete gravity-arch dams of the world (at 741 feet it is higher than the Hoover Dam of USA). This dam is certainly worth seeing, if you have the time.
Here are some links concerning Punjab and Haryana tourism:
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