Historical places in Punjab
Punjab's historical places hold two thousand years in one land: a Harappan town on the Sutlej, Mughal forts and gardens at Lahore, Sikh-era strongholds at Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda, and the memorials of 1919 and the freedom struggle. This guide lists the forts, palaces, ancient sites and memorials of both Punjabs, each with its story, facts and visiting notes.
14 forts, palaces, ancient sites and memorials, on both sides of the 1947 border
- Anglo-Sikh War Memorial, Ferozeshahਐਂਗਲੋ-ਸਿੱਖ ਜੰਗ ਯਾਦਗਾਰ, ਫਿਰੋਜ਼ਸ਼ਾਹ
- Fateh Burj, Chappar Chiriਫਤਿਹ ਬੁਰਜ, ਛੱਪੜ ਚਿੜੀ
- Gobindgarh Fortਗੋਬਿੰਦਗੜ੍ਹ ਕਿਲ੍ਹਾ
- Hussainiwala National Martyrs Memorialਹੁਸੈਨੀਵਾਲਾ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰੀ ਸ਼ਹੀਦੀ ਯਾਦਗਾਰ
- Jallianwala Baghਜਲ੍ਹਿਆਂਵਾਲਾ ਬਾਗ਼
- Lahore Fort (Shahi Qila)ਲਾਹੌਰ ਕਿਲ੍ਹਾ (ਸ਼ਾਹੀ ਕਿਲ੍ਹਾ)
- Qila Mubarak, Bathindaਕਿਲ੍ਹਾ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ, ਬਠਿੰਡਾ
- Qila Mubarak, Patialaਕਿਲ੍ਹਾ ਮੁਬਾਰਕ, ਪਟਿਆਲਾ
- Ram Bagh, Amritsarਰਾਮ ਬਾਗ, ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ
- Rupnagar Archaeological Siteਰੂਪਨਗਰ ਪੁਰਾਤੱਤਵ ਸਥਾਨ
- Sanghol Ancient Siteਸੰਘੋਲ
- Saragarhi Memorial, Ferozepurਸਾਰਾਗੜ੍ਹੀ ਯਾਦਗਾਰ, ਫਿਰੋਜ਼ਪੁਰ
- Shalimar Gardens, Lahoreਸ਼ਾਲੀਮਾਰ ਬਾਗ, ਲਾਹੌਰ
- Sheesh Mahal, Patialaਸ਼ੀਸ਼ ਮਹਿਲ, ਪਟਿਆਲਾ
What are the most famous historical places in Punjab?
Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, where British troops fired on a peaceful crowd in 1919, is the most visited memorial in Punjab. The great built sights are Lahore Fort and the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, Gobindgarh Fort in Amritsar, Qila Mubarak in Bathinda and Patiala, and Fateh Burj at Chappar Chiri, the tallest victory tower in India. The oldest layers of all are the excavated ancient towns of Sanghol and Rupnagar.
Which historical places in Punjab are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
Two, and they form a single listed property: Lahore Fort and the Shalimar Gardens of Lahore, inscribed together in 1981. The fort holds 21 monuments from the reigns of Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb, and the gardens are Shah Jahan's great terraced charbagh of 1641 to 1642, with 414 fountains fed by a canal from the Ravi.
What is the oldest fort in Punjab?
Qila Mubarak in Bathinda, whose present form dates to about 1100 to 1200 AD, is held to be the oldest surviving fort in India; Razia Sultan was imprisoned in it in 1240. Older still as places, though not as buildings, are the archaeological sites: Sanghol, with its Kushan-era stupa, and Rupnagar on the Sutlej, where the layers run back to the Harappan age.
Are these historical places open to visitors?
Yes. Most are kept as museums or public memorial gardens with set opening hours: Gobindgarh Fort and the Ram Bagh palace museum in Amritsar, the Darbar Hall museum inside Qila Mubarak at Patiala, the Sanghol and Rupnagar museums, and the memorials at Hussainiwala, Saragarhi and Ferozeshah. Jallianwala Bagh is a public garden of remembrance, open daily, and the daily flag ceremony at Hussainiwala, a kilometre from the Pakistan border, draws crowds every evening.