India's Golden Triangle is glorious, but Punjab's grandness is entirely unique

Telegraph

15-04-2025

When it comes to Indian tourism, it's common to see the country shrunk down to Rajasthan and its Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.
The Golden Triangle is named so with good reason – it's the fulcrum of India's image to most of the world, a space where current, colonial and ancient intersect. Each corner of the triangle is awe-inspiring; it's certainly worth your time, and it would be easy to visit Rajasthan and feel content that you'd seen a valuable cross-section of India.
Doing so, however, would be to miss out on Punjab's unique grandness, a particular shame for British travellers who enjoy the UK's deep cultural ties to the area in everyday life. With the state only a few hours north of Delhi, it's a hop from the country's capital to a place that feels a world away from traveller-heavy streets paved in a tourist shade of gold.
A fitting barometer is the old Maharaja's palace, Qila Mubarak, in Punjab's southeastern city of Patiala – said to have once been the largest in Asia. It was recently granted renewed life, partly through the opening of boutique hotel Ran Baas The Palace.
As part of a government push to protect Qila Mubarak from the passage of time, The Park Hotels group was chosen to spearhead a major renovation of the fortress's guesthouse, focused on saving and restoring its treasure trove of Sikh, Mughal and Rajput architecture.
It just so happens that in doing so, Ran Baas has become one of India's most impressive palace hotels – marking a significant investment in the stately but lesser-known Patiala, and serving as the latest sign that Punjab is finally ready to claim its place as a serious alternative to a certain famous, over-trodden neighbour to the south.
And it's more than up to the task. Punjab is steeped in thousands of years of human history: the site of one of humanity's earliest societies, the Indus River Civilisation, it has seen empires come and go, kingdoms and dynasties flourish and wilt, and, more recently, become a symbol of a reshaped continent.
The city of Amritsar sits by the Indian border with Pakistan, and as such has played a central role in the dramatic history of the last 80 years. This past is rightly inescapable, with the city's Partition Museum the best place to learn more about the turbulent and disastrous events that came to pass as a result of the overnight partition of British India – the effects of which are still felt along the border today.
Punjab is also the birthplace of Sikhism, so it makes sense that some of the world's finest gurdwaras are to be found across the state. Open to all, regardless of faith, there's a distinct feeling of warmth when entering a gurdwara or meandering through its grounds.
It's as easy to while away an afternoon on peaceful reflection as it is to watch in admiration at the logistics of handling the numbers of worshippers. Amritsar is home to Sikhism's foremost spiritual site, Harmandir Sahib, known more widely as the Golden Temple, a complex that includes the centre of Sikh authority and a community kitchen that serves a vegetarian meal to all visitors – an impressive effort, considering around 150,000 people visit every day.
Patiala, meanwhile, is rarely seen on travel itineraries, yet it is as intertwined with the history of its state as Amritsar. From the shining domes, holy waters and calm air of the Dukh Nivaran gurdwara, to the warren of bazaars that skirt the walls of Qila Mubarak, the old opulence of a city funded by some of India's most extravagant rulers still emanates from the palace that kick-started the growth of a major Punjabi hub – and which it already beginning to do the same again for a new generation.
India has realised that Patiala, Amritsar and Punjab's other countless crucibles of human richness are worth celebrating with the wider world. There's something special happening in the rarefied space above the Golden Triangle – just make sure you visit before everyone else catches on, too.
Essentials
Air India has daily flights direct from Birmingham to Amritsar, starting at £927 return; from Delhi, IndiGo flies to Amritsar from £65 return, and to Chandigarh from Delhi from £46 return. David RS Taylor was a guest of Ran Baas The Palace by The Park Hotels, which has rooms from £310 per night.