Ludhiana is said to be the largest city in Punjab. It is spread over an area of 310 km square. Also, it is one of the major industrial centers in the northern India. It is 100 km west from the Chandigarh, the state capital.
HOW TO REACH
By Air:-
Ludhiana airport is located within the city and has an excellent connectivity to the national capital, New Delhi as well as with other parts of the country.
By Road:-
The state transport buses as well as private buses connect the city with several cities of the country. One can get A/C as well as Non A/C buses at a minimum cost. Chandigarh (95km), Delhi (330km), Jaipur (578km), Lucknow (713km) and Kanpur (743km) are connected to Ludhiana through an able bus network.
By Train:-
The Ludhiana railway station has an excellent connectivity with all the major cities of India. It resolves all the problems of the visitors about how to reach Ludhiana. You can get easy transport service from the railhead to reach a particular destination.
WHAT TO SEE
Bhaini Sahib(Bhaini Ala):-
Bhaini Sahib or Bhaini Ala is situated at a distance of about 25 kilometres on Ludhiana – Chandigarh Road. The village was originally known as such and came to be called Bhaini Sahib on account of its association with practice of giving the suffix to all notable Sikh religious places.
Chhapar Fair:-
The Chhapaar Mela is celebrated in the village of Chhapaar in the district of Ludhiana every September. A village fair that originated, as a small gathering of locals to worship snake embodiment of Guga 150 years ago has emerged as a mega festival in the past three decades. This weeklong fair is organised on Anand Chaudas, the 14th day of the bright half of Bhadon in honour of Gugga Pir in Chhapar village of Dehlon block of Ludhiana district.
Daresi Ground:-
Daresi Ground located in Old Ludhiana. Daresi Ground witnessed the Indian freedom struggle and even carried some part of the movement in its lap. It also provided a pedestal to leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, who addressed rallies of national importance from here. The Hindi agitation movement is said to have been launched from here and for the past so many decades, it has been the place for several political rallies.
Dukh Niwaran Sahib Gurudwara:-
Dukh Niwaran Sahib is located in the heart of the city at Field Ganj, Near Jagraon Bridge, Ludhiana. Sri Dukh Niwaran Sahib is though not a Historic Place, still doing very well in Spreading Sikh Guru’s Message to All Over.
Its Live Telecast is Usually Shown at Local Cable Networks and Popular TV Channels like MH1, ETC Punjabi and others. Everyday some 50,000 people, including people from other faiths come to pray at Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran.
Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan:-
Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan is situated in 4 acres near the mini secretariat in Ludiana have an air-conditioned auditorium, which is the first of its kind in the Ludhiana city, a museum , art gallery, conference halls, a well-stocked library , shopping arcade with 48 shops and a theatre for staging plays.
Hardy’s World:-
Hardy’s World is the largest water park of Punjab situated 7 km away from Ludiana. This is one of the eye – catching amusement park in the city which provides caf?s and shopping complex and also offers as a place to arrange parties .This water city gives full fun to the tourists.
Lodhi Fort:-
The over 500-year-old Lodhi Fort, constructed by Muslim ruler Sikander Lodhi on a strategic location along the banks of the Sutlej in the city. Sultan Lodhi constructed this fort. Shere-e-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh had got dug up a large and mysterious tunnel that connected the Lodhi Fort with his residential palace at Phillaur town across the Sutlej River.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum(Uppal Museum):-
Maharaja Ranjit Singh War Museum(Uppal Museum) was instituted in 1999 with a few bare essentials, today stands strong. At the very entrance stands a huge statue of maharaja Ranjit singh sitting proud and magnificent on a throne. Towards the right and left of the statue one can find tanks, apec car, anti-aircraft gun, car scout and an old sukhoi fighter aircraft, along with a massive model of the ins vikrant.
Manji Sahib Gurudwara, Alamgir:-
This Gurudwara stands at a place where Guru Gobind Singh stayed for a few days after covering journey full of hazards, because of the presence of Mughal military contingents in the area. On reaching Alamgir 11 km from Ludhiana and not finding any drinking water, the Guru shot an arrow into the ground where appeared a spring. This spring has been converted into a tank known as ‘Tirsar’ (arrow lake). Nearby stands the magnificent six-storied Gurudwara Manji Sahib.
Mughal Sarai at Doraha:-
This 17th centuary beautiful Sarai (protected monument) situated at Doraha Village to the south of Ludhiana -Khanna road, built by the Mughal ruler Jahangir. This huge rectangular Sarai has octagonal bastions at each corner with168m. Square area of battlemented walls and also has rooms and verandahs on all sides .It have a huge two double-storied gateways in the centre on northern and southern sides, connected with a kachha pathway. The northern gate was painted with floral designs and the southern gate has flora and fauna paintings.
Museum of Rural Life of Punjab:-
The Museum of Rural life of Punjab in the campus of the Punjab Agricultural University is one of the must-sees for any tourist of Punjab. This museum displays the Punjabi Culture to its best. The PAU is perhaps, the only university in India to have a museum like this.
Nanaksar Gurudwara, Jagraon
It is Located near Jagraon at a distance about 38 Kms from Ludhiana on Ferozepur road, Gurudwara founded by Baba Nand Singh, Nanaksar Sahib is a model of elegance and architecture A five days fair is held here in his memory in August every year and nearly one-lakh devotees attend it from all parts of India. In addition every year Jor Mela is organized in a big way from 13th January to17th January, which attracts sangat from all over.
Nehru Rose Garden:-
Nehru Rose Garden situated in Ludhiana city was established in 1967.This is one of the largest rose garden in asia, spreads over an area of 30 acres, which planted more than 17,000 plants with 1,600 varieties of roses ,which gives a greenery sight .It is a picnic spot with landscaped lawns ,musical fountain, pathway ,mini-zoo and also offers boat rides in the pool are the major entertainments which attracts the visitors. It is also considered as a best spot for jogging and walking. The famous annual rose festival of the city is conducted in this garden which attracts thousands of visitors.
Phillaur Fort(Maharaja Ranjit Singh Fort):-
This small Fort alias Ludhiana Fort is situated in Phillaur, Punjab on the banks of the Sutlej River,14Km from Ludhiana. It is an ancient ( 17th century) fort .In the second half of the century it was transformed to a serai and in the 18 th centuary it was further converted into a mud fort and then in 1809-12 it became the military fortress of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
River Satluj:-
Sutlej River is situated on the northern side of the city approximately 15 km away from the city centre. It is only during monsoon season that the river has water flowing into it. Satluj takes its origin from Mansarovar Lake in the Tibbet (China).
Shri Ayyappa Temple:-
Shri Ayyappa Temple situated in Ludhiana, Punjab is dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. There are also four other temples inside this temple complex , which are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesh ,Lord Siva, and Goddess Devi Matha. Makaravilakku festival of this temple is celebrated magnificently by conducting a shobha yatra with traditional poojas
Shri Krishna Mandir:-
Shri Krishna Mandir is very famous and biggest temple of Ludhiana. It is situated in Model Town Extension, Ludhiana. Shri Krishna Mandir is one of the newest beautifully furnished temples constructed on 500 Sq. yards. More than 520 statues have been established in this temple.
Sidhwan Canal:-
Sidhwan Canal is a distributory of a main canal originating from Bhakra dam flows through the southern part of the city. The canal has a sizeable discharge of 1600 cusecs of water. However, the canal water is meant for irrigation and hence not used for domestic supply in Ludhiana city. Thus there is not surface water available for domestic or industries purpose.
Soil Museum:-
Soils Museum located in the Department of Soils is one of its kinds in Northern India depicting detailed information about the soil resources of Punjab State based upon research carried out in the Department. The work of Soils Museum was initiated in the 1970 at the instance of Dr. M.S.Randhawa, then the Vice-Chancellor of the University.
Sunet – The Historical Village:-
Historic places always attract curiosity. They act as a potential magnet for tourists. Sunet, a village now surrounded by Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, a posh colony of the city, is one such place. It had first hogged limelight in the early 1980s when thousands of coins and sealing dating as old as first century AD were found during excavations carried out by the National Department of Archaeology, Punjab. Sunet village comprising of ancient mounds, some of which were excavated, is, sadly, passing into oblivion.
Tiger Safari Zoo:-
Zoo in Ludhiana called as Tiger Safari, situated 6 kms from the main city on GT Road on Ludhiana-Jalandhar Highway coveres an area of on 25 acres. It was established in 1993 and here one can see the majestic tigers are freely wandering in the dense forest, black bucks, sambhars, rabbits and lots of peacocks. It is a good picnic spot for the children and they thrilled to see the bathing of the tigers in the pool and sleeping under the bushes.
Valmiki Bhawan:-
The four-storey building of Valmiki Bhavan is located on Chandigarh Road in Jamalpur in the Ludhiana city. The Chief Minister Punjab – Mr. Parkash Singh Badal on 4th November 2001, inaugurated this bhavan, claimed to be the first of its kind in the state.
SHOPPING:-
This city is a hub of trade and Ghumar Mandi and Chaura Bazaar are the main markets. Ludhiana is said to be the best for shopping and with 20 malls in the city, MBD, Silver Arch and Global Business Park are the better ones. All the premium brands can be found apart from the famous street shopping as well.
FOOD:-
Punjabi cuisine is famous all over the world as Punjabi’s spend a lot on their food. The main delicacy of this place is ‘Makki Di Roti and Sarso ka Saag’. Also ‘Chatti Di Pinni’, ‘Aloo Paratha’, ‘Gobi Paratha’, ‘Ghee Shakar’ and ‘Alsi Di Pinni’ are some of the famous delicacies.The list is unlimited and the flavors are amazing. It is difficult to resist their food and should be tried by one and all.