Streets Of Punjab

At the mention of Punjab, you will imagine the dancing yellow sarsos (mustard), sprawled across fields and of course fattening food served at the road side Punjabi Dhabas with white butter floating aimlessly. And of course you will imagine song and dance a la Yash Raj films.

But Punjab is much more than this. For its true beauty lies in the streets full of heritage and color.

This picture post is aimed at showing you how beautiful Punjab is,despite its dark history of terrorism and violence.

My love for Punjab is obvious ( it is my birth state!) 🙂 and I hope sincerely that the Punjab Tourism board makes efforts to promote tourism in this state.

As I walked through the streets, I was enthralled by the ancient houses( of the pre-partition era) most of them abandoned and in ruins.

The camera caught a lot of eyeballs. Especially in Amritsar, where a police officer was quite keen to know why I was clicking old doors and broken windows.

I had covered by face with a stole , to protect myself from the harsh sunlight and he thought I was an eccentric tourist. He walked up to me inquiring in his best English , ” Where from?”

I laughed as I replied, “From where you are!” 😀

Here are a few beauties from the Streets of Amritsar, Batala, Pathankot and Ludhiana.

Doors of Punjab

 

While I shot this brick window in Batala, a small town near Amritsar, The owner rushed out to see, anxious of who is clicking her house 🙂 She asked me if city windows were like this. I told her, if they were, I wouldn’t be clicking these!

Doors of Punjab

This green window would probably be my favorite. Tucked away in the busy lanes of Old Amritsar, I couldn’t resist walking looking up, curious of what I would find next 🙂

Doors of Amritsar

 

Doors of Amritsar

And then there are plenty of Gurudwaras, with beautifully carved windows:) Here’s one from Kandh Sahib Gurudwara, Batala

Doors of Amritsar

Doors of Punjab

Colonial windows of the pre-partition era
Colonial windows of the pre-partition era

 

fading away
Fading away

There were some with fine, intricate wooden work that transports you back in time!

Doors of Amritsar

For me this walk was extremely memorable, given my love for architecture, colorful doors and intricate windows!

Each window was enchanting and spoke a tale of yesteryears! I wish we did our best to protect these heritage buildings. Maybe, just maybe there would be another me walking down these streets, a decade later, wishing these were well maintained and devoid of posters!

If you are on Instagram and  share a love for window stories , do tag your windows with #theWindowStory, would love to connect with you!

47 thoughts on “Streets Of Punjab

      1. Yes, I loved it there and visited a lot of places like Wagah border, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Chandigarh and Sanghol from there.

  1. Divya,

    Fabulous work. Punjab has a rich heritage behind it. A land of people who don’t fear nothing.

    You have captured the essence of color and architecture in Punjab. I hope I can also tour like you do throughout India.

  2. Fantastic pics as well with lovely tidbits of your experience thrown in for good measure :).

  3. Exquisite work captured by a photographer with a magic eye. Well done, friend. Excellent work. And I thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.

  4. each one so unique, so eccentric in its own ways. like, woaho, each picture depicts a story in itself. those rad, broken windows, your cherry approach. uff <3

  5. I love Punjab and Punjabi…actually I can speak as well since my mother is from Patiala and my initial schooling is from Mandi Dabwali (near Bathinda). Just to tell you, I always wanted to marry somebody from Patiala.

    Anyway, you have clicked awesome pictures and taken me a step further in my love for Punjab. I belong to Ambala though.

    1. Ditto! Love the state and the language 🙂 I am originally from Ludhiana 🙂 aha! why the patiala kudi fetish? (does saru know about this? ) 😉 hehe
      Glad you liked the pictures 🙂

  6. Another wonderful collection… Divsi 🙂 Punjab, u r from? 😉 Okie.. punjab == aloo da paratha + lassi + sarso da saag n etc 😀 (almost 😉 kidding 😛 )

  7. It takes special talent to find beauty in everyday things… it takes even more of a special talent to find beauty in old, fading everyday things… needless you say, you have bundles of that talent 🙂

  8. Went to Amritsar about 6 years ago and it really is as beautiful as these pictures! Although there is so much happening on the streets, I’m glad you find pleasure in the simple things 🙂

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