The museums of Punjab

Sikhism's holiest shrine, a gilded sanctuary floating on a sacred pool where 100,000 pilgrims are fed free every day.

The Hindu 'silver temple' of Amritsar, mirroring the Golden Temple's architecture but dedicated to Durga, Lakshmi and Vishnu.

The tallest gurdwara in India — a nine-storey octagonal tower a stone's throw from the Golden Temple, hiding rare 19th-century Sikh frescoes.

The ashram of sage Valmiki where Sita took refuge and Luv and Kush were born, according to the Ramayana — 5,000 years old.

The martyrdom site of Baba Deep Singh, who legendarily fought on with his severed head in one hand to reach the Golden Temple in 1757.

The birthplace of the Khalsa, where Guru Gobind Singh initiated the Sikh warrior brotherhood in 1699.

The Moshe Safdie-designed 'Heritage of the Khalsa' — a stunning modern museum tracing 500 years of Sikh history through 27 immersive galleries.

The martyrdom site of Guru Gobind Singh's two youngest sons, bricked alive aged 7 and 9 by the Mughal governor of Sirhind.

Founded by Guru Arjan Dev in 1590 around the largest sarovar of any Sikh shrine, with a gold dome rivalling the Harmandir.

The battlefield where Guru Gobind Singh's forty Mukte attained liberation in 1705 — commemorated every January in the massive Maghi Mela.

A 200-year-old Shakti Peetha where Sati's right breast is said to have fallen, with a replica Amarnath cave inside the temple.

The royal Kali temple of Patiala, built by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh in 1936, with an 18th-century idol of Maha Kali brought from Bengal.