Punjab

Slow-cooked mustard greens with makki di roti and white butter. The taste of a Punjab winter.

Thick, hand-patted flatbread of maize flour cooked on a griddle and topped with white butter, the winter partner of sarson da saag.

Flaky, potato-stuffed leavened bread baked against the wall of a tandoor and served with chole and butter, Amritsar's favourite breakfast.

Dark, dry-style chickpeas cooked with tea leaves for colour and tossed with roasted spices and amchur, without onion-tomato gravy.

Pieces of river fish coated in a spiced gram-flour batter with ajwain and deep-fried, a winter street-food speciality of Amritsar.

Goat meat slow-cooked with plenty of onions, ginger, garlic and whole spices until the gravy is thick and dark, as made in Punjabi village homes.

Minced goat meat cooked with green peas, onions, tomatoes and spices into a thick, dry curry, eaten with roti or paratha.

Goat meat cooked with a purée of mustard greens and spinach, a winter dish that joins two Punjabi favourites in one pot.

Whole black urad dal simmered for hours with ginger, garlic and tomatoes and finished with ghee or white butter, the everyday dal of Punjab.

A simple dal of whole urad and split chana cooked with ginger, onion and tomato, served with roti in gurdwara langars.

A soft, glossy halwa of equal parts whole-wheat flour, ghee and sugar, prepared with prayer and given as blessed food in every gurdwara.

Chilled milk diluted with water and lightly sweetened, served free to passers-by at roadside stalls on Guru Arjan Dev's martyrdom day.

A vigorous harvest dance of Punjabi men, danced to the dhol with high jumps, shoulder shrugs and raised arms, especially at Baisakhi.

The women's folk dance of Punjab, danced in a circle to clapping and witty boliyan, with each woman stepping into the centre in turn.

A slow, graceful men's dance of swaying movements, danced in a circle around the drummer, often on moonlit nights after the harvest.

The Sikh martial art of stick and sword fighting, shown in fast, rhythmic displays at religious processions and festivals such as Hola Mohalla.

A playful dance of Punjabi girls, who hold hands crosswise in pairs and spin round fast while singing.

Free meals served to everyone who comes, regardless of faith, caste or status, at every gurdwara.

The solar New Year and harvest festival of Punjab and Haryana. For Sikhs it also marks the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh at Anandpur Sahib in 1699.

The bonfire festival of Punjab on the eve of Makar Sankranti, marking the end of winter and the sugarcane harvest. Families gather around the fire with songs, Bhangra and Giddha.

A Sikh festival held at Anandpur Sahib on the day after Holi. Started by Guru Gobind Singh, it features displays of martial skills by Nihang Sikhs, kirtan and langar.

A Shakti Peetha at Jalandhar, where Sati's left breast is said to have fallen. The Goddess is worshipped here as Tripuramalini.

The foremost of the five Takhts, founded by Guru Hargobind in 1606 facing the Harmandir Sahib.

The Takht where Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa on Baisakhi, 1699.

The Takht where Guru Gobind Singh prepared the final version of the Guru Granth Sahib.

The holiest gurdwara of the Sikhs, set in the Amrit Sarovar. Its four doors welcome people of every faith, and its langar serves free meals to tens of thousands every day.

The holiest gurdwara of Sikhism, a gold-covered shrine in the middle of a sacred pool, open to people of every faith and home to a langar that feeds tens of thousands every day.

A walled garden in Amritsar where British troops fired on an unarmed crowd on 13 April 1919, now a national memorial to those who were killed.

The road crossing between India and Pakistan near Amritsar, famous for the Beating Retreat ceremony held by the Border Security Force every evening.

The holy town in the Shivalik foothills where Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa in 1699, seat of Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib and home of the Hola Mohalla festival.

A major Hindu temple in Amritsar that stands in the middle of a sacred tank and is built in a style that echoes the Golden Temple.

A huge brick fort in the heart of Bathinda, believed to be one of the oldest forts in Punjab and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

A large wetland where the Beas and Sutlej rivers meet, a Ramsar site and one of north India's most important winter homes for migratory birds.

Hand-beaten brass and copper utensils of Amritsar district.