Pathankot is a city & a municipal committee in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is situated towards extreme north of Punjab. Emerging as a leading commercial hub of Punjab, it feeds major hydroelectric projects of the nation like Ranjit Sagar Dam.
Due to its ideal location, Pathankot serves as a travel hub for the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in the picturesque foothills of Kangra & Dalhousie, with the river Chakki flowing close by its scenic beauty. Pathankot is also used as a gateway to the Himachali hill stations of Dalhousie, Dharamsala, Mcleodganj, Kangra Valley, Jwalaji & Chintpurni.
The largest military base in the whole of Asia is based here. It is a hub for the defence forces - Indian Army and Indian Air Force. The economy of the city is dependent on it. Pathankot has all the Colorful Cultures of India mixing here thanks to its strong Army base.
In terms of population, this is the fifth largest city in the state. It is also the last city in Punjab on the national highway that connects Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of India.
The languages spoken here are Hindi, Punjabi, English & Urdu.
Punjab experiences extreme type of climate. The summer is too hot and winter gets very cold. Best time to visit here is between the months of October and March. Heavy woolens for winter & light cottons for summer are recommended clothing.
Besides being best known for its biggest army base, Pathankot is famous for pure & semi pure pashmina shawls as it is close to two important pashmina manufacturing states Himachal & Jammu and Kashmir. It is also famous for its crockery which is well known in India.
Apart from the above, this city is famous for Lichi-a red skinned fruit. Many big companies like Real-package it & source it from here.
All foreign visitors are required to carry a passport valid at least for 6 months. Visa exemptions include Bhutanese and Nepalese who are staying for less than 3 months & Special restrictions apply to Pakistani and Afghan nationals.
Pathankot is well connected by Road, Rail and Air with the rest of the country. It has a domestic airport which provides flights for Pathankot & Dharamsala from Delhi, a Railway station connecting with few major trains & good road transport service.
By Air: The domestic airport connects the city with Delhi and Dharamsala on a daily basis & Delhi in turn is well connected with the rest of the country.
By Rail: Pathankot is a major railroad junction and the nearest mainline station to Dharamsala. All trains going to Jammu pass through Pathankot having direct train links with Delhi, Jammu and other Indian cities. Super fast trains like Jammu Tawi-Mumbai Express do not enter city Pathankot. They stop at outer Railway Station called 'Chakki Bank'. The distance from main Railway station & Chakki Bank is just 4 km which serves some express trains that do not stop in Pathankot station. Trains not passing through/stopping at PathanKot can have their closest stop at Delhi, which is well connected with the rest of the country.
By Road: Pathankot is connected by a vast network of private & public-sector bus services to other cities in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana & Jammu and Kashmir. This is due to PathanKot being the last city in Punjab on the national highway connecting Jammu & Kashmir with the rest of India. Important destinations include Delhi, Shimla, Chandigarh, Jammu, Dharamsala, Dalhousie, and Amritsar. The main bus stop is close to the railway station.
Local Transport: Hired cars/taxis, auto rickshaws & cycle rickshaws are readily available for sight-seeing. Tourist buses, taxis / hired cars are also available for moving in & around the area.
Pathankot city is covered by the Shivalik range in the foot hills of The Himalayas with awesome looking river Chakki flowing by. Some of the attractions of this city are:
Shahpur Kandi: There are some caves on the way to Shahpur Kandi which dates to the time of the Mahabharata. According to a legend, the Pandavas stayed in those caves for a night during their "Agayatwas". Shahpur Kandi also has a hanging resthouse.
Ranjit Sagar Dam: very famous & a not-to-miss spot. It is the highest gravity dam in Asia.
There are also some old Temples like Mandir Aashapurni, Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, beautiful British Churches, CNI church, Huge Gurudwaras (Sikh Temples), Head works of Upper Bari Doab, Madhopur Headworks dating back to the Mughal era & a very ancient Mosque.
Where To Eat:
There are few good restaurants in the city where one can get a taste of the North-Indian/Punjabi Cuisine.
Where To Stay:
A couple of places where tourists can stay in PathanKot are Venice Hotel on Dhangu Road & Dee Pee residency on Sujanpur road.
India's foremost hydraulic research station situated at Malikpur is 7 km from Pathankot, where varoius models of Dams and irrigation canals are made before actual work upon them starts. There is a fort, called Nurpur Fort built by a Nurpur King, 25 km from Pathankot.
There are also a lot of beautiful cities close to PathanKot, The ones worth visiting are: Jammu - 110 km, Amritsar - 109 km, Jalandhar - 112 km & Chandigarh - 269 km.
Pathankot is a travel hub in Northern India & has an ideal geographical location as it is a meeting point of three states, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh & Jammu and Kashmir. The city is often used as a rest-stop before heading into the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir, Dalhousie, Chamba, & Kangra. It is not recommended as a stand alone destination but as a start point before heading towards any of the many destinations it leads to.
