Punjab Tourism: Things to do in Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur might not be the first place to come to mind when thinking about travel in India, but it is certainly one of the hidden gems of the state of Punjab.

With history dating back to 1809, the ‘city of mangoes’ is situated in the North East part of the state. Hoshiarpur is known to hoard ample Sikh history with notable Gurus and eminent people hailing from here. For Sikhs, some places are of historical relevance, but for most visitors, the luscious mangoes are the prime reason to visit. The summer months may be a little harsh for first time travellers to the North of India, but the warm hospitality and unassuming nature of the people here make this a lot easier. It’s important to note that the destination does not get too many foreign visitors, so it’s possible that they might be looked upon with singular fascination.

Here are some of the things to do in Hoshiarpur:

Meditate

Hoshiarpur is known for housing one of the famous ‘Vipassana’ centres in India. Many people travel here to attend the ten or more days’ courses of meditation and way of living run by the Goenka Foundation. The lodging and boarding is very basic here. The idea is to abstain from any communication from the outside world and submerge in meditation. Come here for a cathartic holiday to Hoshiarpur!

Meditation-in-Hoshiarpur

Mango Mania 

The summers are the most difficult yet the most sumptuous time to visit Hoshiarpur. It is after all called the ‘city of mangoes’. Make a trip to one of the farm houses and enjoy the mango season thoroughly. Go with the locals to pick the fruit and see the process of selling or making some delicious products of the produce. Get your hands dirty to enjoy the reward after sweating out in the farms. The natural way of consuming the King of fruits is going to have you reaching out for water or wipes to clean the juices of your face! Visit the local market to see the bustling crowds busy themselves in the season.

Mango-in-Hoshiarpur

Punjabi Food

The Punjabi food is known to be sinfully heavy but equally delicious. Go on a gastronomic journey trying all the local food – fried breads (parathas), enormous glasses of Lassi (a yogurt based drink) and sweets. Try the Maharaja Restaurant for some good vegetarian and non vegetarian food.

Punjab-da-Food

Visit Local Sights

Sight-seeing options are limited in Hoshiarpur. There is a fort by the name of ‘Kila Baroon’ and is situated at the Bajwara village. The fort was built by the King, Sher Shah Suri and was called Beju Babra Village when legendary king Akbar came to power. The main charm is exploring this small town and it’s friendly people.

Visit the city of Hoshiarpur for a taste of a small Indian town and some heart warming indulgence in food!

Hoshiarpur-station

Indian Festivals: Makar Sankranti

Unlike most of the other Indian Hindu Festivals, the date of Makar Sankranti is fixed. Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti is transition. There is a sankranti every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. The popular Indian festival “Makar Sankranti” is the first Indian festival falls in New Year. It is one of the major Indian harvest festival celebrated on 14th of January of every year. It’s an important festival of the Hindus and celebrated almost everywhere in the country in myriad cultural forms and different names. Every region celebrate it in innumerable ways, according to the localization, culture and traditions.

Festival of Kites: 

Makar Sankranti is also known as Uttarayan or Festival of Kites in Gujarat and Rajasthan. This is a full kite-flying day, colorful kites in the sky convert Sankranti into the beautiful colors of kites. The International Kite festival is held at Ahmedabad on January 14 of every year. Kite festival is one of the most popular festivals of Jaipur “The Pink City” Rajasthan.

Patang-Uddi-Re-Patang

Fairs and Festivals:

During the Makar Sankranti festival, so many mela or fairs held’s in different region’s of India. A biggest fair held at Ganga Sagar  in west Bengal, where the most scared river “Ganga” enters the sea, thousands of pilgrims and Sadhu the holy men come here for the holy bath on the day of Makar Sankranti. The bullock festival, cattle fair held on Makar Sankranti at different places, where many camels, bullocks and horses are sold and purchased by animal lover people. One of the famous and unique fair is held at Rajgir, Bihar.

Ganga Sagar Festival Mela in West Bengal

The famous Makar Sankranti festival is related to harvesting the food grains. Its called Lohri in Punjab, In south India it’s known as Pongal “The National festival of India”, in Karnataka it’s called Sankranti and in Kerala it’s called Makara Vilakku. In Bengal, Makar Sankranti is celebrated at the last day of the Bengali month of Poush. This festival goes on for ten days, feasting, boat races, songs and dance are the major parts of attraction of this important Indian festival. It is celebrated with the til (sesame seeds) ke laddoo, gajak, Ellu Bella and sarson ka saag-makka ki roti.

White-Til-Laddu

Indian Cuisine: Wazwan from Kashmir

Kashmiri cuisine tends to be very meat dominated, in particular mutton is used in a wide variety of dishes such as the well known Rogan Josh which can be found on Indian menus throughout the world.

Wazwan

Wazwan is a traditional Kashmir multi-course meal. The word Wazwan comes from waz which means a chef with rare culinary skills that have been passed on through generations, and wan which denotes a shop with abundant supply of meats and delicacies.

Preparation-of-Wazwan

Hours of cooking and days of planning go into the making and serving of a wazwan and the preparation is considered an art. The pride of Kashmiri cuisine Wazwan is a 36 course weddings banquet is now also served on other special and important occasions. Traditionally 15 to 30 dishes of Wazwan are comprised of meat. Many of the delicacies are cooked all through the night and under the expert supervision of a Vasta Waza or head chef, assisted by an entourage of wazas under him.

Meat-balls-for-Wazwan

Wazwaan is a beautiful blend of the Mughal style with that of the Kashmiri Panditsr. The basic difference between the two schools is the abundant use of heeng (asafetida) and curd amongst the Pandits, and the use of onions and garlic amongst the Mughals. It is interesting to note that the meat for some of the Wazwan items requires being really fresh. Timing is very crucial! More than half an hour cannot elapse between the slaughtering of the goat and the pounding of the meat.

Dishes included in a Wazwan feast

At a typical Wazwan it is observed that guests are grouped into fours for the serving. The meal begins with ritual washing of hands, as a jug and basin are passed among the guests. A large serving dish piled high with heaps of rice, decorated and quartered by four seekh kababs, four pieces of meth maaz, two tabak maaz, (ribs of lamb simmered in yoghurt till tender, then fried,sides of barbecued ribs), and one safed kokur (white chicken), one zafrani kokur (masala chicken), along with other dishes is brought out for the diners. The meal is usually garnished with Kashmiri saffron, salads, Kashmiri pickles and dips.

Ready-to-serve-Wazwan

Some of the most popular dishes served at a typical Wazwan are:

• Rista which are meatballs in fiery red gravy
• Lahabi Kabab which are flattened mutton kababs cooked in yogurt
• Waza Kokur two halves or two full chicken cooked whole
• Rogan Josh, tender lamb cooked with Kashmiri spices
• Yakhni, delicately spiced yogurt curry
• Dum Aloo, potatoes cooked in yogurt gravy

The man meal concludes with the very exclusive Gushtaba which is a velvety textured meatball in white yogurt gravy, a speciality, and one that is never refused. Then finally comes the Phirni a dessert of semolina thickened in milk set in earthenware topped with nuts and silver leaf. Served at the very end is a cup of Kahwa, the green tea flavoured with saffron, cardamom and almonds.

It can be safely concluded that Wazwan is not simply a meal; it is in fact an art that must be experienced at least once to understand and appreciate all the effort that goes into this centuries old tradition.

It is possible to take a Kashmir cooking lesson if you are staying in the region where you can learn some of the component dishes of a typical Wazwan.

Kashmiri Pulao

Try some simple Kashmir cuisine at home with this easy recipe of Kashmiri Pulao, a popular rice dish in the region.

Kashmiri-Pulao

Ingredients

• 2 cups – Long grain rice (basmati)
• 2 cups – Milk
• 1/2 cup – Cream
• 1 tsp – Sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp – Cumin seeds
• 3 nos – Cloves
• 1 inch – Cinnamon Stick
• 3 – Cardamoms
• 1 No – Bay leaf
• 2 tbsp – Ghee
• 1 cup – Canned chopped mixed fruit (drained)
• 2 nos – Rose petals

Cooking Instructions

1. Wash and soak rice for 15-20 minutes.
2. Mix milk, cream, sugar, salt. Drain rice, keep aside.
3. Heat ghee in a heavy pan, add cumin seeds, cinnamon, bayleaf, cardamoms, cloves.
4. Allow to splutter, add rice and fry in ghee for 2 minutes.
5. Add milk, cream, mixture.
6. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer till cooked.
7. Mix in drained fruit very gently, garnish by sprinkling finely broken rose petals.
8. Serve hot with a curry or tadka dal.

Swaad with Sharmaji