Anandpur Sahib

Anandpur Sahib — 'the city of bliss' — is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Sikhs, at 380 metres on the banks of the Sutlej river in Punjab's Rupnagar district. Founded in 1665 by Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, it was here in 1699 that Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, established the Khalsa order — the brotherhood of initiated Sikhs — during the Vaisakhi festival. Five takhts (thrones) of Sikhism have been established across India; Sri Kesgarh Sahib at Anandpur is one of them, housing historic weapons associated with the Guru. The town also has the architecturally striking Virasat-e-Khalsa museum — designed by Moshe Safdie — which opened in 2011 to narrate five centuries of Sikh history through stunning modern exhibits. Every March, Anandpur hosts Hola Mohalla, a three-day festival of Sikh martial arts, processions, and prayers that draws over a million pilgrims.