Tourist Places in Ambala
Ambala is the headquarters of Ambala District and is located on the border of Haryana and Punjab. It is at this place where the hills meet the plains. Besides various tourist places in Ambala, it is reputed to be a historical site dating back to the Paleolithic Age. It was included in the kingdom of the Pandavas. Edicts of King Ashoka and stupas of the period have been found around the city. The well maleated Gupta Iron pillars reveal the advanced knowledge in mining and minerals which the blacksmiths of the time might have had.
Several archeologists/historians like AC Cunningham, C.Rogers, Prof. B.B. Lal have explored the area. The city, some believe, derives its name from a Rajput named “Amb” in the 14th.century; others say that it gets its name from the famous temple of “Goddess Amba” which still exists within the city. It was also known as the village of mangoes.
Tourists have a choice of places to see and Ambala hotels to stay in, according to their varying tastes, both within and in the outskirts of the city. There are temples of Shiv, Kali Mataa, Bhawani Amba, Radha-Kishan, Ambika Devi and several gurudwaras. The Muslim shrines worth visiting are the shrine of Lakhi Shah associated with Tej-ud-Din-Chisti and Taqwal Shah and the local landmark, Saint Pauls Church from the colonial times. The British cemetery within the city attracts many of the relatives of the dead from overseas. These diverse religious structures thus reveal the secular nature of the place
The city is an angler’s paradise, having some of the largest natural lakes. There are several well maintained gardens and parks and the better known one, The Paget Park. The ideal time to visit the city is within the months of October to March. The city experiences a sub-tropical climate, dry weather, hot summers followed by chilly to very cold winters. Tourist season brings in a horde of visitors but the city is capable of providing good reasonably priced accommodation, Punjabi cuisine and several travel agents to plan out an ideal tour of the city and the neighboring cities of Chandigarh, Kalka, Punchkula, Pinjore, Amritsar etc. For the local people, the months starting from October ushers in revelry and outings for picnics and food fairs and festivals.
In recent times, Ambala has turned into a centre for the manufacture of scientific instruments. Several educational institutes, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels have opened up providing high standards of modern education. Thus, several retirees from other parts of north India have preferred to migrate to this city to settle down permanently. The city provides a mixed culture of predominantly Punjabi and Haryanvi. However, it is a place free of tension. The local populace invests a good deal in communal amity so as to provide confidence to the tourist who is either visiting the city as his destination or en-route to other destinations in Himachal Pradesh or Punjab.
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